Colorectal Transition Program

Teenagers and adults who will benefit most from this program include those with conditions such as:

• Congenital and acquired colorectal disease, such as cloaca and other anorectal malformations
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
• Hirschsprung disease
• Cecostomy or complex reconstruction
• Spina bifida

Choosing Children’s National for Colorectal Transition Care

Pediatric Surgeon Erin Teeple, M.D., joined the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Children’s National and directs the Colorectal Transition Program. Dr. Teeple is the only person in the United States who is board certified as both a pediatric surgeon and an adult colorectal surgeon, uniquely positioning her to care for people with both acquired and congenital colorectal disease and help them transition from pediatric care to adult caregivers.

By appointing Dr. Teeple, Children’s National offers unique expertise to both initial surgical reconstruction and care and adds a wealth of experience with what happens as these children age into adulthood.

We believe that having a devoted clinician with a foot in both the pediatric and adult worlds will foster long term relationships and build the depth of the team providing clinical care to all our patients and their families. Similar transition programs already exist for other conditions such as congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis.

Multiple Specialties Offer a Continuum of Care

The collaboration between Children’s National Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center means we can bring unprecedented partnership with urology, gynecology and gastroenterology on the adult side to the people we serve and offer a full complement of services. Our team, including Dr. Teeple, Nathan Shaw, M.D., and Lauren Damle, M.D., follows patients from diagnosis through treatment and long-term follow-up care. This parallels the multidisciplinary approach already available to pediatric patients in the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction.

We have begun to transition our existing young adult patients through this program. We also have seen many adult patients who have been struggling to find care since leaving their pediatric institution decades ago. These patients have come from the local area as well as nationally and internationally to find the experienced and collaborative care they have been desperately seeking.