Dr. Herschel D. Vargas

Kelly Renee is a Colorectal Surgeon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Renee is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Diverticular Disease. Her top areas of expertise are Bowel Incontinence, Anal Cancer, Encopresis, Hernia Surgery, and Colostomy.

Richard Byrd is a Colorectal Surgeon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Byrd is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Diverticular Disease. His top areas of expertise are Familial Colorectal Cancer, Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis, Rectal Prolapse, Colostomy, and Hernia Surgery.

After undergraduate, medical school (Wayne State University) and general surgery residency, all in Detroit, he completed Colon & Rectal Surgery (CRS) Residency in Pennsylvania and moved to New York City to begin his career at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center (Brooklyn), where he pioneered the use of transrectal ultrasound to preoperatively stage rectal cancer to direct neoadjuvant (preoperative) therapy. These efforts were successful in improving outcomes by downstaging rectal cancer leading to decreased local recurrence, increased sphincter salvage (avoiding colostomy) and increased disease-free survival. He returned to the Midwest (Kansas City) to reproduce these results, comparable to tertiary care centers and a national multi-institution study, ACOSOG Z6051, published in Am J Surg 2019; 217(3): 430-434. He was enticed to return to academia to create the Ohio State University CRS Residency and serve as Program Director from 2013-2019. He was then recruited to MD Anderson Cancer Center affiliates (Phoenix/Ochsner New Orleans) before returning to academic surgery in his home state at Central Michigan University.He has been president of 4 surgical organizations. He has served on the Editorial Board for the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgery (ASCRS) official journal, DISEASES OF THE COLON & RECTUM), for 20 years. He has served on the American Board of Colon & Rectal Surgery (ABCRS) for 20 years, currently as Senior Examiner. He has served on ASCRS Executive Council. Dr. Cirocco is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Diverticular Disease. His top areas of expertise are Colorectal Cancer, Familial Colorectal Cancer, Rectal Prolapse, Colostomy, and Hemorrhoidectomy.