Overview

Dr. Shaffer earned her MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, did her general surgery internship and residency at the Emory University School of Medicine, and completed her colorectal surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Florida.

Her clinical specialties are laparoscopy, colon and rectal cancer, anal cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, pouchitis, anorectal pathology, hereditary polyposis syndromes, rectal prolapse, pelvic floor disorders, and anal fistula. Dr. Shaffer is the Scientific Director of the Emory Crohn's and Colitis Center.

Dr. Shaffer's health services and quality improvement research has included her successful effort to improve communication between home health nurses and Emory clinical personnel to lower the 30-day readmission rate for ileostomy patients, and her work to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) for patients after colorectal resection by identifying risk factors for SSIs.

She is also interested in refining treatment for inflammatory bowel disease patients, and is evaluating the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in offering relief from pouchitis, an inflammation of the pouch created during surgery for ulcerative colitis that stores and eliminates solid waste. FMT is the delivery of healthy bacteria via placement of donor stool in the recipient's digestive tract.

Academic Appointment

• Vice Chair, Department of Surgery, Faculty Affairs, Emory University School of Medicine
• Professor of Surgery, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine
• Surgery Quality Officer-NSQIP Champion, Surgery, Emory University

Education

Research