Larissa KF Temple

Dr. Larissa KF Temple serves as Chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery at UR Medicine and Director of SHORE. She is a Professor in the Department of Surgery, Colorectal Surgery (SMD) at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Temple completed her General Surgery and Surgeon Scientist Program at the University of Toronto before completing fellowships in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Colorectal Surgery at St. Luke's Roosevelt. She previously served as a member of the Colorectal Surgery Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and held leadership roles including Director of the Colorectal Survivorship Program and Vice Deputy Physician in Chief for Quality and Safety.

Dr. Temple's research focuses on colorectal cancer outcomes, surgical quality improvement, and patient-centered care. Her work examines minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques, rectal cancer management, and the development of quality metrics for surgical care. She has made significant contributions to understanding surgical outcomes, patient-reported experiences, and the implementation of quality improvement initiatives in colorectal surgery.

Her research has evolved to increasingly incorporate patient-reported outcomes alongside traditional surgical metrics, reflecting a growing emphasis on patient-centered care in surgical quality assessment. Recent publications demonstrate her leadership in developing integrated frameworks that combine clinical outcomes with patient experience data to evaluate surgical quality more comprehensively.

• Physician Executive Leadership Development Program (2016)
• Best Doctors (2016)
• New York's Best Doctors (2010-2012)
• New York Super Doctors (2009-2012)
• Society of University Surgeons, SUS-Wyeth Clinical Scholar Award (2006)
• Northern California Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Award (2004)

Dr. Temple chairs the Quality Assessment Committee for the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery and serves on multiple national committees including the ASCO program committee, the American College of Surgeons Rectal Cancer Standards Operative Workgroup, the Surgery Standing Committee for the National Quality Forum, and the American College of Surgeons Performance Measurement Work group. Her leadership extends to developing surgical quality metrics and implementing quality improvement initiatives across multiple healthcare systems.

As Chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery, Dr. Temple oversees clinical programs across multiple locations including Rochester, Webster, and Brighton. She has developed specialized programs focused on colorectal cancer survivorship and quality improvement in surgical care. Her leadership in the SHORE program reflects her commitment to optimizing surgical outcomes through evidence-based practice and quality measurement.