Nicole Lopez, MD

Nicole Lopez, MD, is board certified in general surgery, complex general surgical oncology, colon and rectal surgery and clinical informatics.

She is particularly interested in caring for patients with hereditary, advanced, recurrent, and metastatic colorectal cancers. She is skilled in laparoscopy and robotic surgery.

Locally, Dr. Lopez is the director of the UC San Diego National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). In this facility, she is dedicated to ensuring superb quality of care for all patients receiving treatment for rectal cancer at UC San Diego.

Nationally, Dr. Lopez sits the American College of Surgeons Cancer Surgery Standards Program Committee which is committed to ensuring excellent quality of surgery for patients undergoing cancer surgery. She is also on the Colorectal Disease Site Working Group for the Society of Surgical Oncology.

She has been recognized for her exceptional clinical care in Castle Connelly's "Exceptional Women in Medicine" in 2020 and as one of San Diego's "Top Doctors" in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Dr. Lopez's research focuses on ways to improve surgical care and systems of care using big data and health information technology. She is committed to ensuring patients with rectal cancer have the best quality of life possible after treatment for rectal cancer and has published on 'watch and wait'/'non-operative management' for patients with rectal cancer. Her work in colon rectal surgery has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed medical journals, including Annals of Surgical Oncology, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, American Journal of Surgery, Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, and Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis.

Dr. Lopez believes education and training of students and residents is imperative to sustaining a workforce of talented and compassionate physicians and surgeons. As such, she is the director of several medical student courses and serves as a mentor to many students. The American Medical Association recognized her nationally for her mentorship, presenting her with an Inspiration Award.

When she's not working, Dr. Lopez enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing catch with her labradoodle, making and decorating cookies, and listening to audiobooks.

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For more information, see Colorectal Cancer and Surgical Services.