Overview of Dr. Zarnegar
Dr. Rasa Zarnegar is a Professor of Surgery (Endocrine/Minimally Invasive Surgery) at Weill Cornell Medical College and an Associate Attending Surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He has been repeatedly recognized by Castle Connolly as one of the "Best Doctors." He was also named by New York Magazine as one of New York's "Best Doctors."
Dr. Zarnegar's primary clinical interests include thyroid/parathyroid/adrenal and GI neuroendocrine disease as well as benign and malignant foregut disease. He has focused on minimally invasive and robotic approaches for the management of these disorders and has been involved in the development of techniques to minimize scars through single incision surgery.
He has pioneered techniques in single incision foregut surgery and robotic surgery further improving operative technique for reduced scar formation and postoperative pain. He is the Director of Robotic Surgery.
In the realm of reflux and foregut surgery he is directing the motility center at Weill Cornell and provides a multidisciplinary approach to the management of reflux, esophageal, and gastric dysmotility. By centralizing care his team has improved patient experience and outcomes. He is involved in multiple studies assessing outcomes in reflux and esophageal surgery.
During his time at Weill Cornell he has gained expertise in robotic surgery and performs over a 150 robotic procedures a year. Using this technique he is able to perform complex surgery for benign and malignant gastric and esophageal conditions.
Office
525 East 68th Street
Starr 8
New York, NY 10065Fax+1 212-746-6899
Education & Training
- Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterResidency, Surgery, 2003 - 2005
- University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago (Mount Sinai)Residency, Surgery, 2002 - 2003
- Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and ScienceClass of 1999
- San Jose State UniversityB.S., 1989 - 1994
Certifications & Licensure
- CA State Medical License 2005 - Present
- NJ State Medical License 2023 - 2025
- NY State Medical License 2007 - 2025
- IL State Medical License 1999 - 2005
- OH State Medical License 2003 - 2005
- American Board of Surgery Surgery
Awards, Honors, & Recognition
- Co-PI Targeted Therapy for Solid Tumors NIH
- Frank Glenn Scholar of Surgery Weill Cornell Medical College, 2017
- CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification EpicCare Ambulatory EMR, Epic Systems Corporation, 2011-2013
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Clinical Trials
- Impact of Biosynthetic Mesh on Paraesophageal Hernia Repair Start of enrollment: 2024 Jun 01
Publications & Presentations
PubMed
- Hiatal Hernia Repair: A Century Between Soresi and da Vinci.Aneesah McClinton, Rasa Zarnegar, Gregory Dakin, Cheguevara Afaneh
The Surgical Clinics of North America. 2025-02-01 - Disparities in postoperative adjuvant therapy utilization and factors impacting survival among anaplastic thyroid cancer patients.Teagan E Marshall, Rahma Ibrahim, Yeon J Lee-Saxton, Abhinay Tumati, Daniel Hubbs
American Journal of Surgery. 2024-12-01 - Evaluation of factors associated with reflux recurrence after fundoplication.Hala Al Asadi, Haythem Najah, Teagan Marshall, Maria Alqamish, Niloufar Salehi
Surgical Endoscopy. 2024-12-01
Journal Articles
- Association of Adrenal Venous Sampling with Outcomes in Primary Aldosteronism for Unilateral AdenomasToni Beninato, Brendan M Finnerty, Thomas J Fahey, Rasa Zarnegar, JAMA Surgery
- Thyroidectomy for Multinodular Goiter in the Elderly: Age Is Just a NumberBrendan M Finnerty, Katherine D Gray, Rasa Zarnegar, Thomas J Fahey, Toni Beninato, Journal of The American College of Surgeons
- Less Is More: The Impact of Multidisciplinary Thyroid Conference on the Treatment of Well-Differentiated Thyroid CarcinomaAaron Schulman, Vivian R Sobel, Theresa Scognamiglio, Rasa Zarnegar, James R Hurley, World Journal of Surgery
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Books/Book Chapters
Abstracts/Posters
- Endorectal advancement flaps for anorectal fistula in Crohn’s Disease in the era of immune therapy.Eisenstein S, New York Society of Colorectal Surgeons Residents’ Night, 1/1/2014
- Endorectal advancement flaps for anorectal fistula in Crohn’s Disease in the era of immune therapy.Eisenstein S, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons, 1/1/2014
- PIRB controls the suppressive function of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in vivo via a Stat3-dependant mechanism.Eisenstein S, Mount Sinai Graduate Medical Education Day, 1/1/2010
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Lectures
- Fetal chest mass.Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA - 1/1/2012
- Laparoscopic MyomectomyWalter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD - 1/1/2012
- How to Suture and Tie Knots: Demonstration of Intracorporeal, Extracorporeal, and New Methods.The Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD - 1/1/2010
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Other
- High-Altitude Hydration System.Parazynski, Scott E., Evelyne Orndoff, Grant C. Bue, Mark E. Schaefbauer, and Kase Urban, US Patent 8,839,996
1/23/2014 - The Use of Adjuvants in Vaccine Development. Master's ThesisRisi GF
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - 1/1/2011 - Modular Lifestyle Intervention Tool (MLIT), Pocket PC versionStrayer SM, Copyright University of Virginia Patent Foundation
1/1/2005
Authored Content
- Thyroidectomy for Multinodular Goiter in the Elderly: Age Is Just a NumberOctober 2018
Press Mentions
- Robot Surgeon Successfully Performs Pig Intestine Surgery by Itself: What This Means for the FutureMay 5th, 2016
Grant Support
- Targeted Therapy for Solid TumorsNIH2013–2018
Professional Memberships
- Member
- Member
- Member
- American Association of Endocrine SurgeonsMember
Other Languages
- Spanish, Farsi
Industry Relationships
- Co-Founder/Scientific Advisor, EndovorDevelop Medical Devices for patient interaction improvement and refluxDisclosure: None2017 - Present
External Links
- Endocrine Surgeryhttp://weillcornell.org/razarnegar
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna Choice POS II
Aetna HMO
BCBS Blue Card PPO
BCBS Illinois PPO
CIGNA HMO
CIGNA Open Access
CIGNA PPO
Empire BCBS HMO
Empire BCBS PPO
GHI PPOGreat West PPO
HIP of New York - Select PPO
Humana ChoiceCare Network PPO
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Plus
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed POS
MVP Healthcare PPO
Oxford Health Freedom
Oxford Health Liberty
United Healthcare - Direct Choice Plus POS
United Healthcare - Direct Options PPO - Please verify your coverage with the provider's office directly when scheduling an appointment
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