Dr. Joshua Bleier is board certified in Colon and Rectal and General Surgery. He attended The University of Pennsylvania for both his undergraduate and medical degrees. He received his General Surgery training at Cornell, and completed a research fellowship in Immunology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He completed his Colon and Rectal Training at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Bleier’s practice spans the range of colon and rectal disease. He specializes in the management and treatment of benign diverticular disease and Colon and rectal Cancer with both standard and minimally invasive approaches, with an emphasis on sphincter-preservation. His areas of specialty also include the surgical treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, as well as the spectrum of benign anorectal and pelvic floor disorders. His practice includes colonoscopy, as well as advanced techniques for local treatment of early rectal polyps and cancers.

• American Association for Cancer Research, Associate Member
• American College of Surgeons, Member
• American Medical Association
• American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, Member
• Society for American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons

• Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
  Cancer Therapeutics Research Program, Associate Member

1. Bleier JI, Krupnick AS, Kreisel D, Song HK, Rosato EF, Williams NN. Hand-assisted laparoscopic vertical banded gastroplasty: early results. Surgical Endoscopy 14(10):902-907, Oct. 2000.
2. Weyant MJ, Bleier JI, Naama H, Eachempati SR, Schiff J, Barie PS, Yankelevitz DF. Severe crushed chest injury with large flail segment: computed tomographic three-dimensional reconstruction. Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. 52(3):605, Mar. 2002.
3. Marshall MB, Deeb ME, Bleier JI, Kucharczuk JC, Friedberg JS, Kaiser LR, Shrager JB. Suction vs water seal after pulmonary resection: a randomized prospective study. Chest 121(3):831-835, Mar. 2002.
4. Pillarisetty VG, Shah AB, Miller G, Bleier JI, DeMatteo RP. Liver dendritic cells are less immunogenic than spleen dendritic cells because of differences in subtype composition. Journal of Immunology 172(2):1009-1017, Jan. 15, 2004.
5. Sarkaria IS, Eachempati SR, Weyant MJ, Hydo LJ, Barie CA, Bleier JI, Boffa DJ, Barie PS. Current surgical opinion of computed tomography for acute appendicitis. Surgical Infection 5(3):243-252, May 2004.
6. Miller G, Bleier JI, Antonescu C, Pillarisetty VG, Shah AB, Lahrs S, DeMatteo RP. Natural killer cell depletion confounds the antitumor mechanism of endogenous IL-12 overexpression. International Journal of Cancer 110(3):395-402, June 20, 2004.
7. Bleier JI, Pillarisetty VG, Shah AB, DeMatteo RP. Increased and long-term generation of dendritic cells with reduced function from IL-6-deficient bone marrow. Journal of Immunology 172(12):7408-7416, June 15, 2004.
8. Katz SC, Pillarisetty VG, Bleier JI, Shah AB, DeMatteo RP. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells are insufficient to activate T cells. Journal of Immunology 173(1):230-235, July 1, 2004.
9. Pillarisetty VG, Katz SC, Bleier JI, Shah AB, DeMatteo RP. Natural killer dendritic cells have both antigen presenting and lytic function and in response to CpG produce IFN-gamma via autocrine IL-12. Journal of Immunology 174(5):2612-2618, Mar. 1, 2005.
10. Katz SC, Pillarisetty VG, Bleier JI, Kingham TP, Chaudhry UI, Shah AB, DeMatteo RP. Conventional liver CD4 T cells are functionally distinct and suppressed by environmental factors. Hepatology 42(2):293-300, Aug. 2005.
11. Bleier JI, Katz SC, Chaudhry UI, Pillarisetty VG, Kingham TP 3rd, Shah AB, Raab JR, DeMatteo RP. Biliary obstruction selectively expands and activates liver myeloid dendritic cells. Journal of Immunology 176(12):7189-7195, June 15, 2006.
12. Bleier JI, Moon V, Feingold, Whelan RL, Arnell T, Sonoda T, Milsom JW, Lee SW. Initial repair of iatrogenic colon perforation using laparoscopic methods. Surgical Endoscopy 22(3):646-649, Mar. 2008.
13. Menon C, Bauer TW, Kelley ST, Raz DJ, Bleier JI, Patel K, Steele K, Fraker DL. Tumoricidal activity of high-dose tumor necrosis factor alpha is mediated by macrophage-derived nitric oxide burst and permanent blood flow shutdown. International Journal of Cancer 123(2):464-475, July 15, 2008.
14. Nash G, Bleier J, Milsom J, Trencheva K, Sonoda T, Lee S. Minimally invasive surgery is safe and effective for urgent and emergent colectomy. Colorectal Disease. 2010 May;12(5):480-4.
15. Bleier JI, Moloo H, Goldberg SM. Ligation of the Intersphincteric Fistula Tract (LIFT): An effective new technique for complex fistulae. Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. 2010 Jan;53(1):43-6.

1. Mar. 2007 “Laparoscopic Surgery for Recurrent Crohn’s Disease.” (with Lee SW, Sonoda T, Milsom JW.) New York Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, New York, NY.
2. June 2008 “Martius Flap Repair of Complex Rectovaginal Fistulas.” (with Lee AE, Mellgren AF, Madoff RD, Lowry AC.) American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Annual Meeting and Tripartite Meeting, Boston, MA.
3. June 2008 “Salvage Coccygectomy for Refractory Coccydynia is a Safe and Effective Treatment.” (with Lee AE, Mellgren AF, Spencer MP.) American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Annual Meeting and Tripartite Meeting, Boston, MA. June 2008.

1. Bleier JI Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 18th Edition. Online update to Chapter on Colon and Rectum
2. Bleier JI, Resnick A, Mahmoud, N. Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery: Ventral Hernia Repair. Chapter, “Complications of Ventral Hernia”. 2009
3. Bleier JI, Invited Review of Anorectal Melanoma. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, July 2009, in press.
4. Bleier JI, Fry RD. Maingot’s Abdominal Operations. Chapter 42, Cancer of the Anus, 12th Ed. 2009, in press.
5. Bleier JI, Moloo H, Goldberg SM. Mastery of Techniques in Colon and Rectal Surgery. Chapter, “Ligation of the Intersphincteric Fistula Tract: the LIFT Procedure.” 2009, in press.
6. Hedrick T, Bleier JI, Steele S. Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery: Metabolic Support of the Enterocutaneous Fistula Patient. 2010. in press.

1. Blackbourne L, ed.; Bleier J, Assoc. Ed. Surgical Recall, 4th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005.

1. Bleier J, Tuite C, Baum R. A striking radiographic example of bronchial hemorrhage. SCVIR Case Club (on-line), Case No. 1299-02, 1999.
2. Bleier J, Roberts D, Wu S, Baum R, Haskal Z. Inadvertent arterial placement of subclavian central venous catheter. SCVIR Case Club (on-line), 7:6, 1999.