James A. Olson, MD, FASCRS
Dr. James Olson specializes in colon and rectal care and is certified by both the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the American Board of Surgery.
An Idaho native, Dr. Olson graduated with honors from the College of Idaho. He then attended The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC and was awarded his MD degree in 1995. He completed his surgical residency in Denver, Colorado at the University of Colorado in 2000. Following residency, Dr. Olson was appointed Clinical Instructor of Surgery at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Attending Staff at Los Angeles County Hospital. During this time he continued specialized training in the field of colon and rectal surgery at USC. There he served as Associate Director of the Anorectal Physiology Lab in the Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery. His formal colorectal surgery training was completed in 2002 at USC under the chairmanship of Dr. Robert W. Beart Jr.
A surgeon who has attained Certification by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery must first be certified by the American Board of Surgery. Having attained certification in both fields, a Board Certified colorectal surgeon is proficient in the field of general surgery, but also has acquired particular expertise in the diagnosis as well as medical and surgical management with problems of the colon, rectum, anus and small bowel. Dr. Olson has met the specialty’s established standards by fulfilling specified educational, credentialing, and examination guidelines. In addition to the full extent of colorectal surgery, his areas of special interest are fecal incontinence and sphincter sparing techniques in the management of rectal cancer.
