Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS

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Get to know Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, who serves patients in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Pigalarga is a board-certified colorectal surgeon with VHC Physician Group – Colorectal Surgery, located in Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia.

Prior to joining the VHC Physician Group – Colorectal Surgery in the winter of 2019, he practiced as a colorectal surgeon for 5 years at Gastro Health in Miami, Florida, one of the largest GI and colorectal surgery private practices in South Florida. He also served as a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. 

Educated in Italy, Dr. Pigalarga graduated with his medical degree from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in 2002. He then trained as a general surgery intern at the same university for one year, before moving to the United States to continue his medical training. He was a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for two years, and went on to complete his residency at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he had the opportunity to train with Dr. Craig Rezac. From 2011 to 2012, he was a colon and rectal surgery fellow at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida.

The doctor is board-certified in colon and rectal surgery by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, which was established to promote the health and welfare of the American people through the development and maintenance of high standards for certification in the specialty of colon and rectal surgery.

A Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery, Dr. Pigalarga is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (FASCRS).

Colorectal surgery is a field of medicine dealing with disorders of the rectum, anus, and colon. The field is also known as proctology; however, this term is now used infrequently within medicine and is most often employed to identify practices relating to the anus and rectum in particular. A colorectal surgeon specializes in the preoperative, operative, and postoperative care of patients with colorectal disorders.

Among Dr. Pigalarga’s various accolades include Patients’ Choice Award (2018, 2017, 2016), On-Time Doctor Award (2018, 2017, 2016), and Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2018, 2017).

Outside of work, he enjoys following Internazionale Milano and DC United football teams, jogging, playing tennis, as well as spending time with his wife, Carolina, and two children, Lia and Luca. He speaks English, Italian, and Spanish.

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