Dr. Mark Blankenship, MD, FACS, FASCRS

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Get to know Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Mark Blankenship, who serves patients throughout the State of Georgia.

A devoted physician, Dr. Blankenship is one of the first board-certified colorectal surgeons to practice in Chatham County. He co-founded Metro Surgical together with Dr. John Odom in 1994.

Metro Surgical is one of the largest single-specialty general surgical practices in the state of Georgia. The practice was established in 1994 and continues to grow and evolve in order to serve their patients in the coastal region. They offer the convenience of seven area offices in Savannah, Rincon, Pooler, Richmond Hill, Sylvania, Bluffton and Jesup.

A native of the Atlanta area, Dr. Blankenship attended Georgia State University, and earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia in 1997. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Memorial Health University Medical Center in 1997, followed by a prestigious fellowship in colorectal surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital under Dr. H. Randolph Bailey in 1998.

In pursuit of clinical excellence, the doctor is board-certified in both colon and rectal surgery and general surgery by the American Board of Colorectal Surgery (ABCRS) and the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABCRS and ABS are both an independent, non-profit organization founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge.

Recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, he serves as the President of the medical staff and the Director of the Incontinence Center at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital. He has also held many regional and national leadership positions.

Colorectal surgery is a field in medicine dealing with disorders of the rectum, anus, and colon. It covers caring for patients with cancers of the colon, rectum and anus along with other benign disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease), diverticulitis and a myriad of anorectal pathologies like hemorrhoids, fistulas, abscesses and fissures. 

On a more personal note, Dr. Blankenship’s interests outside of work include farming and playing guitar.

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