About Us

• Nina Paonessa, DO, FACOS, is a board-certified general surgeon and proctologist, and a fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon practicing at Paonessa Colon & Rectal Surgery, PC, in Brielle and Manahawkin, New Jersey. With over 16 years of experience, Dr. Paonessa is the only female colorectal surgeon in Ocean and Monmouth counties. She’s known for her expertise and patient-centered care, and she prides herself in treating each of her patients as a family member, preserving each patient’s well-being and dignity. Dr. Paonessa completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Siena College in Loudonville, New York, where she graduated magna cum laude. She attended medical school in Erie, Pennsylvania, at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Paonessa completed her internship and general surgery residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, where she also served as chief resident and was named “Resident of the Year.”  She completed her colon and rectal surgery fellowship at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  She offers conservative, minimally invasive treatment options that are performed in the office for many common anorectal disorders.  Dr. Paonessa prides herself in staying abreast of all the latest techniques and treatments in the field of colorectal surgery and tailors each treatment plan to the specific needs of every patient.  Dr. Paonessa is a co-editor and author of three chapters in the second edition of the textbook The Surgical Treatment of Hemorrhoids (2009).  She has presented at several national surgical conferences and published in the medical journal, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. Dr. Paonessa has been named Proctologist of the Year by the American College of Osteopathic Proctologists, awarded the Patient’s Choice Award and the Compassionate Doctor’s Award by Vitals.com for twelve consecutive years, and is on the HealthGrades Honor Roll.  She has also been named as a Top Doctor in Colon and Rectal Surgery. Dr. Paonessa is a member of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, American College of Osteopathic Proctologists, American Osteopathic Association, American Medical Association, New Jersey Medical Society, Ocean County Medical Society, Pennsylvania Colon and Rectal Society, Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, and American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.