Surgery


Showing 1-50 of 151 Results

  • Daniel Aliseda Jover

    Daniel Aliseda Jover

    Clinical Instructor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Daniel Aliseda graduated in Medicine from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and completed his residency in General Surgery at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra. During this time, he developed a strong interest in Hepatobiliopancreatic diseases and Liver Transplantation, which led him to pursue a PhD with international distinction. His research focused on developing models and strategies to improve survival in patients with liver and pancreatic neoplasm—one of which was nationally recognized as the best research project conducted by a surgical resident in Spain. As part of his academic training, he also completed a clinical and research stay at the Centre Hépato-Biliaire Paul Brousse in Paris. After finishing his residency, he joined the HPB and Liver Transplant Unit at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra as a Junior Attending Surgeon.

  • Jurgis Alvikas

    Jurgis Alvikas

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Jurgis Alvikas was born in Lithuania and moved to Chicago as a teenager. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and earned his M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, where he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha. He then completed his General Surgery residency and a fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

    He is passionate about caring for patients with hepato-biliary and gastrointestinal malignancies and about mentoring surgical trainees. Outside of medicine, he enjoys running, reading, and spending time with his family.

  • Jean Jingzhi Bao

    Jean Jingzhi Bao

    Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Jean Bao is a board-certified, fellowship-trained Breast Surgical Oncologist. She is a clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

    Dr. Bao’s clinical interests include treatment of men and women who have breast cancer, benign breast disease, genetic mutations, family history of breast cancer, or other breast cancer risk factors. Procedures performed by Dr. Bao include skin- and nipple-sparing mastectomies, partial mastectomies, oncoplastic procedures, benign breast lesion excisions, axillary node dissections, and sentinel lymph node biopsies. Dr. Bao is certified in breast ultrasound and utilizes this technology to visualize and biopsy breast masses.

    She completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under the mentorship of one of the world’s foremost experts in the field. Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Bao practiced at the University of Chicago as an assistant professor of surgery in the Breast Center.

    Dr. Bao works closely with medical oncology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, genetics, and other breast cancer specialists in a multidisciplinary setting to provide high quality, evidence-based, and individualized care. Dr. Bao is a strong advocate for patient education and empowerment and strives to deliver compassionate care to patients and their families.

    Her research has focused on the management of breast cancer in older patients, male breast cancer, high-risk breast cancers, and axillary lymph node management after preoperative chemotherapy. She also has strong research interests in intraoperative 3D breast imaging, the benefits and risks of prophylactic mastectomy, fertility issues in young women with breast cancer, and the role of endocrine therapy in breast cancer. She has delivered presentations on a wide range of topics related to breast cancer at national and regional meetings. The results of her research have been published in JAMA, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Breast Journal, Clinical Imaging, and elsewhere.

    For her scholarship and research achievements, Dr. Bao has won numerous honors and awards. She earned the Excellence in Teaching Award twice from the University of Chicago Department of Surgery. She was also named a Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium Scholar, where she joined other medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists who lead in the field.

    Dr. Bao is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She is a member of Breast Disease Site Work Group in the Society of Surgical Oncology, and serves as the society’s external liaison to the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Breast Imaging Panel. She previously held the position of chair of the Cancer Committee at University of Chicago Medicine.

  • Tiffany E. Chao, MD, MPH, FACS, FCS (ECSA)

    Tiffany E. Chao, MD, MPH, FACS, FCS (ECSA)

    Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated), Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Tiffany E. Chao is a board-certified general surgeon at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery (Affiliated) in the Stanford Department of Surgery (Division of General Surgery), and an Adjunct Professor in the university's Program in Human Biology. At SCVMC, Dr. Chao is the Site Director for the Stanford medical student surgical clerkship and the Associate Site Director for the Stanford General Surgery Residency Program. Her interests in surgery include minimally invasive foregut, hernia, and colorectal surgery, in addition to acute care & trauma surgery.

    At Stanford, she is the Primary Instructor of the undergraduate course HUMBIO 29: Introduction to Global Health and the medical school seminar SURG 236: Seminar in Global Surgery and Anesthesia, both Winter Quarter classes. Her other roles at Stanford include Faculty Fellow with Center for Innovation in Global Health and the Clinical Competency Committee of the General Surgery Residency. Dr. Chao's research interests are in global surgery, including cost-effectiveness analysis, surgical device innovation, and expansion of surgical delivery for low-income populations through surgical workforce and infrastructure development.

    Dr. Chao holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Symbolic Systems and Psychology from Stanford University, as well as MD and MPH degrees from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. She completed General Surgery residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School's Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, and the CTSA/Lucile Packard Innovation Fellowship at Stanford Biodesign. Through the Biodesign program, she co-founded Zenflow, Inc., a venture-backed medical device company working in minimally-invasive therapy for prostate disease, and is a Founding Partner of 4i Ventures.

    In addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons since 2018, Dr. Chao was also elected to be an Overseas Fellow of The College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) in 2022. She has also been appointed as an Extraordinary Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Global Surgery at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa and serves on the Editorial Board of the World Journal of Surgery.

  • Eleanor Brown

    Eleanor Brown

    Social Science Research Professional 2, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioEleanor Brown is a Social Science Research Professional in the Department of Surgery. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Medical Humanities from Boston College. Her thesis was a mixed-method, community-based participatory research study which assessed the effectiveness of a local health collaborative’s outreach to connect Latino residents with mental health resources in Boston. Her research interests include health disparities among Hispanic/Latino populations, the financial and time toxicities of cancer treatment, and equitable clinical trial design. Eleanor enjoys public health outreach work both locally and abroad; she has volunteered on several service trips across Latin America. In the Dawes Lab, she has worked on ACUeRDO, a precursor to APOYO that was funded by the Stanford Cancer Institute and explored barriers to care among Hispanic/Latino patients with rectal cancer.

  • Alma-Martina Cepika

    Alma-Martina Cepika

    Assistant Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCepika Lab studies human immune tolerance. Using cellular immunology, genomics, and gene engineering, we aim to understand: 1) the role of human thymic regulatory T cells (Tregs) and inducible type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells in resistance to anti-tumor immunity and cancer immunotherapy, and 2) the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our overarching goal is to leverage our discoveries for improving patient outcomes.

  • Jeff Choi

    Jeff Choi

    Fellow in Surgery - General Surgery

    BioChief Surgical Critical Care Fellow ('25-'26).
    Former Stanford General Surgery resident (Administrative Chief Resident '24-'25).
    Ex-president of Surgeons Writing About Trauma.
    Founding course instructor of SURG238: Practical Introduction to Surgical Research.

    My research vision is to save or better the most possible number of lives using data. My group focuses on:

    1) building and implementing useful clinical prediction tools
    2) bringing various AI applications (e.g. NLP, vision) to the bedside
    3) optimization algorithms and geospatial analysis to improve access to care
    4) challenging dogma in surgical practice with contemporary data

    We collaborate with trauma surgery and data science colleagues in the US and South Korea.

    My passions are advocating for higher statistical and machine learning methodology quality in surgical literature, and fostering the growth of the next generation of clinician-data scientists.

  • Mei-Sze Chua

    Mei-Sze Chua

    Sr Res Scientist-Basic Ls, Surgery - General Surgery

    Current Role at StanfordI spearhead multiple projects stemming from the lab’s initial genomics study on liver cancer, with the goal of translating gene expression data of liver cancer patients into improved clinical approaches for the diagnosis and therapy of this fatal disease. I have successfully led inter-disciplinary projects, mentored postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists, and effectively worked with diverse groups of collaborators from academic and industrial settings. I am committed to help eliminate global health care burden associated with hepatitis B and liver cancer.

  • Robin Cisco, MD

    Robin Cisco, MD

    Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Robin Cisco is a board certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained endocrine surgeon. She specializes in surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands and has expertise in lymph node dissection for thyroid cancer. Dr Cisco received her medical degree at Duke University before moving to Stanford for general surgery residency. During her residency, she completed a two-year research fellowship in surgical oncology, with a focus on cancer immunology.

    After residency, she completed an endocrine surgery fellowship with the internationally recognized UCSF Division of Endocrine Surgery. She is the author of multiple publications related to endocrine surgery and surgical oncology and has an interest in minimally invasive approaches to thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery. She is currently the Physician Leader of Stanford's Endocrine Oncology Cancer Care Program (CCP).

    Dr. Cisco focuses on providing outstanding surgical care in an environment that is supportive of her patients and their families. She enjoys patient education and preoperative counseling, and seeks to lessen the anxiety that often comes with a recommendation for surgery. She currently sees patients both in San Jose at Stanford's Cancer Center South Bay and in Palo Alto in the Endocrine Oncology and Surgery clinic.

  • Angela Corvino

    Angela Corvino

    Postdoctoral Scholar, General Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPostdoctoral researcher pioneering the advancement of novel radiotherapy approaches (FLASH, SFRT) to tackle a critical challenge: minimising damage to healthy tissue surrounding difficult to treat tumors. I'm hands-on in all stages of preclinical experimentation, spanning from Monte Carlo simulations for planning and precise dosimetry, to conducting small animal irradiation, follow-ups, and insightful data analysis.

  • Aaron J. Dawes, MD, PhD, FACS, FASCRS

    Aaron J. Dawes, MD, PhD, FACS, FASCRS

    Assistant Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    BioDr. Dawes is a board-certified, fellowship-trained colon and rectal surgeon. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

    Dr. Dawes treats a wide variety of conditions involving the colon, rectum, and anus, always leveraging the latest evidence and technologies. He is fully trained in minimally invasive surgical techniques--including laparoscopic, robotic, and trans-anal minimally invasive surgery--and strives to employ them, whenever possible, in an effort to reduce pain and shorten recovery.

    In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Dawes is a health services researcher, receiving his Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. His research focuses on policy development, measurement, and evaluation for patients with colorectal conditions. He is particularly interested in using data to drive policy interventions aimed at reducing disparities in quality, access, and value.

    Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Dawes completed a residency in General Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles followed by a fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He has authored articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Cancer, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Health Services Research, and JAMA Surgery. His work has also been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Press, and HealthDay News.

    A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Dawes received his A.B. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and his M.D. from Vanderbilt University.

  • Daniel James Delitto, MD, PhD, FACS

    Daniel James Delitto, MD, PhD, FACS

    Assistant Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    BioDr. Delitto is a board certified complex general surgical oncologist with a focus on conditions of the liver, pancreas, and stomach. He is an assistant professor in Stanford Medicine’s Department of Surgery.

    His education includes a decade of postgraduate training in complex general surgical oncology, as well as a PhD in immunology with an emphasis on cancer biology. He completed a clinical fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and continued his research at the postdoctoral level in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee. His research focus is on advancing the field of cancer immunology and harnessing his findings to improve immunotherapies.

    He was the principal investigator of two studies examining the immune response to pancreatic cancer, including one funded by the National Cancer Institute.

    Dr. Delitto has presented the findings of his research at conferences such as the American Association for Cancer Research, Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, American Association of Immunologists, American College of Surgeons, Academic Surgical Congress and Pancreas Club. In addition to cancer immunology, he has also presented work focused on cancer cachexia, surgical outcomes, translational experimental models and a variety of other oncologic topics.

    He has published original work in Nature Communications, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, and other high impact journals. He is also a reviewer for Annals of Surgery, Scientific Reports, Surgery, Tumor Biology, Journal of Surgical Research, PLOS ONE, and the Journal of Translational Medicine.

    Dr. Delitto has earned numerous honors related to clinical excellence, teaching and research. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research and American Association of Immunologists.

  • Frederick M. Dirbas, MD

    Frederick M. Dirbas, MD

    Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery) and, by courtesy, of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCurrently collaborating with Dr's Aaron Newman and Michael Clarke to study cancer stem cells associated with triple negative breast cancer. Advancing studies of FLASH radiotherapy in preclinical models for potential future use in humans. Investigating preclinical use of high dose gaseous nitric oxide in the treatment of solid tumors.

  • Monica M. Dua, MD

    Monica M. Dua, MD

    Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTechnical aspects of minimally invasive pancreatic and liver surgery
    Minimally invasive strategies for the management of pancreatic necrosis
    Management of severe acute pancreatitis – academic vs community treatment
    Multidisciplinary treatment of HCC; institutional barriers to appropriate referral/ care
    Endocrine/exocrine insufficiency after pancreatectomy; volumetric assessment
    Natural history and management of pancreatic cysts

  • Dan Eisenberg, MD, MS

    Dan Eisenberg, MD, MS

    Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMinimally Invasive Surgery
    Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery
    Obesity in the Veteran population with spinal cord injury

  • Micaela Esquivel, MD, FACS

    Micaela Esquivel, MD, FACS

    Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Micaela Esquivel is a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in bariatric (weight loss) and minimally invasive surgery at Stanford Health Care. She is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

    Dr. Esquivel specializes in foregut (upper digestive tract) surgery and bariatric surgery using robotic and therapeutic endoscopic approaches. She developed the Bariatric Endoscopy Program at Stanford Health Care and treats patients with hiatal hernias, reflux, and motility disorders of the esophagus and stomach.

    As a bariatric surgeon, Dr. Esquivel specializes in endobariatric procedures, such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and intragastric balloon. She also treats patients who have regained weight after bariatric surgery. This includes providing endoscopic sleeve revisions and reductions, as well as transoral outlet reductions for patients who have had gastric bypass.

    Dr. Esquivel is passionate about helping everyone access the care they need. She values work that minimizes disparities and promotes health equity. She has studied access to surgical care in California and countries around the world, including Zambia and Guatemala. Her current work focuses on disparities in bariatric surgery.

    Dr. Esquivel has presented her research at many conferences, including the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). In addition, she has written more than two dozen articles on topics such as surgical outcomes, weight loss before bariatric surgery, and global access to surgical care. Her work has appeared in many prominent journals, including JAMA, The Lancet, World Journal of Surgery, and Journal of Surgical Research.

    Dr. Esquivel is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is also an active member of ASMBS, the American Foregut Society, and the Society of American and Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.

  • Joseph (Joe) D Forrester MD MSc FACS

    Joseph (Joe) D Forrester MD MSc FACS

    Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am broadly interested in research exploring the care of the injured patient both in high- and low-resource settings. I have specific on-going projects assessing surgical site infection surveillance in low-resource settings, and surgical management of acute and chronic non-union rib fractures.

  • Deshka Foster, MD, PhD

    Deshka Foster, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCancer associated fibroblasts in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) malignancies, tumor microenvironment, abdominal adhesion biology and fibrosis

  • John V. Gahagan, MD, FACS, FASCRS

    John V. Gahagan, MD, FACS, FASCRS

    Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioJohn Gahagan, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in the Section of Colorectal Surgery, and serves as Chief of Surgery at the Stanford Tri-Valley Hospital. He joined Stanford in 2019 to build the Stanford colorectal surgery practice in the East Bay at Stanford Tri-Valley in Pleasanton and at Stanford Health Care – Emeryville. He has training in advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques including robotic and laparoscopic surgery. He has authored several textbook chapters and original articles in peer-reviewed journals. His clinical practice is focused on the surgical treatment of colon and rectal cancers, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), and benign colon and anorectal diseases (diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures). He believes in patient-centered care and multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum and anus.

    Outside of his clinical practice, he is involved in surgical education and serves as an Associate Program Director of the Stanford General Surgery Residency Training Program as well as the Site Director for the Stanford Tri-Valley surgery rotation. He serves in various administrative roles, including as a member of the Stanford Tri-Valley Medical Staff Quality Committee and the Stanford Medicine Partners Quality and Credentialing Committee.

  • Chandrayee Ghosh

    Chandrayee Ghosh

    Basic Life Research Scientist, Surgery - General Surgery

    Current Role at StanfordBasic Life Research Scientist

  • Teodor Grantcharov, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS (Glasg)

    Teodor Grantcharov, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS (Glasg)

    Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
    On Leave from 03/09/2026 To 06/30/2026

    BioDr. Teodor Grantcharov is a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in bariatric (weight loss) and minimally invasive surgery. He is also a clinical professor of surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and associate chief quality officer for innovation and safety at Stanford Health Care.

    As a surgeon, Dr. Grantcharov specializes in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery. He is an accomplished researcher and leader in the field of surgical innovation and patient safety. His work has made important contributions in curriculum design, assessments of competence, and impact of surgical performance on clinical outcomes. Dr. Grantcharov developed the surgical Black Box concept, designed to transform safety culture in medicine and introduce modern safety management systems in high-risk operating rooms.

    Dr. Grantcharov has published more 220 articles in peer-reviewed journals and given more than 200 invited presentations in Europe and North and South America. He holds several patents and is the founder of Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc.—an academic startup that commercializes the Black Box Platform™. Dr. Grantcharov has received several prestigious honors and awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions in clinical research and patient safety in Canada.

    Dr. Grantcharov is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

  • Brooke Gurland, MD, FACS

    Brooke Gurland, MD, FACS

    Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioPelvic floor and functional bowel disorders refer to a series of symptoms and anatomic findings that effect men and women of all ages. These may include: constipation, difficult evacuation, fecal incontinence, irritable bowel disorders, diarrhea, pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and sexual dysfunction and pain. Although not life threatening, these disorders can severely affect quality of life and individual performance.

    Over the past two decades I have dedicated my career to working with other specialists for comprehensive care for individuals with pelvic floor disorders. In July 2017, I joined The Department of Surgery, Division of Colorectal Surgery at Stanford University as the Medical Director of the Pelvic Health Center. I previously spent the prior decade at Cleveland Clinic running a multidisciplinary clinic and performing over 200 combined procedures in conjunction with colleagues in urology and urogynecology. We developed a robotic surgical approach to woman with vaginal and rectal prolapse and performed many surgeries to repair intestinal and rectal fistula (abnormal communications between the intestine and vagina).

    Prior to that I established a Pelvic Floor Center at Maimonides Medical Center received a Jahnigan Career Development Award looking at multicompartment prolapse in elderly women. In addition to performing surgery and teaching throughout my career, I have maintained a commitment to long-term follow up of patients after surgery.
    Although my training and focus is around surgical techniques and solutions for anorectal disorders and pelvic health, I believe that prevention, non-surgical alternatives, diet, exercise, and behavior management are vitally important to patient success.

    One of my many goals is to educate patients, health care providers, and trainees about pelvic floor disorders.
    When I am not at work I enjoy quality time with my three teenagers, dog, friends and I practice yoga.

  • S. Morad Hameed MD MPH

    S. Morad Hameed MD MPH

    David L. Gregg, MD, Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTrauma Surgery
    Emergency General Surgery
    Critical Care
    Public Health

  • Michelle Hauser, MD, MS, MPA, FACP, FACLM, DipABLM, DABOM, Chef

    Michelle Hauser, MD, MS, MPA, FACP, FACLM, DipABLM, DABOM, Chef

    Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPrimary care physician, prevention researcher, medical educator and classically-trained chef who combines these fields to move people away from diets that lead to chronic disease and toward eating delicious food that promotes health and well-being.

  • Hui "Heather" He, PA-C, MSHS-PA

    Hui "Heather" He, PA-C, MSHS-PA

    Affiliate, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioHui "Heather" He, PA-C, MSHS-PA is an advanced practice provider who specializes in breast surgery and plastic reconstructive surgery. She completed the Masters in Health Sciences for Physician Assistants Program at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Heather has a special interest in benign and malignant conditions of the breast, reconstruction after ablative treatment, and cancer-related lymphedema management. She finds joy in performing 3D nipple areolar tattoos to empower breast cancer patients to feel whole again.

  • David Ian Hindin

    David Ian Hindin

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Hindin obtained his MD from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed his general surgery training at Temple University School of Medicine, also in Philadelphia, and subsequently completed fellowship in surgical critical care at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Hindin is currently the Associate Chair of Innovation at Stanford University’s Department of Surgery. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Stanford University in the section of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery and at the VA Palo Alto. Dr. Hindin additionally serves as Associate Director of Stanford University’s Biodesign Faculty Fellowship, a university-wide program that trains faculty members from medicine, engineering, and other schools in the process of creating health technology innovation, from needs-finding to commercialization.

    Dr. Hindin has a particular interest in training physicians to leverage story-based skills to increase the effectiveness of their communication. He has previously developed and taught a semester-long storytelling course at Stanford Biodesign, which trains physicians and engineers to create more effective pitches when seeking venture funding.

  • Chia-Hsin Hsu

    Chia-Hsin Hsu

    Postdoctoral Scholar, General Surgery

    BioDr. Chia-Hsin (Cindy) Hsu is a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Deshka Foster's laboratory in the Department of General Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical and Biological Sciences from Cornell University under Dr. Andrew White, where she studied how extracellular matrix remodeling and innate immune crosstalk shape tumor response to targeted therapy in BRAF-mutant melanoma. She previously earned her D.V.M. and M.S. in Veterinary Medicine from National Taiwan University. Dr. Hsu's current research focuses on two projects: developing a sustained-release hydrogel platform for localized JUN inhibition to prevent postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions, a leading cause of bowel obstruction and reoperative morbidity; and investigating stromal–tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) crosstalk in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to define how the tumor microenvironment shapes anti-tumor immunity.

  • Joo Ha Hwang, MD, PhD

    Joo Ha Hwang, MD, PhD

    Fortinet Founders School of Medicine Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSpecialize in early detection of gastrointestinal malignancies including esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, bile duct & colon cancers. I have both a clinical & research interest in improving the early detection of gastric cancer in particular. I am the PI of the Gastric Precancerous conditions Study, a prospective study of patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia & other precancerous conditions which combines comprehensive clinical & endoscopic data with a large bio-specimen repository.

  • Ahmer Irfan

    Ahmer Irfan

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Ahmer Irfan grew up in the UK where he attended the University of St Andrews for his undergraduate degree, followed by his MD at the University of Edinburgh. He then moved to the United States to complete his general surgery residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He then completed specialized fellowship training in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery (also called HPB surgery) at the University of Toronto before being recruited to Stanford. His principle practice is at Stanford Hospital and the Stanford Cancer Center. Dr Irfan's clinical speciality is in complex liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal oncology including advanced cancers as well as cancers that can be removed minimally invasively.

  • Stefanie S. Jeffrey, MD

    Stefanie S. Jeffrey, MD

    John and Marva Warnock Professor, Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Jeffrey led the multidisciplinary team from the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Genome Technology Center that invented the MagSweeper, an automated device that immunomagnetically captures live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from cancer patient blood for single cell analysis or culture. Her lab also works on microfluidic technologies for tumor cell capture, characterization, and growth - with the goal of defining individual patient response to newer biologically-based cancer therapies.