School of Medicine


Showing 1-14 of 14 Results

  • Mardi Karin, MD, FACS

    Mardi Karin, MD, FACS

    Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery

    BioDr. Mardi R. Karin is a board certified surgeon with over 20 years of experience, specializing in breast surgery and is Clinical Professor of Surgery in Stanford University Department of Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology. She was appointed the first Clinical Director of Breast Cancer Care at Stanford Cancer Center South Bay after the new cancer center opened and served in this role from 2016-2019. Dr. Karin specializes in the surgical treatment of breast diseases and cancer. In addition to providing outstanding care, her focus and leadership in breast cancer care includes improving coordinated care for breast cancer treatment both within the Cancer Center and the community.

    Dr. Karin has extensive experience in breast surgery, including complex breast cancer skin and nipple sparing procedures in coordination with the plastic surgeon for immediate breast reconstruction and optimal appearance with excellent outcomes. She collaborates closely with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery to provide the best options to patients, including Oncoplastics for optimal aesthetic appearance with breast conservation treatment, in addition to mastectomy with nipple sparing and immediate breast reconstruction. Her clinical research is focused on improving patient outcomes in different aspects of breast surgery, including nipple sparing mastectomy by utilizing MRI blood flow information to preserve important blood flow to reduce complications. She also is involved with advancing surgical techniques to decrease lymphedema rates after axillary lymph node dissection, with lymphatic preservation and possible LYMPHA procedure by the Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgeons. In addition, she works in close collaboration with Medical Oncology to offer the latest most advanced treatments for breast cancer.

  • Electron Kebebew, MD, FACS

    Electron Kebebew, MD, FACS

    Harry A. Oberhelman, Jr. and Mark L. Welton Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Kebebew’s translational and clinical investigations have three main scientific goals: 1) to develop effective therapies for fatal, rare and neglected endocrine cancers, 2) to identify new methods, strategies and technologies for improving the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine neoplasms and the prognostication of endocrine cancers, and 3) to develop methods for precision treatment of endocrine tumors.

  • Amanda Kirane, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO

    Amanda Kirane, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO

    Assistant Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    BioDr. Kirane is a fellowship-trained, board-certified specialist in complex general surgical oncology. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology, at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kirane serves as Director of Cutaneous Surgical Oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center and her clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and other skin cancers. She partners closely with patients and families to provide the most effective treatment approach possible. For each patient, she tailors an evidence-based, personalized care plan that is innovative, comprehensive, and compassionate.

    Dr. Kirane is Principal Investigator of multiple studies in melanoma and mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy, with focus on myeloid biology. Her current interests include immune response and novel therapies in melanoma, predictive modeling of patient responses using organoid technology, and translational biomarker development. She has led research into immune therapy for earlier stage melanoma using regionally directed therapy to augment immune response in melanoma and trials in surgical care in melanoma.

    The National Institutes of Health, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Melanoma Research Alliance, and others have funded her research. She has co-authored articles on her discoveries in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature Communications, Nature Genetics, Cancer Research, Journal of Surgical Oncology, Annals of Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and elsewhere. Topics include intratumoral therapy, biomarker development, macrophage biology in melanoma and immunotheraputic resistance, and patient-derived organoid modeling. Dr. Kirane has presented updates on the management of melanoma and other cancers to her peers at meetings of the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, and Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer.

    Dr. Kirane has earned awards for her achievements in clinical care, research, and scholarship. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Society of Surgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and other prestigious organizations have honored her work. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and Society of Surgical Oncology (FSSO). She is a member of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, American Association of Cancer Research, Society for Melanoma Research, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, Association of Academic Surgeons, and Association of Women Surgeons.

    She volunteers her time and expertise on behalf of the Melanoma Research Foundation, members of her community in need, STEM programs for girls, and other initiatives. She also is fellowship trained in Physician Wellness and Wellbeing and teaches somatic technique, mindfulness-based stress reduction, meditation, and breathwork.

  • Lisa Marie Knowlton, MD, MPH, FACS, FRCSC

    Lisa Marie Knowlton, MD, MPH, FACS, FRCSC

    Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    BioDr. Knowlton is an Associate Professor of Surgery and an Acute Care Surgeon whose practice encompasses trauma surgery, emergency general surgery and surgical critical care. She is an NIH and ARPA-H funded researcher whose focus is on improving access to innovative, high- quality surgical care. She obtained her medical degree at McGill University and completed her general surgery residency at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her desire to understand varied healthcare systems and develop solutions for vulnerable surgical populations led her to obtain an M.P.H. at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and complete a research fellowship at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. After training as a Surgical Critical Care fellow at Stanford University Medical Center, she joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in early 2018. She was promoted to Associate Professor in the University Medical Line in 2023. Her institutional leadership roles include serving as the Unit Based Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Stanford Department of Surgery, the SHC Surgical AI Lead for Early Clinical Deterioration, and the Associate Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care fellowship.

    Dr. Knowlton is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Knowlton’s areas of clinical interest include developing safe surgical solutions for anatomic visualization in the operating room, artificial intelligence prediction tools for detection early clinical deterioration of surgery patients, optimizing the management of critically ill patients and reducing venous thromboembolism events.

    Her research focuses on improving access to high-quality and high-value surgical care, merging expertise in health economics, health equity and artificial intelligence to implement surgical innovations and health policy interventions. She leads novel work with the Department of Health Care Services focused on improving healthcare utilization through emergency Medicaid programs.

    Dr. Knowlton’s research lab (https://med.stanford.edu/knowlton-lab.html) is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the National Institute of Health (NIMHD) through R21 and R01 grants, and the California Violence Prevention Center. She has also held funding through PCORI, the Department of Defense, the American College of Surgeons (the 17th C. James Carrico Faculty Research Fellowship), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST).
    https://surgery.stanford.edu/news2/Knowlton-ARPA-H.html

    She is active in national and international professional surgical societies, and recently served as the inaugural Chair of the Associate Member Council of the AAST. Dr. Knowlton has been recognized by the Association of Women Surgeons as both a ‘Shining Star’ and ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ Leadership Scholar. She is also an American College of Surgeons Health Policy Scholar. Most recently, Dr. Knowlton was also selected as the 2023-24 U.S. ambassador for the James IV Surgical Association Traveling Fellowship program, where she will travel internationally to foster clinical and research collaborations.

  • James R. Korndorffer, Jr. MD, MHPE, FACS

    James R. Korndorffer, Jr. MD, MHPE, FACS

    Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)

    BioJames R Korndorffer Jr MD MHPE FACS joined the Stanford Department of Surgery in December 2017 as the inaugural Vice Chair of Education. Dr. Korndorffer received his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University where he graduated cum laude. He returned to Florida and received his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine. While there he served as class vice president and was selected as a student member for the LCME reaccreditation committee. His general surgery internship and residency was completed at The Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

    Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Korndorffer went into private practice however his interest in teaching was so strong that after 8 years, he left a successful private practice and joined the faculty at Tulane University School of Medicine as a fellow in minimally invasive surgery and as an instructor in surgery. At the completion of the fellowship, he chose to stay at Tulane and joined the faculty as an Associate Professor of Surgery in 2005. He achieved the rank of Professor of Surgery in 2010. While at Tulane he served in numerous leadership roles. He was Vice Chair of the surgery department from 2012-17 as well as the Program Director for the surgical residency from 2006-17. As program director, he was responsible for redesigning the educational experience of the surgical residency after the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina. Additional medical school wide leadership roles he held included Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education (assistant DIO) and founding Medical Director for the Tulane Center for Advance Medical Simulation. Because of his passion for education, while working full time at Tulane, Dr. Korndorffer completed his Masters in Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

    He is actively involved in numerous national societies including service to the American Board of Surgery through membership on the editorial board of the Surgical Council on Resident Education and the EPA revision workgroup and EPA writing group. He serves as the inaugural chair of the research division for the Association for Program Directors in Surgery, and the inaugural co-chair of the Education Council for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He also serves on the Board of Directors for SAGES. He has served the American College of Surgeons in numerous capacities including the ACS-AEI as Recorder, Program Chair and Research Committee Chair and as a member of the faculty development committee. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Surgical Education. He was recently inducted to membership in the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

    He was one of the early adopters of the use of simulation for surgical training and has been actively involved in surgical education research since 2003. Some of the early work using proficiency-based training instead of time base training for skill acquisition. This has now become the norm. He is now actively involved investigating the role simulation education has in patient quality and healthcare system safety.

    Dr. Korndorffer has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, 10 book chapters and has had over 150 presentations at national meetings. Dr. Korndorffer’s clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal disorders and hernias. His research interests include surgical education, surgical simulation, patient safety, and patient care quality.