School of Medicine
Showing 1-100 of 164 Results
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M. Usman Ahmad
Postdoctoral Scholar, General Surgery
BioDr. Ahmad is currently a postdoctoral research fellow under the mentorship of Prof. George Poultsides in the Section of Surgical Oncology at Stanford University. In addition, he engages in basic scientific inquiry in tumor immunology under Prof. Amanda Kirane. As part of an interdisciplinary team, Dr. Ahmad is currently investigating the role of the intratumor microbiome and response to treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer funded by the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) and Sarafan ChEM-H. He entered his current position after completing 2 years of general surgical training at Stanford University and the University of Colorado.
Dr. Ahmad received his medical education at the University of South Florida (USF) where he was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards including the Galen Scholarship, SELECT Koch Award, Anderson SELECT Scholarship, and Osler Award. During medical school, Dr. Ahmad was productive in both basic science and research resulting in 3 peer-reviewed publications and induction into the Robert A. Good Honor Society bestowed upon the top 10% of medical students in research. Dr. Ahmad also received the Alpha Omega Alpha Carolyn A. Kuckein Fellowship to continue policy work on improving the organ supply for Americans requiring organ transplants. Early in medical school, he conducted basic scientific work transplanting immune cells on metastatic melanoma in a mouse model while a visiting researcher under Prof. Gavin Pettigrew & Prof. Reza Mottalebzadeh in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Dr. Ahmad was also active in health policy work culminating in a role as Vice Chair of the Medical Student Section Committee of Legislation & Advocacy for the American Medical Association with several roles at university, county, and state levels in both Florida and Pennsylvania. Dr. Ahmad has an extensive record of volunteer activity serving at risk populations in the United States during medical school including HIV, LGBTQ, pediatric, and homeless populations. In addition, he spends time mentoring and reviewing scholarship applications for Greenhouse Scholars, program focused on developing under-resourced high performing American students from high school to first career and beyond.
Prior to medical school, Dr. Ahmad had a career in the life sciences industry after receiving a degree in Economics from Northwestern University where he primarily focused on bringing new medical technology to market. Dr. Ahmad was part of a team selected by the Chicago Chamber of Commerce as the most innovative company in 2010 winning a state-wide competition. He also volunteered his time as a board member re-vitalizing a 25 year old arts organization in Chicago and helping to develop a business incubator in Detroit shortly after the Great Recession.
Dr. Ahmad is a native Chicagoan hailing from a large family raised near the Southside of Chicago. In his free time he enjoys cooking, reading, history, traveling, working on cars, and developing his interest in aviation. -
Dan E. Azagury, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
On Partial Leave from 06/21/2024 To 07/28/2024Current Research and Scholarly Interests.
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Jean Jingzhi Bao
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Jean Bao is a board-certified, fellowship-trained general surgeon who specializes in breast surgical oncology. She is a clinical assistant 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)
Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated), Surgery - General Surgery
Staff, Surgery - General SurgeryBioDr. 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. -
Peter Bendix, MD, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Peter Bendix is board-certified in general surgery, trauma surgery, and critical care. He is an assistant professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He obtained his medical degree from the University of California – Davis and a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed surgical residency at Dartmouth and his Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care fellowships at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His clinical focus is on conditions of traumatic injury, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care.
Dr. Bendix served in the United States Peace Corps as a health extensionist in The Gambia region of West Africa. He also conducted fieldwork for the National Institutes of Health in Haiti and Mozambique. His research interests include the health impacts of gun violence; and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in health care delivery. Prior to joining Stanford, he worked as a trauma surgeon at the University of Chicago. -
Deeksha Suresh Bidare
Affiliate, Department Funds
Resident in Surgery - General SurgeryBioGeneral Surgery PGY-1
Stanford Medicine - Department of Surgery
M.D. | Baylor College of Medicine, 2023
B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology | Rice University, 2019 -
Jeff Choi
Resident in Surgery - General Surgery
BioGeneral surgery resident (2017-2025; administrative chief resident 2024-2025). MS in Epidemiology & Clinical Research (2019-2020), and Biomedical Informatics (2020-2022). 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. Our group focuses on:
1) building and implementing useful clinical prediction tools
2) bringing various AI applications (e.g. NLP, vision) to the bedside
3) challenging dogma in surgical practice with contemporary data
My passions are advocating for higher statistical and machine learning methodology quality in surgical literature , and fostering the growth of the next generation of surgeon data scientists. -
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.
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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. -
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
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
Associate Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
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.
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Monica M. Dua, MD
Clinical Associate 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
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
Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Esquivel is a board-certified, fellowship-trained bariatric and minimally invasive surgeon. She is a clinical associate professor of surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also the director of community engagement and outreach for the Stanford Department of Surgery.
Specialties of Dr. Esquivel include foregut surgery and bariatric surgery. She performs robotic surgery as well as therapeutic surgical endoscopy.
She has developed the Bariatric Endoscopy Program of Stanford Health Care. Her goal is to offer procedures such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and endoscopic suturing of the gastric pouch and outlet after gastric bypass, and endoscopic sleeve revisions/reductions, for patients experiencing weight regain.
Dr. Esquivel has a great interest in helping everyone access the care they need. She values work that minimizes disparities and promotes health equity. Research interests of Dr. Esquivel range from the global, like minimum rates of surgery to support desirable outcomes, to the more specific, such as weight loss before bariatric surgery. She has studied access to surgical care in California, as well as access to care in Zambia, Guatemala, and other countries.
Dr. Esquivel has made numerous presentations on surgical care access, among other topics, at conferences including the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, Academic Surgical Congress, and the UK’s Royal Society of Medicine. 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 services. Her work has appeared in JAMA, the World Journal of Surgery, Journal of Surgical Research, Journal of Surgical Education, Lancet, and elsewhere.
Among her many honors, Dr. Esquivel has won the prestigious Samuel L. Kountz Humanitarian Award, awarded to a Stanford resident distinguished by professionalism, compassion, and respect for the dignity of others—attributes shared by the late Dr. Kountz, a trailblazing surgeon and the first African American surgical resident at Stanford. Dr. Esquivel also won the Resident Research Award of the Year in Stanford General Surgery and the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award from Stanford’s Hispanic Center for Excellence.
In addition to serving as the director of community engagement and outreach, Dr. Esquivel directs the “Service Through Surgery: Surgeons with an Impact” course in the Stanford University School of Medicine and is the co-chair of the Stanford Department of Surgery Diversity Cabinet. -
Mary Estakhri
Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated), Surgery - General Surgery
Staff, Surgery - General SurgeryBioDr. Mary Estakhri practices General and Bariatric Surgery in Pleasanton. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Estakhri has also held a number of leadership positions including: Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, past chair of the Department of Surgery, and a past board member at the American Cancer Society of Contra Costa County.
She is a 3rd Degree Black Belt (2nd Dan) for the US International Taekwon-Do Federation. -
Joseph (Joe) D Forrester MD MSc FAWM FACS
Assistant 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.
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John V. Gahagan, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioJohn Gahagan, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Section of Colorectal Surgery. 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. He joined Stanford in 2019 and is excited to build a Stanford colorectal surgery practice in the East Bay at Stanford Tri-Valley in Pleasanton and at Stanford Health Care – Emeryville.
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 Chair of the Stanford Tri-Valley Operating Room Committee and a member of the Stanford Tri-Valley Medical Staff Quality Committee and the Stanford Medicine Partners Quality and Credentialing Committee. -
Chandrayee Ghosh
Basic Life Research Scientist, Surgery - General Surgery
Current Role at StanfordBasic Life Research Scientist
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Teodor Grantcharov
Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
BioDr. Teodor Grantcharov completed his surgical training at the University of Copenhagen, and a doctoral degree in Medical Sciences at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
Dr. Grantcharov is a Professor of Surgery at Stanford University and Associate Chief Quality Officer for Innovation and Safety at Stanford Healthcare.
Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Grantcharov was a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and Keenan Chair in Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He was the Founder of the International Centre for Surgical Safety – a multidisciplinary group of visionary scientists with expertise in design, human factors, computer- and data science, and healthcare research. He previously held Canada Research Chair in Simulation and Surgical Safety and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee medal for his contributions to clinical research and patient safety in Canada. Dr. Grantcharov was awarded the honorary fellowship of the Imperial College in London, the honorary fellowships of the Bulgarian, Danish and Brazilian surgical societies, the Spinoza Chair in Surgery from the University of Amsterdam and multiple national and international awards for his contributions to surgical education and surgical safety.
Dr. Grantcharov’s clinical interest is the area of minimally invasive surgery, while his academic focus is in the field of surgical innovation and patient safety. He has become internationally recognized as a leader in this area with his work on curriculum design, assessment of competence and impact of surgical performance on clinical outcomes. Dr. Grantcharov developed the surgical Black Box concept, which aims to transform the safety culture in medicine and introduce modern safety management systems in the high-risk operating room environment.
Dr. Grantcharov has more than 220 peer-reviewed publications and more than 200 invited presentations in Europe, South- and North America. He holds several patents and is the Founder of Surgical Safety Technologies Inc – an academic startup that commercializes the OR Black Box platform. He sits on numerous committees with Surgical Professional Societies in North America and Europe. -
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
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, 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.
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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.
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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 Assistant 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. -
Joo Ha Hwang, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and, 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.
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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.
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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
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.
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Amanda Kirane, MD, PhD-c, 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
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 funded public health researcher whose focus is on improving access to and quality of care for trauma and other surgical patients. 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. Most recently, she trained as a Surgical Critical Care fellow at Stanford University Medical Center and 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.
Dr. Knowlton's research focuses on improving health equity, addressing barriers in access to care and reducing disparities among vulnerable surgical populations, including underinsured trauma patients. She is also investigating the financial burden that injury imposes upon both patients and hospitals, with the goal of finding economically sustainable strategies for ensuring best outcomes among trauma patients. These include the study of emergency Medicaid programs at the state and national level. Dr. Knowlton’s work has been funded by the American College of Surgeons (the 17th C. James Carrico Faculty Research Fellowship), the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and the NIH. She has received an R21 by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and most recently an R01 for her work (2023-2028). Dr. Knowlton is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is a member of the AAST Diversity and Inclusion and Healthcare Economics Committees, and also serves on the Association for Academic Surgery’s Publications Committee. She was the inaugural Chair of the Associate Member Council of the AAST and currently serves as the Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Stanford Department of Surgery. She was recently recognized by the AAST by receiving the 2023 Canizaro award for best presentation and manuscript at the annual meeting. Dr. Knowlton was also selected as the 2023-24 U.S. recipient of the James IV Surgical Association Traveling Fellowship. -
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. -
Byrne Lee, MD FACS
Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Lee is a native of New York City. He attended the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York and received his medical degree from New York Medical College. He completed general surgery residency training at Lenox Hill Hospital and fellowship training in surgical oncology at the City of Hope National Cancer Center. Dr. Lee led the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Program at City of Hope prior to joining Stanford in 2019.
Dr. Lee is a surgical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. He has dedicated his clinical practice to the surgical management of metastatic disease, particularly to the liver and peritoneum. He has expertise in delivering regional cancer therapies such as heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Additionally, he performs surgery for cancers of the stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, colon, and soft tissue sarcoma. He utilizes minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques when appropriate.
Dr. Lee leads the Regional Cancer Therapies program at Stanford. The program implements and develops novel treatment strategies for patients affected with peritoneal malignancies and oligometastatic disease to the liver. His research focus is on clinical outcomes of multidisciplinary management for gastric, hepatobiliary, and peritoneal surface malignancies. He is a member of a national consensus group performing collaborative research and developing clinical trials for HIPEC surgeries. -
Yen-Chung Andrew Lee
Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated), Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Yen-Chung Andrew Lee is a board certified surgeon who practices General and Bariatric Surgery in Pleasanton. He completed a fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at Brown University.
Dr. Lee's personal interests include golfing, fishing, cars, drawing, and playing violin. -
April Leyson
Section Administrative Supervisor, Surgery - General Surgery
Current Role at StanfordAdministrative Associate
For Drs. Dan E. Azagury, Byrne Lee, Carolyn Seib, and Dr. George Poultsides
Stanford Department of Surgery
Section of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery
& Section of Surgical Oncology -
Cara A. Liebert, MD, FACS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCurrent research interests include Surgical Education and Minimally Invasive Surgery. Primary research focus is the development, implementation, and collection of validity evidence for ENTRUST, an online virtual patient simulation platform for assessment of clinical decision-making.
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Dana Lin, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Lin is a fellowship-trained endocrine surgeon who specializes in surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, Dr. Lin pursued her medical and surgical training on the east coast, where she completed her residency in general surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and fellowship in endocrine surgery at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Lin's clinical practice focuses on the surgical management of benign and malignant thyroid conditions, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal tumors, as well as melanoma and advanced skin cancers. She is skilled in mini-incision, minimally invasive (laparoscopic), and remote access (scarless endoscopic) surgery as well as lymph node dissection for cancer. She currently serves as Director of the Parathyroid Center within the Endocrine Oncology Program at Stanford.
Dr. Lin strives to deliver expert surgical care to patients with utmost humanism and compassion. She considers it a privilege and joy to be entrusted as one’s surgeon and is committed to ensuring the best clinical and cosmetic outcome for each of her patients. Dr. Lin welcomes patients at Stanford Cancer Center in Palo Alto as well as Stanford Health Care in Emeryville and Pleasanton (ValleyCare). -
Yi Liu
Postdoctoral Scholar, General Surgery
BioDr. Liu is a postdoc fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also a Chinese board-certificated, fellowship-trained clinician with demonstrated clinical and research expertise in Critical Care Medicine and interdisciplinary studies of nanomedicine.
She received her residency and fellowship training (Emergency Medicine & Intensive Care Medicine) at Chongqing Medical University (China) and sub-internship in Sorbonne Université (Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France) and Tiantan Hospital (Beijing, China). In addition to her MD degree, She undertook PhD training in nanomedicine for cancer/infectious disease early detection and to identify potential new treatments for severe infectious/cancer patients. Her postdoctoral training in nano-enabled therapeutic at Stanford has helped advance her knowledge of how nanotechnology improve the application of nanomedicine in early diagnosis of diseases. She has published numerous articles on a wide range of nanoplatforms-related topics. She has also received several academic and teaching awards related to clinical skills and research on molecular imaging. -
Daphne P. Ly, MD, FACS
Affiliate
Current Research and Scholarly Interests1. Integrate machine learning with electronic health record system to improve work flow and achieve individualize cancer care based on current evidence.
2. Apply Cancer Genetics in cancer treatment and cancer risk reduction. -
Paul M. Maggio, MD, MBA, FACS
Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Paul Maggio is a Professor of Surgery, Chief Quality Officer for Stanford Health Care, and Associate Dean for Quality and Clinical Affairs in the Stanford School of Medicine. He trained in General Surgery at Brown University and obtained advanced training in Adult Surgical Critical Care and Trauma at the University of Michigan. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and is triple board certified in General Surgery, Critical Care, and Medical Informatics. His clinical focus is on Acute Care Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, and his academic career has been centered on quality improvement, patient safety, and the application of systems engineering to enhance the delivery of healthcare.
Dr. Maggio participates in the National Committee on Healthcare Engineering for the American College of Surgeons and has served on the Baldrige Board of Examiners to recognize organizations with the highest presidential honor for performance excellence. Dr. Maggio received the SHC Board of Hospital Director’s Denise O’Leary Award for Clinical Excellence in 2013 -
Vanni Manthiram
Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated), Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Vanni Manthiram is board certified in General Surgery. She practices a broad range of general surgery including breast, colon, gall bladder, hernia, and minimally invasive surgery.
She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Breast Surgeons.
Dr. Manthiram became a surgeon because it is extremely rewarding as patients are very grateful and often feel better immediately. She also enjoys making sure her patients understand the planned procedure.
Her personal interests include watching football, hiking, fitness, and spending time with family. -
Arden Morris, MD, MPH, FACS
Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor of Surgery, and Professor, by courtesy, of Health Policy
BioArden M. Morris, MD, MPH is Professor of Surgery and Vice-Chair for Research in the Stanford Department of Surgery. She is Director of the S-SPIRE Center, a health services research collaborative to study patient-centered care, clinical optimization, and health care economics. In her own work, Dr. Morris uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to focus on quality of and equity in cancer care. She serves as vice-chair of the Commission on Cancer’s National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Quality Committee, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons’ representative to the American Joint Commission on Cancer, and Chair of the ACS Cancer Surgery Standards Program Implementation and Integration Committee.
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Aussama Nassar, MD, MSc,FACS, FRCSC
Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Nassar holds board certifications in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care across the United States and Canada, demonstrating his unparalleled expertise in the field. Having obtained a Master of Science in Health Science Education from McMaster University in Canada, Dr. Nassar boasts an impressive educational background.
Currently, he serves as the director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program at Stanford University and is also the founder and director of the Surgery Resident Coaching Program. With over 12 years of clinical academic experience in top-tier tertiary care referral academic health centers throughout North America, Dr. Nassar's wealth of knowledge is truly remarkable.
His clinical passions encompass trauma, acute care surgery, critical care, and a specialized focus on abdominal wall reconstruction. As a dedicated clinician-educator, Dr. Nassar is a certified simulation educator an ATLS and ASSET course director. His research pursuits primarily revolve around the enhancement of surgical education, with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of non-technical skills in surgical training programs.
Dr. Nassar is committed to developing innovative assessment tools for trainees and investigating burnout among physicians and other healthcare professionals. With a strong presence both nationally and internationally, his influence in the realm of surgical education continues to grow and shape the future of healthcare.
