School of Medicine
Showing 401-454 of 454 Results
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Jacqueline Tsai, MD, FACS
Clinical Associate Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests are focused on improving breast cancer surgeries. I am interested in novel techniques in surgery to improve cosmetic outcomes, minimize surgical re-excisions and possible augmented reality technologies to enhance surgery.
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William J. Vasquez McTeigue
Life Science Research Professional 1, Surgery - Vascular Surgery
BioWilliam Vasquez McTeigue is conducting research in the lab of Katherine Hekman, MD, PhD, RPVI, FACS, where he applies induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to develop regenerative therapies for peripheral artery disease. His work bridges vascular surgery and stem-cell biology, with the goal of advancing treatments for patients with critical limb ischemia and other vascular disorders.
Beyond his current research, William is interested in cardiovascular innovation and translational medicine, aiming to pursue a career at the intersection of surgery, engineering, and regenerative biology. -
Jenny Lymary Veliz-Urzua, DNP, FNP-BC
Affiliate, Surgery - General Surgery
BioJenny L. Veliz-Urzua, DNP, FNP-BC is Nurse Practitioner for GI Surgical-Oncology at Stanford Health Care Center. She graduated with her Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) degree from Yale University School of Nursing in 2006. Her area of clinical practice includes hepatobiliary, pancreas, gastrointestinal and peritoneal malignancies. She has worked closely with Dr. Byrne Lee, Program Director for Regional Cancer Therapies, to optimize HIPEC patient care experience.
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Banita Verma
Postdoctoral Scholar, General and Vascular Surgery
BioI am Banita Verma, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, currently working with Dr. Fredrick M. Dirbas at the Department of Surgery. Our research focus is to understand the type of cell death and the nature of immune responses triggered by FLASH versus conventional radiotherapy in various murine breast cancer models. Additionally, we aim to explore the role of DAMPs released by dying cells in generating immune responses after both FLASH and conventional radiotherapy. Furthermore, we are interested in studying the mechanism behind the low toxicity of the FLASH compared to conventional radiotherapy to the adjacent non-cancerous tissue. To accomplish this goal, our laboratory is actively collaborating with Dr. Bill Loo, who holds great expertise in the field of radiation oncology.
Before joining Stanford University, I served as a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden from 2021-2023. My research aimed to study the activation mechanism of Cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT), a pivotal enzyme in acetylcholine synthesis. This enzyme is known to be hypoactive in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Our group successfully synthesized novel compounds capable of enhancing ChAT activity.
I completed my doctoral research in cancer biology at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, PGIMER Chandigarh, India, in 2021. My work was the evaluation of role of TNF-α mediated Necroptosis in breast cancer cells. My primary research interests are cancer biology and cell death pathways. -
Joshua Aaron Villarreal
Affiliate, Department Funds
Resident in SurgeryBioDr. Villarreal is a current clinical informatics fellow at Stanford Medicine and first surgical resident to enter the program. He began general surgery training at Stanford in 2020. Dr. Villarreal is a Texas native and hometown is in McAllen TX. He completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in 2020 and undergraduate studies in Human Biology at the University of Texas.
During residency, Dr. Villarreal has published numerous articles in a wide range of surgical fields including: pediatric surgery, liver transplantation, trauma critical care and surgical data science. He currently holds the role as president of the resident led surgical research group Surgeon’s Writing About Trauma (SWAT) and mentors medical students and undergrads in conducting surgical related clinical research. He is a member of the Artificial Intelligence in Surgery research group at Stanford focused on leveraging methods in machine learning in the care of transplant patients.
His long-term goals are to apply clinical informatics frameworks to optimize surgical care workflows, enhance intraoperative decision making, and increase accessibility of outpatient surgical services to lower income patients. -
Brendan C. Visser, MD
Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Visser's research interests span the breath of his clinical practice. Areas of active research include the multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancers, technical aspects of minimally invasive pancreatic and liver surgery, and trends in the management of hepatobiliary cancers in California, focusing on socioeconomic and instituional barriers to appropriate care.
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Todd Wagner, PhD
Professor (Research) of Surgery (Surgery Policy Improvement Research and Education Center) and, by courtesy, of Health Policy
BioTodd Wagner, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University. He studies health information, efficiency and value, and health care access. He is particularly interested in developing learning health care systems that provide high value care. In addition to his role at Stanford, he Directs the Health Economics Resource Center at the Palo Alto VA and co-directs the VA Center for Policy Evaluation. At VA, he is funded as a Research Career Scientist and he co-directs the VA/NCI Big Data Fellowship.
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James Wall
Clinical Professor, Surgery - Pediatric Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHealth Technology Innovation
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Irene Wapnir, MD
Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
On Partial Leave from 12/16/2025 To 04/15/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical trials in operative procedures such as Nipple-sparing mastectomy, arm lymphatic mapping, skin perfusion and Treatments for Breast Cancer, especially local recurrence. Dr. Wapnir is institutional Principal Investigator and Chair for National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) clinical trials. Laboratory and translational research includes exploring the activity of breast iodide transporter in breast cancer brain metastasis.
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Thomas G Weiser, MD, MPH
Clinical Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Thomas Weiser is a general, emergency, and trauma surgeon, and surgical intensivist. He treats and cares for injured patients and those with acute surgical emergencies as well as manages critically ill surgical patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
His research is focused on evaluating the role surgical care plays in the delivery of health services in resource poor settings, in particular low and middle income countries. He is interested in barriers to access and provision of surgical care, the quality of surgical services, and outcomes research as well as the science of implementation, how improvements can be made, and how to strengthen compliance with best practices and change behaviors for the better. He also has an interest in domestic policy as it relates to trauma outcomes, trauma systems, insurance coverage and costs of care, and firearm violence.
Dr. Weiser's projects have focused on the quality of surgical care, strategies for improving the safety and reliability of surgical delivery, and team communications. He works closely with Lifebox, a nonprofit focused on improving surgical and anesthetic safety worldwide, where he was previously the Consulting Medical Officer. Lifebox delivers programs throughout the world in combination with local partners including individual professionals, professional societies, hospitals, other NGOs, and ministries of health. Lifebox works with hospitals in Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, India, Honduras, and Nicaragua, amongst others, to improve care and evaluate the impact of our work. A few programs of particular impact are the distribution of low cost devices to improve the safety of care (including pulse oximeters for the routine monitoring of patients undergoing anesthesia and a new surgical headlight program) and Clean Cut, a surgical infection prevention and control program now being introduced in several countries.
From 2006-2009, he was part of the World Health Organization’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives program where he quantified the global volume of surgery and created, implemented, evaluated, and promoted the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. He has worked with the WHO and the World Bank, and is completing a Gates Grand Challenge Grant-funded study to improve the safety of cesarean section in Ethiopia.
He is a Program Director at Wellcome Leap where he leads Surgery:Assess/Validate/Expand (SAVE). -
Ian Whitmore
Professor (Teaching) of Surgery (Anatomy)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe development of better regimes for teaching Anatomy using Cadavers.
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Tamara Winston
Administrative Division Director, Surgery - Pediatric Surgery
BioM.P.A, NDNU
M.S. Management, NDNU
B.A. Political Science/Business Administration, SJSU -
Clay P. Wiske, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - Vascular Surgery
BioDr. Wiske is a vascular surgeon in the Vascular and Endovascular Care program at Stanford Health Care. He is also a clinical assistant professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery. Dr. Wiske manages and treats the full spectrum of vascular disease, performing both open and endovascular surgery.
His clinical interests include peripheral arterial disease, venous disease, dialysis access, and aortic and peripheral aneurysms. Additionally, he has helped develop and evaluate medical devices designed to maximize the ease of treatment and limit the invasiveness of specific interventions.
Dr. Wiske has published research on a variety of topics within vascular surgery. These include the best approaches to reduce the risk of stroke associated with carotid surgery and the impact of using multidisciplinary teams to identify and treat pulmonary embolisms. Dr. Wiske has also participated in studies assessing the pace of innovation in vascular surgery, as well as policy approaches to reducing the financial burden of health care on patients.
Dr. Wiske has published his work in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Vascular Surgery, and Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. He has also been an invited guest speaker at national and international meetings, including those for the Society for Vascular Surgery, American Venous Forum, and the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society. -
Sherry M. Wren, MD, FACS, FCS(ECSA), FISS
Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research interests are primarily in global surgery,robotics,surgical oncology, especially gastrointestinal cancers.
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Rachel L. Yang, MD, FACS, NABBLM-C, IBCLC
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Rachel Yang is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgeon and breastfeeding medicine specialist with Stanford Health Care. She is a member of the oncology team at Stanford Medicine Cancer Center in Emeryville.
Dr. Yang specializes in complex procedures to treat breast cancer, including oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery and nipple-sparing mastectomy. She also has expertise in breastfeeding and lactation medicine as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and carries a dual board certification by the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine. Dr. Yang prioritizes compassionate and patient-centered care, understanding that breast cancer or complications of lactation can be extremely personal.
As a physician-researcher, Dr. Yang studies surgical outcomes, health equity, and policy related to breast cancer care. She has investigated topics including disparities in access to breast cancer care and breast reconstruction following mastectomy. Her work has also examined biological factors that influence how breast cancer develops. In addition, Dr. Yang focuses on surgical education, advancing innovative training models, communication, and professional well-being in academic medicine.
Dr. Yang has published her findings in premier peer-reviewed journals, including Cancer, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. She has also presented her research at meetings of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, and the Association for Surgical Education.
Her presentations have highlighted how race and health policy influence access to surgical options in breast cancer care, as well as ways to make breast surgery more fair, safe, and effective. Dr. Yang has lectured extensively and taught courses to breast care and lactation providers on maternal complications of lactation.
Dr. Yang is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is also a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding and Lactation Education. -
Jeffrey Yao, MD
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and, by courtesy, of Surgery (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)
On Leave from 01/29/2026 To 02/27/2026Current Research and Scholarly Interests1. Minimally invasive and arthroscopic treatment alternatives for common hand and wrist disorders
2. Biologic augmentation of tendon repair strategies utilizing stem cells -
Kirbi Yelorda, MD, MS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Kirbi Yelorda is a fellowship-trained colon and rectal surgeon and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery – Colon and Rectal Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed her colon and rectal surgery fellowship at Mount Sinai Health System and her general surgery residency at Stanford Health Care, where she also earned a Master of Science degree in health research and policy.
Dr. Yelorda specializes in the surgical management of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and benign anorectal conditions such as hemorrhoids, fistulas, and fissures. She has advanced training in minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques that support enhanced recovery and optimal patient outcomes.
Dr. Yelorda’s research focuses on the impact of social determinants of health on colorectal cancer outcomes and disparities in surgical care. She is particularly interested in surgical education and quality improvement.
Dr. Yelorda has authored articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as JAMA Surgery, Journal of Surgical Education, and Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. She has presented her work at national conferences including those of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. She is a recipient of Stanford University's Samuel L. Kountz, MD Humanitarian Award.
Dr. Yelorda is an active member of the American College of Surgeons, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. -
Yulia Zak, MD, FACS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery - General Surgery
BioDr. Yulia Zak earned her medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center before completing general surgery residency at Stanford University and advanced minimally invasive gastrointestinal and bariatric fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Zak is certified by the American Board of Surgery and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. She has also completed the Stanford Surgical Education and Simulation fellowship and was previously an Assistant Program Director for the general surgery residency program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Dr. Zak joined the faculty at Stanford in 2018 and is the current Fellowship Associate Program Director. Her current clinical practice is focused on bariatrics, foregut and abdominal wall procedures. Her academic interests include quality improvement, surgical education, and bariatric outcomes.
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Christopher K. Zarins
Walter Clifford Chidester and Elsa Rooney Chidester Professor of Surgery, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHemodynamic factors in atherosclerosis, pathogenesis of, aortic aneurysms, carotid plaque localization and complication, anastomotic intimal hyperplasia, vascular biology of artery wall, computational fluid dynamics as applied to blood flow and vascular disease.
