Profile

Associate Professor of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, UCLA Health
Surgical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Surgical Director, Center for Esophageal Disorders, UCLA Health

Education

Bachelor’s Degree: University of California, Riverside
Medical Degree: University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine
Residency: 
General Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.
General Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
Fellowships:
Cardiothoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Research Fellow, Thoracic Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Board Certifications

American Board of Surgery – General Surgery
American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Awards and Honors

  • Undergraduate Honors Convocation Academic Scholarship
  • Irwin M. Newell Scholarship
  • Ernst A. Noltmann Memorial Award
  • Heart Association Medical Student Research Fellowship
  • National Cancer Institute Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship
  • American Society of Gene Therapy Travel Grant
  • NCI K12 Career Development Award, UCLA Clinical Scientist Training in Cancer Gene Medicine
  • NCI Career Development Award, UCLA Lung Cancer SPORE
  • STOP Cancer Research Award
  • Los Angeles Magazine’s “Super Doctors” List
  • Alumni of the Year, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
  • Top Doctors, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, Castle Connolly
  • The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood’s Top Doctors: Best Thoracic and Cardiac Surgeons in Los Angeles
  • Newsweek Magazine’s Top Cancer Doctors
Research Focus

Lung Cancer Research, Immunotherapy/Gene Therapy, Drug Discovery

Professional Service
  • Executive Committee, Department of Surgery, UCLA
  • Quality Council, UCLA Health System
  • Quality Measurement and Improvement Committee, Faculty Practice Group, UCLA
  • Department of Surgery, Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee, UCLA
  • Clinical Competence Committee, UCLA
  • Santa Monica/UCLA Medical Center Thoracic Surgery Taskforce, UCLA
  • Clinical Excellence Committee, UCLA
  • Internal Advisory Board, UCLA-Boston University EDRN
  • Basic and Translational Science Committee, American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG)
  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) General Thoracic Consultant Subcommittee
  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) General Thoracic Oral Board Examiner
  • General Thoracic Chair, Video Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)
  • Thoracic Surgery Co-Chair. Lung Cancer Mutational Consortium 3 (LCMC3). Genentech Trial ML39236.
  • Annual Meeting Abstract Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)
  • Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • Thoracic Surgery Co-Chair. Lung Cancer Mutational Consortium 4 (LCMC4)
  • Education Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)
  • UCLA Health Leadership Academy, Advisory Board
  • Reviewer, American Journal of Transplantation
  • Reviewer, American Journal of Surgery
  • Reviewer, Annals of Surgical Oncology
  • Reviewer, Annals of Thoracic Surgery
  • Reviewer, Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine
  • Reviewer, Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
  • Reviewer, Journal of Surgical Oncology
  • Reviewer, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Editorial Board, American Journal of Translational Research
  • Editorial Board, Lung Cancer Management
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Visualized Surgery
  • Editorial Board, Clinics in Surgery
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Thoracic Disease