Pancreas Disease

Meet Our Team

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Our skilled specialists lead the nation in advanced diagnostics and treatments for pancreatic disease and pancreatic cancer. Call 310-206-6889 to connect with us.

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Our integrated practice unit is one of the first of its kind, giving patients a team of pancreatic disease specialists in one centralized clinic. All of our specialists are experts in their fields.

UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases: Our team approach

UCLA’s team of experts meets weekly to discuss cases, design personalized treatment plans and review outcomes. Patients receive the most advanced pancreatic disease treatments available, with fewer appointments and phone calls.

Meet our team:

Surgery
Interventional endoscopy
Gastroenterology
Diagnostic radiology
Medical oncology
Radiation oncology
Pathology
Palliative care
Nutrition
Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology
Our network of specialists
Genetic counseling
Program staff

Surgery

Our surgeons perform roughly 150 operations each year, making us one of the highest volume pancreatic surgery centers in the region. UCLA’s expert surgeons include:

Timothy R. Donahue, MD

Timothy R. Donahue, MD

Surgical Oncology

Mark D. Girgis, MD

Mark D. Girgis, MD

Surgical Oncology

O. Joe Hines, MD

O. Joe Hines, MD

Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery

Jonathan C. King, MD

Jonathan C. King, MD

Surgical Oncology

Interventional endoscopy

UCLA has the largest team of interventional endoscopy specialists in the city. Interventional endoscopists provide minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment for a range of pancreatic diseases. Our experts include:

Danny Issa, MD

Gastroenterology, Interventional Gastroenterology

Stephen Kim, MD

Stephen Kim, MD

Gastroenterology, Interventional Gastroenterology

Jennifer Kolb, MD, MS

Jennifer Kolb, MD, MS

Interventional Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology

Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS

Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS

Gastroenterology, Interventional Gastroenterology

Alireza Sedarat, MD

Alireza Sedarat, MD

Gastroenterology, Interventional Gastroenterology

Adarsh M. Thaker, MD

Adarsh M. Thaker, MD

Gastroenterology, Interventional Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Our expert gastroenterologists specialize in gastrointestinal disorders, primarily treating patients without surgery. Our gastroenterology team includes:

Joseph R. Pisegna, MD

Joseph R. Pisegna, MD

Gastroenterology

Diagnostic radiology

Our diagnostic radiologists are experts in abdominal and gastrointestinal conditions. They review all imaging scans and provide their input at our weekly conferences. Our diagnostic radiology team includes:

Jena N. Depetris, MD

Jena N. Depetris, MD

Abdominal Imaging

Barbara M. Kadell, MD

Diagnostic Radiology

Kevin G. King, MD

Kevin G. King, MD

Diagnostic Radiology

David S. Lu, MD

Interventional Radiology, Diagnostic Radiology

Steven S. Raman, MD

Steven Raman, MD

Diagnostic Radiology

Medical oncology

Medical oncologists determine whether patients should receive chemotherapy and conduct clinical trials to identify promising new drugs. Learn more about chemotherapy treatment at our center.

Our medical oncology team includes:

Sidharth R. Anand, MD, MBA

Sidharth R. Anand, MD, MBA

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology

Richard S. Finn, MD

Richard S. Finn, MD

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Breast Medical Oncology

J. Randolph Hecht, MD

J. Randolph Hecht, MD

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology

Jasmine L. Mitchell, MD

Jasmine L. Mitchell, MD

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Hematology Oncology

Lee S. Rosen, MD

Lee S. Rosen, MD

Medical Oncology, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology

Zev A. Wainberg, MD

Zev A. Wainberg, MD

Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology

Radiation oncology

Our radiation oncology expert identifies cancer patients who should receive radiation and helps facilitate radiation treatments. Our radiation oncology team includes:

Jie Deng, MD, PhD

Jie Deng, MD, PhD

Radiation Oncology

Ann C. Raldow, MD, MPH

Ann C. Raldow, MD, MPH

Radiation Oncology

Pathology

Our expert team of pathologists reviews tumor samples and radiology scans to help identify the best treatment options. Our pathology team includes:

David W. Dawson, MD, PhD

David W. Dawson, MD, PhD

Anatomic Pathology

Sarah M. Dry, MD

Sarah M. Dry, MD

Anatomic Pathology

Samuel W. French, MD, PhD

Samuel W. French, MD, PhD

Anatomic Pathology, Clinical and Laboratory Pathology

Bita V. Naini, MD

Bita V. Naini, MD

Anatomic Pathology, Clinical and Laboratory Pathology

Hanlin Wang, MD, PhD

Hanlin Wang, MD, PhD

Anatomic Pathology

Palliative care

Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on optimizing patients' quality of life by preventing, identifying, controlling, and treating symptoms and distress associated with a disease or its treatments and ensuring that the plan of care aligns with patients' priorities, values, and goals. All UCLA Health patients with pancreatic cancer are encouraged to establish with our team of palliative care experts from the beginning of their treatment, regardless of the stage of their cancer. Learn more about UCLA's specialty palliative care services.

Palliative care physicians with specific involvement in UCLA's Pancreatic Cancer Care Program include:

Emily J. Martin, MD, MS

Emily J. Martin, MD, MS

Palliative Medicine

Jessica M. Kaltman, MD, MSHS

Palliative Medicine

Daniel H. Dichter, MD

Daniel H. Dichter, MD

Palliative Medicine

Nutrition

Our GI dietitian specializes in disorders of the pancreas, including pancreatic cancer. She also leads the program called Nutrition for Safer Surgeries, focused on applying national standards to reduce mortality and morbidity for GI cancer surgical interventions.

Shelby D. Yaceczko, RD, CNSC, MS

Shelby D. Yaceczko, RD, CNSC, MS

Gastroenterology Nutrition, Gastroenterology

Simms/Mann Center

The Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology is dedicated to enhancing the lives of those affected by cancer through a multidisciplinary approach. Our psychosocial, psychiatry, nutritional, and spiritual care services provide holistic and compassionate support to patients and their loved ones. All services are made possible through generous donations and are provided free of charge.

Access to a network of care at UCLA

We work closely with a number of other specialties across UCLA, connecting patients to care partners as needed. These departments include cardiology, endocrinology, infectious disease, pain management, nutrition and primary care, just to name a few. Another great resource for our patients is the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology; click here for more information on their program.

Genetic counseling

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are due to an inherited cancer predisposition. Genetic counseling and genetic testing are available at our center.

A genetic counselor can assess the likelihood that pancreatic cancer in a family is due to an inherited mutation. Genetic counseling can also help individuals and families understand their personal and/or family history of pancreatic cancer and other cancers.

If genetic testing finds an inherited mutation, we can tailor surveillance and risk reduction strategies for at-risk family members. Learn more about genetic counseling at UCLA.

Our genetic counseling team includes:

Wendy Conlon, MS

Wendy Conlon, MS

Cancer Genetics

Program staff for UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases

Ramil T. Badana, NP

Ramil T. Badana, NP

Surgical Oncology

Melissa E. Stanczak, NP

Administrative Assistant

Janette Villa

Patient Navigator

Contact us

For more information or to make an appointment with our team of specialists, please call us at 310-206-6889.