Midgut (Pancreas, Biliary & Gallbladder)

Ronald F. Wolf, MD

Ronald Wolf, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a board-certified surgical oncologist who specializes in treating liver, bile duct and pancreatic cancer at Hoag Family Cancer Institute. His clinical interests include pancreatic adenocarcinoma, colon and rectal cancers that have metastasized to the liver, surgical treatment for bile duct tumors and cysts and surgery for soft tissue sarcoma. Previously, Dr. Wolf served as Professor of Clinical Surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreas Surgery/Islet Cell Transplantation at UC Irvine School of Medicine and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Prior to that, he served as Medical Director of Hepatic and Pancreatic Surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, and as the Medical Director of Liver and Pancreas Surgery at Providence Cancer Center, also in Portland. Dr. Wolf received his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, followed by an internship and two residencies in general surgery at UC Davis. He then completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he also served as a clinical research fellow. Later, he helped direct surgical resident and fellowship-level postgraduate training programs in Portland. Dr. Wolf has co-authored more than 80 clinical presentations throughout his career and is a committee member of several national organizations including the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology and the AHPBA Americas Hepatopancreatobiliary Association.

Kenneth J. Chang, MD

Executive Medical Director, Hoag Digestive Health Institute

Jennifer Phan, MD

Medical Director, Hoag Irvine Advanced Endoscopy, Director of Bariatric Endoscopy, Gastroenterologist

Ravi J. Kankotia, MD

Dr. Kankotia is a board-certified gastroenterologist at the Hoag Digestive Health Institute. His focus is in advanced endoscopic procedures, and his clinical interests include pancreaticobiliary disease, tissue resection, Barrett’s esophagus, and bariatrics. Other services offered include luminal stenting, radiofrequency ablation, endoscopic mucosal resection, esophageal pH monitoring (Bravo), liver biopsy, portal pressure measurement, and endoscopic suturing. He strives to provide his patients and their families with personalized care plans that help each patient reach their health goals. At the Hoag Digestive Health Institute, Dr. Kankotia works with a team of digestive health experts to provide a comprehensive approach to wellness. Dr. Kankotia earned his medical degree at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He completed internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center. He then completed an additional fellowship in advanced endoscopy at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he developed expertise in ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), diagnostic and therapeutic EUS (endoscopic ultrasound), and other techniques while garnering experience managing complex cases. Dr. Kankotia is a current member of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Additionally, he has contributed to several publications on topics such as gastric cancer, biliary disease, pancreatic cysts, and luminal strictures.

Paul J. Korc, MD

Paul J. Korc, M.D. serves as medical director of the Hoag GI Lab and is a board-certified gastroenterologist with fellowship training in advanced endoscopic procedures. After completing his residency and fellowship at USC, he went on to spend a year at Indiana University, one of the nation’s top programs for biliary and pancreatic disorders. There, he received training in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), gaining extensive experience in the management of complex cases. Dr. Korc’s expertise also includes removal of large polyps and early stage cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, using endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). He spent time in Seoul, Korea learning ESD, a cutting-edge technique in which pre-cancerous lesions and superficial cancers are removed en bloc (in one piece), avoiding the need for surgery. Additionally, Dr. Korc performs peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a specialized procedure that restores the ability to eat and drink for people with achalasia, an esophageal motility disorder. Dr. Korc brings to Hoag his expertise in these procedures, some of which are available at only a handful of medical centers in Southern California. Dr. Korc offers patients compassionate, personalized care along with the very best advances in endoscopic treatment.

Phuong T. Nguyen, MD

Medical Director of Hoag Advanced Endoscopy Center, Gastroenterologist

Hali Pham, NP-BC

Nurse Practitioner

David R. Braxton, MD

Jinsoo Andrew Keyoung, MD

<p>Dr. Andrew Keyoung joined NHRA in 2008. Dr. Keyoung is the Chief of Radiology Service for Hoag Hospital Irvine and Medical Director of Radiology at Hoag Orthopedics Institute. He is also the Director of Body MRI at Hoag Hospitals. Dr. Keyoung oversees professional sports imaging program for Hoag Hospitals. This includes the local NFL teams: the Los Angeles Chargers during the regular season and the Los Angeles Rams during the summer training camp at UC Irvine, as well as the local professional MLS team, Orange County Soccer Club. Dr. Keyoung serves in the NHRA’s Executive Committee.</p> <p>His subspecialty imaging expertise includes oncologic imaging with multiparametric prostate MRI and PET/MR, advanced body MRI imaging of the liver, pancreas and intestines as well as dynamic pelvic floor imaging with MRI.</p> <p>Prior to Hoag Hospitas, Dr. Keyoung was a clinical instructor in Department of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine.</p> <p>Dr. Keyoung was listed as one of America’s Top Radiologist by Consumers Research Council of America. He was also selected as 2018 Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association.</p>

Gerard K. Nguyen, MD

Radiology

Trushar Patel, MD

<p>Dr. Trushar Patel joined NHRA in 2014. He specializes in Vascular and Interventional Radiology with a focus in Interventional Oncology and Venous Disease. After finishing residency at Cornell Medical Center with additional training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Patel completed a fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco.</p>

Thomas E. Velling, MD

<p>Dr. Thomas Velling joined NHRA in 2001. He currently serves as Director of the Interventional Radiology Service at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.</p>

Alexander S. Misono, MD

<p>Dr. Alexander Misono specializes in Vascular &amp; Interventional Radiology.</p> <p>Dr. Misono joined NHRA in 2018. He is a graduate of Harvard College (AB), Harvard Business School (MBA), and Harvard Medical School (MD). He completed internship in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. He then trained in the Diagnostic Radiology residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Following that, he completed training as a fellow in Vascular &amp; Interventional Radiology at the Miami Cardiac &amp; Vascular Institute, a world-renowned center for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of vascular disease.</p> <p>Dr. Misono has served on numerous committees and been an invited speaker at annual meetings of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and American College of Radiology (ACR). Dr. Misono is an active researcher in the fields of radiology and interventional radiology, having presented or published over 50 scientific presentations, abstracts, book chapters, and peer-reviewed publications in journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), Journal of Vascular &amp; Interventional Radiology (JVIR), and American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).</p>

Tust Techasith, MD

<p>Dr. Tust Techasith specializes in Vascular and Interventional Radiology, with particular emphasis on minimally invasive treatment of cancer and venous disease.</p> <p>Dr. Techasith graduated from Harvard Medical School in 2011. He completed his internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center where he was awarded Intern of the Year. He subsequently completed both his residency training in Diagnostic Radiology, serving as chief resident, and fellowship training in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Stanford University Medical Center.</p> <p>Dr. Techasith has authored or co-authored over 30 scientific abstracts, book chapters, and peer-reviewed publications in the field of diagnostic and interventional radiology. He has also been an invited lecturer at various residency training programs, universities, and national meetings.</p>

Tara E. Seery, MD

&lt;p&gt;Tara Seery, M.D., attended University College Dublin School of Medicine followed by an internship at Mater Misericordiae Hospital as well as an internship and residency at Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston. She then completed fellowships in hematology/oncology at both Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center and University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Seery is board certified in Medical Oncology and Hematology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Seery is particularly interested in GI oncology, including hepatobiliary cancers such as pancreatic, liver and bile duct cancers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She has served as the primary investigator on several clinical research trials, co-authored numerous medical publications and abstracts, and edited multiple peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, she has given clinical presentations both across the U.S. and abroad.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Seery&#8217;s teaching experience spans the areas of medical and graduate level courses including a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Annual Lecture Series on Pancreatic Cancer, Liver Cancer and the Management of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma at UC Irvine&#8217;s 5th Annual Gastroenterology and Hepatology Symposium. In addition, she oversaw a group of Hematology/Oncology Fellows at the University of California Irvine Outpatient Clinic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Seery is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.&lt;/p&gt;