UCI Health Physician Huddle

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Miles J. Pfaff, MD, assistant professor in the UC Irvine Department of Plastic Surgery, traces his path to plastic surgery and explains how craniofacial surgery has grown well beyond its traditional roots in pediatric congenital care. With a practice spanning both adult and pediatric reconstruction, Pfaff offers a unique vantage point on where the...

Chris Fox, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UCI Health, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the evolution and growth of emergency medicine at UCI Health and the department’s expanding leadership across Orange County. Fox reflects on his long connection to the city of Irvine and UCI Health, from undergraduate and residency at UC Irvine to his faculty career in emerge...

Jennifer Valerin, MD, PhD, a UCI Health medical oncologist and pancreatic cancer specialist, joins Physician Huddle to discuss breakthrough treatments in the landscape of pancreatic cancer care. Valerin shares how a family member's pancreatic cancer diagnosis more than 20 years ago shaped her decision to pursue medicine and focus her career on bringing new therapies to patients with pancreati...

Shalini Shah, MD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care and director of pain services at UCI Health, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the growth and evolution of pain medicine. Shah reflects on her path from anesthesiology training at Cornell to adult and pediatric pain fellowships at Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and how she was recruited to UCI Heal...

Rebecca Sauer, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCI Health, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the evolving field of menopause and midlife care. Sauer reflects on her path from medical school at UC Irvine to her current focus on perimenopause, menopause, and women’s health. She explains that menopause care historically has received limited attention in medical training, despi...

Don Park, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery and director of minimally invasive spine surgery at UCI Health, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the evolution of endoscopic spine surgery and the development of the UCI Health outpatient spine surgery program at the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus. Park explains how endoscopic techniques allow surgeons to treat common spine conditions through mill...

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, thoracic surgeon Hari B. Keshava, MD, joins the show to discuss the rising incidence of lung cancer in never-smokers, persistent gaps in lung cancer screening, and the growing importance of coordinated follow-up for incidental lung nodules. Keshava also explains how advances in minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery, along with targeted t...

Gary Deng, MD, program director of integrative oncology at UCI Health and Samueli Endowed Chair in Integrative Oncology and the director of clinical affairs at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, discusses his vision for building a whole-person model of cancer care at UCI Health. Drawing on more than two decades of experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and earlier work a...

Jason Samarasena, MD, professor of medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UCI Health, reflects on more than two decades of service at UCI Health and the rapid transformation of modern GI practice. Now leading a division spanning advanced endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology and motility, Samarasena discusses recruiting world-class faculty, expanding c...

Frank Hsu, MD, PhD, the Denny and Betty Tsai Endowed Chair in Neurological Surgery at UCI Health, reflects on shaping a comprehensive, subspecialty-driven neurosurgery program grounded in collaboration, academic rigor, and steady innovation. Since joining UCI Health in 2012 and assuming departmental leadership shortly thereafter, Hsu has helped guide the program through a period of significant gro...

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Claire Henchcliffe, MD, DPhil, Stanley van den Noort Endowed Chair in Neurology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, discusses scaling a 60+ faculty department, expanding clinical trials access and advancing precision neurology through stem cell therapy, artificial intelligence, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Henchcliffe reflects on her path...

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Lindsay Carrillo, MBA and Sunil Verma, MD, sit down with Tjoson Tjoa, MD, Chair of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, to discuss the department’s transformation from a single-digit-faculty service line to a rapidly expanding, subspecialty-driven academic program. Tjoa reflects on returning to UCI Health after fellowship, building a head and n...

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Lindsay Carrillo, MBA, and Sunil Verma, MD, are joined by Richard Van Etten, MD, PhD, director of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and holder of the Chao Family Endowed Director’s Chair in Cancer Research and Treatment. Van Etten reflects on his career path from Stanford and Harvard to leading one of the nation’s National Cancer Institu...

In this episode, Farshid Dayyani, MD, PhD, medical director of the Stern Center for Clinical Trials and Research and associate director for translational science at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center shares his path to UCI Health and how the cancer center’s clinical trials program has grown over the past decade.  From expanding participation in industry-sponsored studies to developing a r...

In this episode of Physician Huddle, Baruch D. Kuppermann, MD, endowed professor, chair of the UC Irvine School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and director of the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, shares the challenges of building a nationally recognized research enterprise within an academic ophthalmology department. Kuppermann reflects on his decades-long career at UC Irvine, including t...

Leaders from UCI Health sit down with Jamie Landman, MD, Chair of the UC Irvine School of Medicine Department of Urology, to discuss leadership, culture-building, and innovation in academic medicine. Landman reflects on his path to UCI Health, the evolution of the Department of Urology over the past 15 years, and the leadership philosophy that has helped cultivate collaboration, mentorship, and su...

Board-certified UCI Health surgical oncologist Maheswari Senthil, MD , joins the podcast to share her expertise on managing advanced gastrointestinal cancers, particularly peritoneal malignancies, and discusses revolutionary tools and clinical trials aimed at improving patient outcomes. Learn about the innovative use of artificial intelligence in early diagnosis, the development of sophisticated m...

Board-certified UCI Health physician and fellowship-trained otology, neurotology, and skull base surgeon Hamid Djalilian, MD joins the podcast to discuss his expertise on ear-related medical and surgical problems, including tinnitus, chronic ear infections, and innovative treatments for tympanic membrane perforations. Hear groundbreaking advancements in minimally invasive procedures, the latest re...

Board-certified UCI Health urologist David I. Lee, MD joins the podcast to highlight his groundbreaking advancements in robotic prostate surgery and journey as a physician. Lee discusses his extensive experience, having performed over 7,000 robotic prostatectomies, and the evolution of prostate cancer treatment. Learn about the benefits of robotic surgery, the importance of multidisciplinary care,...

Board-certified UCI Health geriatrician Lisa Gibbs, MD joins the podcast to discuss the unique aspects of the UCI Health Senior Health Center, highlighting its comprehensive team-based approach to geriatric care. Gibbs shares insights on the importance of fall prevention, the impact of footwear on fall risks, and the center's focus on both clinical and preventive care for older adults. Tune i...

Board-certified UCI Health breast reconstructive surgeon Gordon Lee, MD joins the podcast to share his experience and discuss the latest techniques in breast reconstruction, including microsurgery, robotic advancements, and AI applications. Learn about specific case studies, such as direct-to-implant breast reconstruction, robot-assisted microsurgery, and innovative AI applications. Discover how t...

Board-certified UCI Health transplant surgeon Robert Redfield, MD , joins the podcast to offer an inside look at the region’s fastest-growing kidney and pancreas transplant program. He explains why living donor kidney transplant is the gold standard for patients with end-stage renal disease, and how his team empowers patients to find a donor—even before dialysis begins. Redfield also discusses pan...

Chief Medical Informatics Officer and Vice President of Informatics Deepti Pandita, MD, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the evolving role of clinical informatics and the powerful applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare IT applications. From predictive analytics in sepsis care to ambient scribing, lung nodule detection, and bespoke algorithm deployment, Pandita outlines how AI...