Oncology Faculty

Kiran Turaga, MD, MPH, is Division Chief of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery and Assistant Medical Director for the Clinical Trials Office at Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Turaga joined Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital from the University of Chicago where he was Vice Chief of the Section of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Director of the Surgical Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, and Director of Regional Therapeutics. Widely considered a thought leader in the management of oligometastatic cancer, Dr. Turaga is an expert in regional perfusion including hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), a technique that delivers high doses of heated chemotherapy directly to abdominal organs to kill cancer cells that may remain after surgical removal of visible tumors. His research focuses on development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for oligometastatic cancer and is currently the principal investigator on several clinical trials exploring the interface of immunotherapy and liquid biopsy in the surgical management of cancer. He is also interested in studying how big data systems can be used to provide the most optimal, cost-effective patient care.

Dr. Greenup is an Associate Professor of Surgery (Oncology) and Chief of Breast Surgical Oncology. She provides coordinated, state-of-the-art care to patients with benign and malignant diseases of the breast as part of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. Learn more about Dr. Greenup She earned her undergraduate degrees in Zoology and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, where she also completed a Master of Public Health. She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin where she also completed her General Surgery residency, and went on to complete a fellowship as part of The Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital Breast Surgery Fellowship. Prior to joining Yale, Dr. Greenup was an Associate Professor of Surgery and Population Health Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Cancer Institute. There she founded the Duke Breast Cancer Outcomes Research Group, and Core Faculty for the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy. In 2016, she received the National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Award to evaluate how financial costs and burden relate to preference-sensitive decisions for breast cancer surgery. In 2017, she was named the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Breast Surgeons Health Policy Scholar. Her research focuses on aligning patient-centered care with high-quality, lower cost treatment. She serves on several national committees, including the Alliance in Clinical Oncology Ethics and Value Committees, the American College of Surgeons Cancer Care Delivery Task Force, the American Society of Breast Surgeons Legislative Committee, and the Editorial Board for the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Jennifer Ogilvie is Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief, Section of Endocrine Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. She completed training in General Surgery and fellowship training in Endocrine Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to Yale, she held faculty positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and New York University Langone Health, where she was also Director of Endocrine Surgery at Bellevue Hospital. Her clinical interests focus on the optimal surgical treatment of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal tumors. Her research interests are in surgical education and the function of surgical teams, shared clinical decision making, and clinical outcomes in Endocrine Surgery.

Sajid Khan, MD is an Associate Professor of Surgery (Oncology), Section Chief of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Mixed Tumors at Yale School of Medicine, and Co-Director of Team Science at Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Khan is nationally recognized for superb clinical care and excellence in cancer research. He earned his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and is Board Certified in both Complex General Surgical Oncology and General Surgery. He completed general surgery training at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR and Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore in Bronx, NY. He also completed a research fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY and a clinical and research fellowship in surgical oncology at University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Watch a video with Dr. Sajid Khan >>. Dr. Khan is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients through his busy surgical practice and federally funded research. Dr. Khan's surgical oncology practice specializes in patients with tumors of the liver, pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder, stomach, and colon. Additionally he treats individuals diagnosed with melanoma, sarcoma, neuroendocrine tumors, and pancreatic cysts. His commitment to his patients and their families incorporates a multidisciplinary team approach, excellent communication, and state of the art minimally invasive surgery to provide an exceptional patient experience. Nationally, he is consistently in the top 1 percentile rank for patient satisfaction. Dr. Khan is an NIH-funded, well published, surgeon-scientist who uses modern molecular biology to improve our understanding and treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancers. The Khan Lab performs translational scientific research studying cancer metastasis and differences in tumor biology based on race/ethnicity and sex. Using molecular and clinical markers, the Khan Lab studies the scientific underpinnings of liver metastasis and identifies cancer patients who may benefit from liver surgery. In addition, his lab studies the relationship of tumor metabolites and RNA expression with race/ethnicity and sex. He also performs clinical outcomes research for all types of gastrointestinal cancers. His lab's research is regularly presented at national and international scientific meetings, published in prestigious scientific journals, and featured in national media outlets. Dr. Khan is Chair of the Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) Research Committee, on the Editorial Board for the Annals of Surgical Oncology, and Institutional Representative for the Society of University Surgeons (SUS). He is an active member of the Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), Society of University Surgeons (SUS), National Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCN), American College of Surgeons (ACS), Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), Yale Cancer Center, and Yale School of Medicine Admissions Committee.

Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA, is the chair of the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine and chief of surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital, effective February 1, 2018. Watch a video with Dr. Nita Ahuja>>Dr. Ahuja obtained her medical education at the Duke University School of Medicine and her training in general surgery at Johns Hopkins. She completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins focused on hepatobiliary malignancies and joined the faculty in 2003. Dr Ahuja's surgical specialization is in management of sarcomas and complex gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric, rectal, and pancreatic cancers. She has developed an international reputation for management of peritoneal cancer metastases with cytoreduction and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which attracts patients from around the world. She is a strong advocate for working with various disciplines to deliver caring and cutting edge treatment to her patients and is honored as a top doctor by multiple organizations. Prior to coming to Yale as chair of surgery, she was the director of sarcoma program and gastric cancer program.Dr. Ahuja is also a passionate advocate of clinician scientist and has run a laboratory focused on developing new knowledge to improve cancer outcomes. Her NIH funded laboratory has been focused on identifying new biomarkers for pancreas and colon cancers using liquid biopsies and stool DNA. She has also led over twenty national and international clinical trials on testing new therapies in gastrointestinal and breast cancers based on concepts identified in her laboratory.She is a national and international surgical leader and surgeon scientist who serves on multiple editorial boards and in national leadership positions including as an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, member of the American Surgical Association, New England Surgical Society, Southern Surgical Association and on the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Faculty and Academic Societies Administrative Board. She has published over 300 papers and book chapters contributing to both the surgical and basic science fields. Her many awards and honors include the William J. Reinhoff, Jr. Scholar Award, the American Surgical Association Fellowship, the Society of Surgical Oncology Clinical Investigator Award, and the Abell Foundation Award: Johns Hopkins Alliance for Science and Technology Development.

Dr. Elizabeth Berger is an Assistant Professor of Breast Surgical Oncology, and cares for patients as part of The Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven. Dr. Berger received her Medical Degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she was selected as the Breast Cancer Alliance Fellow. She received her Master of Science in Health Services and Outcomes Research from Northwestern University and did a General Surgery Residency at Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Berger was an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Scholar-in-Residence from 2014 to 2016. Her focus at the ACS was in breast cancer research and outcomes. Her research focuses on improving health outcomes for breast cancer patients, including perioperative surgical quality, cancer care quality measure development, and assessment of national accreditation in breast cancer surgery. Dr. Berger has published in several high impact journals such as JAMA, Annals of Surgery, and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, as well as contributed chapters to several surgical textbooks. She has also served on national quality committees, including being a part of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Billingsley is responsible for clinical cancer care across Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital, and the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Centers, as well as clinical program development for cancer services throughout Yale New Haven Health. Among his many responsibilities, he oversees quality and patient safety initiatives, evaluates and optimizes our multidisciplinary team structure, assists  with facilities and space planning, supports our research mission, and interacts and coordinates with Yale New Haven Hospital's clinical leadership structure. Learn more about Dr. Billingsley >>Dr. Billingsley is an international leader in the clinical care and research of hepatobiliary cancers, and maintains a surgical practice for the care of patients with liver cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and pancreatic cancer.  During the course of his career, Dr. Billingsley has developed a particular focus on the treatment of patients with metastatic tumors to the liver.   His approach involves extensive multidisciplinary coordination with medical oncologists, interventional radiologists, and other specialists.  Dr. Billingsley employs a range of technical approaches in treating patients with liver and pancreatic tumors, including the use of minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.   In his own practice, and in his leadership of clinical care across the Smilow Care Network, Dr. Billingsley believes that highest quality clinical care rests on a foundation of scientific and technical excellence, delivered with compassion and respect for each individual patient and their family. Dr. Billingsley explains, "It is an honor for me to work with and lead a truly outstanding group of cancer care professionals at Yale Cancer Center and the Smilow Network. It is a privilege for us to serve our patients."Learn more about Dr. Billingsley>>

Anees is a full Professor in the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. Born and raised in Canada, she completed her BSc in Honors Biochemistry and MD with Honors in Research at the University of Alberta, and her general surgery residency training and MSc at the University of Saskatchewan. She went on to complete the Susan G. Komen Interdisciplinary Breast Fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, an MPH at Harvard School of Public Health and an MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of Louisville. After fellowship, she joined the University of Louisville as Assistant Professor of Surgery, rising rapidly through the ranks to Associate Professor with tenure and Academic Advisory Dean. She built the first nationally accredited Breast Center in Kentucky at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center prior to being recruited to Yale in September 2010 where she led the effort for Yale to become the first NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northeast to have a nationally accredited breast center. She participates in investigator-initiated and cooperative group clinical trials, as well as translational and clinical research. Her most recent ground-breaking work was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. She enjoys teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty, and is the Breast Surgery Section Editor for UpToDate, a commonly used resource. She is passionate about global health and leadership in academic medicine, having most recently completed an MBA for Executives with a focus on Leadership in Healthcare at Yale’s School of Management.

Dr. Gibson (nee Quinn) is an Endocrine Surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. Her clinical interests are surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal gland, including minimally-invasive laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic surgical techniques. In addition, she serves as the Associate Clerkship Director for the Yale School of Medicine General Surgery Clerkship and is the Fellowship Director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellowship Program. Her research interests include outcomes after minimally-invasive endocrine surgery (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal), outpatient thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, intraoperative laryngeal nerve monitoring, and endocrine oncology. She obtained her MD from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA. She was a postdoctoral research fellow in In Utero Stem Cell Transplantation at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Philadelphia, PA. She completed her training in General Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, NJ, and Endocrine Surgery at Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, TX. Watch a video with Dr. Courtney Gibson >>

Dr. Alyssa Gillego is an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Surgical Oncology) and cares for patients at the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center in Greenwich. Dr. Gillego received her medical degree from Far Eastern University in the Philippines, did her general surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center, and then completed a Breast Surgery Fellowship at Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke’s - Roosevelt Hospital Center.In 2019, Dr. Gillego was nominated for the Greenwich Hospital Physician in Care Award, where she was an attending surgeon. Prior to joining Greenwich Hospital, Dr. Gillego practiced at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel and was an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Gillego performs breast biopsies, lumpectomies, mastectomies, and sentinel lymph node biopsies in addition to nipple-sparing mastectomy for cancer patients and women undergoing prophylactic surgery. Her goal is to provide the highest quality of care to all her patients using a multidisciplinary, individualized approach.

Mehra Golshan, MD, MBA, is a cancer surgeon and a nationally and internationally recognized leader in breast cancer treatment and research. In addition to caring for patients, he serves as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Surgical Services and Clinical Director of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale CAncer Center. Dr. Golshan also serves as the Executive Vice Chair for Operations in the Department of Surgery and Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Golshan is a leader in the research with over 150 peer reviewed publications. He has led numerous Phase I, II and III clinical trials and translational science innovations impacting the treatment options and outcomes for women. He is an innovator in tailoring surgery and therapy for women with early stage breast cancer with funding support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and National Institutes of Health. He is the principal investigator of several phase II trials aiming to reduce the need for second surgeries or re-excisions in women with breast cancer, one of which uses innovative image-guided operating room capabilities to capture and remove all residual tumor utilizing MRI and mass spectrometry which is used at Yale’s hybrid operating room. Dr. Golshan prides himself on being an educator having trained and mentored over a hundred breast surgical fellows as well as international surgeons. He has lectured and taught surgeons, trainees and students nationally and internationally in the field of oncology and breast cancer treatment. Dr. Golshan is a Board Member of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), Chair of NAPBC Education Committee, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Interprofessional Education and Practice, and Chair of the American Society of Breast Surgeons Question of the Week Committee. Dr. Golshan completed his fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He earned his Medical Degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and an MBA at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management in Cambridge Massachusetts. Prior to joining Yale, he spent 17 years in Boston at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he was the inaugural and incumbent Dr. Abdul Mohsen and Sultana Al-Tuwaijri Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology. He also served as the Director of the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital and was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Golshan’s approach to breast cancer treatment is through a specialized team approach. For each new patient, Smilow brings together a team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, reconstruction surgeons, pathologists, genetics, breast imagers, radiologists, program nurses, and a robust clinical research program. “I work closely with so many colleagues dedicated deeply to treating and curing breast cancer who inspire me to be a better physician, scientist, and person every day."

John W. Kunstman, MD, MHS is a board-certified surgeon specializing in care of patients with cancers or benign diseases of the pancreas, liver, bile ducts, stomach, and intestines. He received an undergraduate degree (with honors) from the University of Wisconsin and also attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Kunstman completed residency training in general surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital as well as a fellowship in complex general surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He also holds a master's degree from Yale University.Dr. Kunstman has a special interest in treatment of patients with cystic diseases of the pancreas. He maintains an active research program at Yale examining the development of such cystic lesions as well as the genetics of associated pancreatic cancers. He also conducts clinical research seeking to improve the outcomes of those patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.Dr. Kunstman served as chief resident for education during his general surgical training. He has received numerous awards throughout his career recognizing his contributions to research and teaching, as well as excellence in clinical care, including the Samuel Harvey Award for Outstanding Performance as a Chief Resident and Resident of the Year Award for Research in the Basic Sciences. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American College of Surgeons.

Melanie Lynch, MD, FACS, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Oncology) and Director of Breast Surgery at Smilow Cancer Hospital Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Trumbull offices and the Norma Pfriem Breast Center. She is a board certified General Surgeon and fellowship trained Surgical Oncologist. Dr. Lynch previously served as Medical Director of the Summa Health System Breast Program and was Section Chief of General Surgery at Cleveland VA Medical Center. In addition, she held an appointment as Assistant Professor of Surgery and Associate Program Director of General Surgery Residency Program at Case Western Reserve University.Dr. Lynch has significant clinical experience in breast cancer surgery, with a practice dedicated to the integration of oncoplastic techniques including nipple sparing mastectomy, oncoplastic approaches to breast conservation, and surgical techniques for the prevention of lymphedema. Recognizing the importance of multidisciplinary and patient centered care, she has developed innovative clinical programs, including multidisciplinary clinics for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, a high-risk program for screening and management of women at increased risk of breast cancer, survivorship care, and use of integrative medicine for management of symptoms related to cancer treatment. Dr. Lynch was awarded the Crain’s Cleveland Business Physician Innovator Award in 2018 for the implementation of an access program that ensures next day access and expedited biopsies for women with a concern of cancer.

Dr. David C. Madoff is Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging and Medical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine. His current administrative roles are Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Section Chief of Interventional Radiology. Dr. Madoff earned his B.A. from Emory University and his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed both his internship in Internal Medicine and residency in Radiology at SUNY at Stony Brook and his fellowship training in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Madoff achieved Board Certification in Diagnostic Radiology from the American Board of Radiology in 2000 and attained his Certificate of Added Qualifications in Vascular and Interventional Radiology in 2002. He was a faculty member in the Section of Interventional Radiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas for a decade before joining New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2011. While at Weill Cornell, Dr. Madoff served as Division Chief of Interventional Radiology from 2011 to 2015 and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs from 2015 to 2019. He moved to Yale in July, 2019.Dr. Madoff has a strong background in clinical care and has treated many patients with complex oncological problems. His clinical interests are wide-ranging, and have included visceral vascular, hepatobiliary and genitourinary interventions, various embolotherapy and percutaneous biopsy techniques and many specialized therapies within the realm of Interventional Oncology. In particular, Dr. Madoff is world-renowned for his work on preoperative portal vein embolization, a technique used to improve the safety of major hepatic resection. This technique is based on the liver's ability to regenerate and has been used in patients with primary and metastatic hepatobiliary cancer to increase the size of the anticipated liver remnant before surgery. Without this procedure, many patients with potentially resectable disease would not be eligible for curative resection.Dr. Madoff is a leader in academic Interventional Radiology and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international meetings. He authored or co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed scientific articles, has written more than 30 book chapters and served as co-editor of four textbooks including Venous Embolization of the Liver: Radiologic and Surgical Practice (2011), Clinical Interventional Oncology (2014) and Interventional Radiology: Fundamentals of Clinical Practice (2019). Dr. Madoff served as Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology from 2007 to 2010 and Deputy Editor for Radiology from 2012 to 2017. Dr. Madoff currently serves as founding co-Editor-in-Chief for Digestive Disease Interventions and on the editorial boards of additional publications that include Techniques in Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Seminars in Interventional Radiology, Cancer Biology & Medicine, Chinese Clinical Oncology and Current Oncology Reports. Dr. Madoff is active in many of the major radiological societies including the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Association of University Radiologists and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Based on his important contributions to the field, Dr. Madoff was elected Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology in 2007, the American College of Radiology in 2015 and the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe in 2018.

Kelly Olino, MD, FACS, is a doubly board -certified surgeon who provides patients with comprehensive surgical care including resection of skin and soft tissue tumors including melanoma, merkel cell carcinoma, sarcoma, and advanced cutaneous squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, including minimally invasive techniques for metastatic disease. Dr. Olino is a past recipient of the Society for Surgical Oncology’s Clinical Investigator Award to support her research in tumor immunology. She continues this work at Yale and has been funded through the Calabresi Immune-Oncology scholar program and the Skin Cancer SPORE career enhancement program. She continues her work in translational research combining her knowledge of tumor immunology with her clinical acumen. She currently serves on the NCCN non-melanoma cutaneous malignancy committee. Learn more about Dr. Olino>>

Dr. Tristen S. Park is an Assistant Professor of Surgery who is a deeply committed to outstanding  and compassionate surgical care in the treatment of breast cancer and breast diseases. She offers the most advanced techniques in breast surgery, and is an advocate of nipple sparing mastectomy, hidden scar placement and oncoplastic techniques. Dr. Park earned her medical degree at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed a three year Surgical Oncology and Clinical Immunotherapy fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health under the world-renowned  Dr. Steven A Rosenberg followed by a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Duke University.  Dr. Park's research interests include triple negative breast cancer and cancer immuno-oncology,  from her training at the National Cancer Institute she has a particular interest in cancer immunology and the role of immunotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer. Outside of medicine, she is a classically trained pianist and had studied solo piano, chamber music and history at Cornell University, and the preparatory divisions of the Aaron Copland College of Music and the Mannes Conservatory of Music in New York City. She is currently a patron of the Yale School of Music.

Breast Surgical Oncology fellow at Yale University, in the Section of Breast Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of General Surgery.Passionate about providing evidence-based surgical care for patients with breast cancer and genetic cancer syndromes, understanding patients' quality of life concerns, and understanding and ultimately addressing financial toxicity and sexual dysfunction in patients.

Ronald R. Salem, MD earned his medical degree from University of Rhodesia and is a Board Certified Surgeon. Passionate about improving the lives of patients with cancer, he is committed to advancing medical and surgical treatment and integrating the latest techniques and minimally invasive surgery in his clinical practice. He is one of the few surgeons in Connecticut with a high volume practice performing the Whipple procedure. Dr. Salem specializes in malignant and pre-malignant diseases of the pancreas, liver and biliary system, the gall bladder, stomach, colon and rectum, lymphoma, neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, as well as liver tumors in pregnant women. His clinical research includes a special focus on optimizing clinical outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery, combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer and the management of pancreatic cysts and benign and malignant liver tumors. He has received many honors and recognitions, including The Best Doctors, N.Y. Metro Area annually for over ten years; Best Doctors in Connecticut and Top Minimally Invasive Surgeons, NY Metro Area. He was recently awarded the prestigious David and Cindy Lefell Award for clinical excellence, the Yale New Haven Hospital Heroes Award, the Smilow Cancer Center Clinical Award the Alvin Feinstein Teaching Award and has received the Chief Resident in Surgery Teaching Award on seven separate occasions.

Dr. Jason Sheltzer received his PhD from MIT, where he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Angelika Amon in the Koch Institute for Cancer Research. As a graduate student at MIT, Dr. Sheltzer studied the effects of aneuploidy, or chromosome copy number imbalances, on cellular physiology. His work revealed several novel consequences of aneuploidy, including unanticipated effects of aneuploidy on homologous recombination, transcription, and tumor suppression. After completing his PhD, Dr. Sheltzer established his own research group as an Independent Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The Sheltzer Lab's research is dedicated to understanding the genomic causes of cancer progression and therapeutic vulnerabilities. In 2021, Dr. Sheltzer joined the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor.

Monica G. Valero, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Surgical Oncology) at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and cares for patients at the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Centers in New Haven, Trumbull and Fairfield/Bridgeport Hospital where she is Director of the Hispanic Breast Cancer Program. Prior to joining Yale, Dr. Valero was an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she was also Director of the Hispanic Breast Cancer Program. Dr. Valero received her medical degree from Universidad Central de Venezuela Medical School in Caracas, Venezuela and completed her residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. She then completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. Dr. Valero provides high quality surgical care to patients, while striving to improve access to care and promote innovation within the field of breast surgery. Her research interests include breast conserving surgery, racial disparities in breast cancer, and axillary management of breast disease. She is actively involved in quality improvement projects to optimize surgical treatment of underserved populations with breast cancer.