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2017 Faculty Hires & Promotions

The Department of Surgery is thrilled to announce new hires and promotions for 2017. Learn more about our growing team below.

New Faculty Hires

  • Dr. Ava Hosseini

    Dr. Ava Hosseini

    will join the Division of Surgical Oncology as a Breast Surgeon, beginning on September 15, 2017. Ava Hosseini received her B.A. and M.D. from Northwestern University in Chicago. She completed her general surgery residency at UCSD and conducted research in breast cancer under the direction of Anne Wallace, M.D. She recently completed a surgical breast oncology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.
  • Dr. Nicole Lopez

    Dr. Nicole Lopez

    will join the Division of Colorectal Surgery on August 1, 2017. Dr. Lopez received her B.S. from the University of Arizona and M.D. from the University in Minnesota. She completed her general surgery residency at UCSD and conducted research in the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Burns, under the direction of Dr. Raul Coimbra M.D. She completed a fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology from the University of North Carolina, and, most recently, a fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Nicole is triple board eligible in General Surgery, Surgical Oncology, and Colorectal surgery, and is interested in applying system engineering to surgical outcomes.
  • Dr. Ryan Orosco

    Dr. Ryan Orosco

    will join the Division of Otolarygology (Head and Neck Surgery) on August 14, 2017. Dr. Orosco a board-certified head and neck surgeon who specializes in the surgical treatment of benign and malignant tumors and complex reconstruction of the head and neck. After graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School, he completed a residency in Otolaryngology at UCSD and a fellowship in Head & Neck Cancer and Microvascular Reconstruction at Stanford University. Along with his colleague Dr. Michael Yip in the UC San Diego Contextual Robotics Institute, Dr. Orosco is co-leading a translational research laboratory devoted to advancing the field of robotic surgery. Their work focuses on melding engineering and medicine with the goal of making telerobotic surgery a reality.
  • Dr. Jula Veerapong

    Dr. Jula Veerapong

    will join the Division of Surgical Oncology in August 2017. His practice will focus on the treatment of patients with appendix and colon cancers that have metastasized to the peritoneum as well as peritoneal mesothelioma. He will also lead divisional efforts in enhanced recovery after surgery and quality. Dr. Veerapong comes to UCSD after 6 years at the Saint Louis University Hospital where he developed and directed the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Program to serve a region where HIPEC was previously unavailable. Dr. Veerapong also served as the surgical oncology service chief at Saint Louis University Hospital and the chair of the School of Medicine's Faculty Affairs Committee. He earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Medicine, completed his residency at The University of Chicago Medical Center, and his surgical oncology fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Veerapong is Board Certified in Surgery and a Fellow of the Society of Surgical Oncology.

Faculty Promotions

Dr. Thomas Alexander, Associate Clinical Professor Step I, Division of Otolaryngology

Dr. Andrew Baird, Professor in Residence, Step VII, Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery

Dr. Clark Chen, Professor in Residence Step II, Division of Neurosurgery

Dr. Bobby Korn, Professor of Clinical Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology

Dr. Alexander Khalessi, Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery Step III, Division of Neurosurgery

Dr. Shelby Leuin, Associate Clinical Professor Step I, Division of Otolaryngology

Dr. Quyen Nguyen, Professor in Residence Step I, Division of Otolaryngology

Dr. Ahmed Suliman, Associate Clinical Professor Step I, Division of Plastic Surgery