The Hirshberg Foundation is excited to have Dr. Zhaoping Li, joining us at the 13th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss the role that food and diet play in achieving optimal health.

Zhaoping Li, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and a Physician Nutrition Specialist.

Dr. Li’s primary areas of research are obesity treatment and prevention, the role of nutrition, phytochemicals, and botanical dietary supplements in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disease, common forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in journals such as JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and Journal of American Dietetic Association.

We are excited to have Dr. Li will speak on Optimal Nutrition for pancreatic cancer at the 13th Annual Symposium at UCLA.

The Hirshberg Foundation is excited to have Dr. Randall E. Brand join us at the 13th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss the role that genetics play in pancreatic cancer.

Randall E. Brand, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and a physician-scientist with an extensive background in pancreatic diseases mainly focused on the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and cystic lesions of the pancreas. His research also involves familial pancreatic cancer and other hereditary GI disorders. He is leader of the University of Pittsburgh’s Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Gene Environment Registry (PAGER). The biospecimen repository developed as part of the PAGER study is nationally recognized and serves as an excellent resource for multiple NIH/NCI funded projects along with national and international collaborations with outside researchers. He is a key contributor to the Early Detection Research Network, especially in research related to pancreatic cancer and cystic neoplasms. He is currently funded in the network as a principal investigator to lead both a multi-center Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Validation Center and Biomarker Developmental Laboratory.

Dr. Brand’s clinical practice focuses on the management of pancreatic cancer, cystic lesions of the pancreas and patients with other gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. As director of the Hereditary GI Tumor Program, Dr. Brand specializes in the management of individuals at high risk for the development of colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and other GI malignancies. Dr. Brand works closely with genetic counselors who have an expertise in the evaluation of individuals with a GI cancer predisposition based on personal and family history.

We are excited to have Dr. Brand with us to address Is it all in the Genes? when it comes to pancreatic cancer at the 13th Annual Symposium at UCLA.

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to have three UCLA doctors, Dr. Hines, Dr. King and Dr. Girgis, joining us at the 13th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to address recent Advances in Pancreatic Surgery.

Mark Girgis, MD is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also has a joint appointment at the UCLA/Olive View Medical Center.

His interests include robotic and minimally invasive approaches to surgical oncology and more specifically on pancreatic diseases in his clinical practice as well as research endeavors. He received advanced training in robotic surgery and surgical oncology in his fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the group of pancreas surgeons at UCLA that provide the highest level of care for their patients. He is committed to the improvement of cancer care through innovative technological advancements as well as ground breaking research. His research endeavors focus on developing novel peptides targeting pancreas cancer for radioligand therapy and is part of a multidisciplinary group that collaborates on a variety of projects centered on developing new therapies for cancer patients.

Dr. Girgis will speak on Advances in Pancreatic Surgery to update us on surgery options and new techniques, including robotic surgery, that are now available to pancreatic cancer patients.

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to have three UCLA doctors, Dr. Hines, Dr. King and Dr. Girgis update us on surgery options and new techniques, including robotic surgery, that are now available to pancreatic cancer patients.

Jonathan King, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Surgery at UCLA. He attended the University of Maryland for his M.D. degree before coming to UCLA for his general surgery residency. After residency, Dr. King spent two years in Pittsburgh, PA (UPMC) for a surgical oncology fellowship before returning to Los Angeles to join the surgery faculty.

He is board certified in Complex Surgical Oncology and has particular interest in pancreatic cancer and disseminated peritoneal malignancies. He has expertise in robotic-assisted minimally invasive pancreas surgery and performed UCLA’s first minimally-invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) and has started UCLA’s program for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC). In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. King is a translational and clinical investigator with active research interests in the biology of exosomes and pancreatic cancer metastasis. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts as well as book chapters in some of the authoritative surgical textbooks. Dr. King is an enthusiastic surgical educator and is developing the UCLA residency training curriculum for robotic-assisted surgery and he is a member of numerous professional societies.

Dr. King will speak on Advances in Pancreatic Surgery, specifically how robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery is benefiting patients.

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to have a trio of presentations to update us on surgery options and new techniques, including robotic surgery, that are now available to pancreatic cancer patients.

Introducing the robotic surgeons is Dr. Joe Hines, the Professor and Chief of the Division of General Surgery, Robert and Kelly Day Chair in General Surgery and the Vice Chair for Clinical Practice and Strategic Planning. He serves as the Director of the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases.

Dr. Hines attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society in 1989. He trained in general surgery at UCLA, including two years of research in gastrointestinal physiology, and was then recruited to the UCLA faculty in 1997. While at UCLA he has received the Department Golden Scalpel Award for teaching excellence 10 times and the UCLA School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Education. His research has focused on angiogenesis, cytokines, and pancreatic carcinogenesis, including the role of diet in modulating these processes. Dr. Hines’ research has been consistently funded by NIH, and he has served in the NIH Scientific Review Committee Tumor Progression and Metastasis. Dr. Hines is past-President of the Society of University Surgeons and has served as the Vice-President of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association, President of the Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and now on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons and as a Director of the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. Hines will kick off the presentation on Advances in Pancreatic Surgery at the 13th Annual Symposium at UCLA.

The Hirshberg Foundation is excited to have Dr. Wainberg join us at the 13th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to share information about the advancements that have been made in the treatment of this disease.

Dr. Zev Wainberg is Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program. He was trained in medical oncology and hematology at UCLA. He completed his residency training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and received his MD from the Sackler School of Medicine, New York Program at Tel Aviv University. His research involves a variety of clinical trials in multiple gastrointestinal cancers including pancreas, colon, gastric and esophageal.

Dr. Wainberg’s laboratory-based research efforts involve the testing of novel therapeutics against all gastrointestinal cancers. Currently, he is the recipient of several grants focused on the targeting of cancer stem cells and in molecular classification of GI cancers. Dr. Wainberg will speak on recent Advances in Chemotherapy at the 13th Annual Symposium at UCLA.