Esophageal Center Expert Team

The esophagus, which connects your mouth to your stomach, makes possible many activities that we take for granted when we are healthy. These include swallowing, eating and being able to lie down without having the contents of our stomachs flow back into our throats.

When a disorder of the esophagus occurs, it can cause a variety of complex problems that may affect our ability to eat, swallow, breathe or speak. Organs such as our lungs, ears or sinuses may also be affected.

For all these reasons, the Esophageal Center at Cedars-Sinai uses a multidisciplinary team approach to ensure that every patient is thoroughly evaluated and receives the most appropriate treatment. These experts include:

Gastroenterologists
Gastrointestinal motility experts
Surgeons
Oncologists
Researchers
Nurses
Counselors
Dietitians
Technologists

Esophageal Program Expert Team

Harmik J. Soukiasian MD Associate Director, Thoracic Surgery Associate Program Director, Thoracic Surgery Residency Program	John Bray MD Gastrointestinal and Diagnostic Radiology
Miguel Burch MD Associate Director of General Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery	Christoper Chang MD, PhD Associate Director, GI Motility Program
Marc A. Edelstein MD Clinical Chief of Gastroenterology	Philip K. Frykman MD PhD Associate Director, Pediatric Surgery
Laith H. Jamil MD Associate Director, Interventional Endoscopy	Simon K. Lo MD Director, Pancreatic and Biliary Diseases Program Director, GI Endoscopy
Gil Melmed MD Director, Clinical Trials, Cedars-Sinai Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center	Edward Phillips MD FACS Executive Vice-Chairman, Department of Surgery and Chief, Division of General Surgery Director, Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center - A Project of Women's Guild Director, Wasserman Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Program Director, Weight Loss Center Karl Storz Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery in Honor of Dr. George Berci
Mark Pimentel MD, FRCPC Director, GI Motility Program Director, GI Motility Laboratory	Edy E. Soffer MD Co-Director, GI Motility Laboratory
Richard Sukov MD FACR Chief, Gastrointestinal Radiology Member, Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center - A Project of Women's Guild Member, Colorectal Cancer Center	Stephan R. Targan MD Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center Director, F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute Director, Division of Gastroenterology Feintech Family Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Leo Treyzon MD MS Gastroenterology