LOS ANGELES (Oct. 10, 2022) — Cedars-Sinai Cancer is welcoming nine oncology specialists to its affiliate, Huntington Cancer Center. The cancer specialists will be based at Huntington’s Pasadena campus, making it easier for San Gabriel Valley residents to access Cedars-Sinai Cancer clinical trials and innovative treatment options.
The nine cancer specialists are all highly regarded throughout the San Gabriel Valley and have chosen to join Huntington Cancer Center after serving at other local healthcare institutions or after being in private practice. They will also hold Cedars-Sinai faculty titles.
“The utmost goal of our affiliation with Huntington Cancer Center is to provide patients living in the San Gabriel Valley with access to the full range of coordinated, advanced treatments available through Cedars-Sinai Cancer,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the PHASE ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair. “Huntington Health has an outstanding reputation for cancer care, and we are pleased to join with them in not only expanding the community’s access to quality cancer diagnostics and treatments, but we’re also developing exciting plans for offering innovative clinical trials and other research opportunities to patients who seek care in the San Gabriel Valley.”
Huntington Cancer Center will be led by Medical Director Howard Kaufman, MD, a cancer specialist who has practiced at Huntington Health for 17 years.
Kaufman, who is board-certified in general surgery, fellowship trained in gastrointestinal surgery, and a leader in the field of colorectal surgery, was the first surgeon on the West Coast to perform a single-port laparoscopic colon resection. He earned his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed his residency in surgery at Johns Hopkins.
“We are honored that so many of the San Gabriel Valley’s best cancer specialists have chosen to join Huntington Cancer Center,” Kaufman said. “Their expertise, coupled with the excellence offered through Cedars-Sinai Cancer, will greatly benefit our patients and our community.”
The nine board-certified oncologists are:
- James Andersen, MD, a plastic surgeon, specializes in reconstructive microsurgery for cancer patients. Before joining Huntington Cancer Center, he was director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at City of Hope National Medical Center, where he practiced for nearly 30 years.
- Ramona Kyaw, MD, a radiation oncologist, specializes in the treatment of gynecological cancer. She has worked with Huntington Cancer Center since 1997.
- Amy Polverini, MD, is medical director of Breast Surgery at Huntington Cancer Center. She first came to Huntington Hospital as a high school volunteer, later completing a surgery rotation there as she pursued a medical degree from Keck School of Medicine of USC. Polverini has additional training as a physician consultant in wound care and is actively involved in breast cancer clinical research.
- Tiffany Shaw, MD, regional medical director of Supportive Care Medicine, specializes in oncology, hematology, hospice and palliative care, and internal medicine. Prior to joining Huntington Cancer Center, she practiced hematology and oncology with Sutter Health in San Mateo, California.
- Jeannie Shen, MD, is a general surgeon and a fellowship-trained breast surgeon with more than a decade in private practice. She now serves as medical director of the Breast Program at Huntington Cancer Center and medical director of Huntington Hospital International Health. Shen previously served as director of Breast Surgery at Huntington Hospital and as an associate clinical professor at UCLA Health.
- Alicia Terando, MD, Huntington Cancer Center’s regional medical director of Surgical Oncology, specializes in breast cancer and melanoma. She previously was surgical director of the Comprehensive Breast Program at Keck School of Medicine of USC.
- Tina Wang, MD, specializes in the treatment of breast, liver and lung cancer, with a focus on immunotherapy. Her focus is in hematology, oncology and internal medicine and she is an assistant professor at City of Hope and UCLA Health.
- Ruth Williamson, MD, now clinical director of Radiation Oncology, has served as medical director of Radiation Oncology at Huntington Cancer Center since 1998 and medical director of Breast Cancer Services since 1996. She specializes in the treatment of breast cancer and the development of psychosocial support programs for breast cancer patients and their families.
- Yuan Yuan, MD, PhD, director of Breast Oncology, specializes in oncology, hematology and internal medicine, and specializes in research related to breast medical oncology. Prior to joining Huntington Cancer Center, she was medical director of Breast Cancer Immunotherapy at City of Hope.
Huntington Cancer Center also is expanding its facilities with a new infusion center, scheduled to open in late 2022. As part of Huntington Health, the infusion center will make it easier to coordinate care, providing convenience for patients and physicians.
