Dr. Hoang Q. Pham grew up in northern California. He graduated from high school in San Antonio before attending Harvard College. He graduated summa cum laude in Biological Sciences. Dr. Pham then completed his medical school education at the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to Texas and Houston in 1999 to continue his training at Baylor College of Medicine. He then stayed on at Baylor as an assistant professor of surgery working at Ben Taub General Hospital doing trauma and general surgery. He has been a trauma and general surgeon in the Clear Lake area since 2007, and now is part of the team at UTMB Health.

Dr. Eric Cole was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where he graduated from high school as a national merit semifinalist. He attended Stanford University, and then returned to Durham for Duke University Medical School. He remained at Duke for his Otolaryngology residency, and then completed his Plastic Surgery residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Cole practiced both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology in Chapel Hill from 1999-2006 where he was on staff at many hospitals including the Durham Veterans Administration where he helped train Duke Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology residents.

Dr. Cole joined an academic private practice in his wife's home town of Norfolk, Virginia in 2006 after the birth of their first and only child. He performed craniofacial and pediatric surgery at Childrens Hospital of the King's Daughters and continued his training of residents and medical students. He developed an interest in cleft surgery and travelled internationally with Operation Smile. His decision to pursue full time academics in 2010 led to his completion of the prestigious Craniofacial and Pediatric fellowship at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles / University of Southern California.

Dr. Cole joined the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) immediately after training, and he currently performs surgery at Shriners Hospital in Houston and Galveston in addition to UTMB. He enjoys his role as Director of Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery. He has recently been on a medical mission for cleft surgery to the Dominican Republic in order to augment resident training and increase international ties to UTMB. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has several more recently accepted. He recently authored a chapter on Pediatric Midface Fractures for the upcoming text Operative Techniques in Plastic Surgery. He is a member of multiple national Plastic Surgery organizations, and currently serves on the American Board of Plastic Surgery as an Oral Board Examiner.

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Orepheus M. Hamilton is a Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. She is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and is licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing. As a member of the UTMB Department of Surgery, Ms. Hamilton works in the areas of colorectal and general surgery.

Ms. Hamilton completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2012 at the Chamberlain College of Nursing in Downers Grove, IL. She went on to complete the Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) program in 2015 at the Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. As an AGPCNP student, she performed clinical rotations at Memorial Hermann-Southeast in Houston, TX.

Ms. Hamilton has over 17 years of nursing experience and is also a member of the American Nurses Association, District TX09.

Dr. Vaghjiani complete his undergraduate education at Brown University with a Sc.B. in neuroscience. He received his M.D. from Brown University and completed general surgery residency at the Albert Einstein COM/Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. During that time, he also completed a thoracic surgery research fellowship focusing on solid tumor immunology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. He received subspecialty clinical training in complex general surgical oncology at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY before joining the faculty at UTMB.

His clinical interests include the treatment of a wide variety of cancers including: gastric, esophageal, small bowel, pancreas, bile duct, adrenal, thyroid/parathyroid, sarcoma, melanoma, and breast. He is also well versed in minimally invasive/robotic techniques.

Dr. Vaghjiani is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family (including his dogs Mango and Chutney), camping, and cars.

Dr. Tyler's clinical practice focuses on GI cancers, melanoma, and sarcoma. He has pioneered neoadjuvant approaches using chemotherapy and/or radiation to tumors of the stomach and pancreas as well as the application of minimally invasive surgery to tumors of the GI tract. He is an expert in the management of regionally advanced and in-transit melanoma and oversees novel clinical trials to manage this form of disease. Dr. Tyler also has extensive experience managing retroperitoneal and abdominal wall sarcomas.

Dr. Abigail Forbes is the Director of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. She is a Texas native, Baylor University alumni and a board-eligible Plastic Surgeon. She has lived in the Galveston area for over a decade.

Dr. Forbes is well-known for her aesthetic eye as it relates to Plastic Surgery. She maintains the highest standards when it comes to achieving surgical results for her patients. She is very detail-oriented and is a perfectionist in the operating room. Dr. Forbes takes the time to optimize outcomes and, most importantly, her patient’s satisfaction.

Dr. Forbes graduated from Baylor University in 2013 with a Bachelors degree in Biology with Honors. She went on to the University of Texas Medical Branch for her medical doctorate degree where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2017. Matching into her top choice of training programs at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), she then completed a six-year Plastic Surgery Residency where she operated at UTMB, MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann, St. Joseph’s, Dell Childrens, Dell Seton Medical Center and numerous private Aesthetic practices in Texas.

Dr. Forbes has contributed to the field of Plastic Surgery through research, publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals, and spending time educating Plastic Surgery trainees. She is a member of the Truman G. Blocker, Jr., M.D. Society. She particularly enjoys performing mommy makeovers, massive weight loss body contouring, facelift/necklift, blepharoplasties, breast lift/reduction/augmentation, tummy tuck, complex scar revisions, lipoma/benign cyst excisions and labiaplasties.

Dr. Carmen Mora serves as an Assistant Professor specializing in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. She brings a comprehensive academic background to her medical career. Dr. Mora earned her bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Texas A&M in College Station before pursuing her medical degree at Texas A&M Health Science Center-COM.

After graduating from medical school at Texas A&M Health Science Center-COM, she completed her general surgery residency at UMass-Baystate. Her commitment to advancing pediatric care led her to pursue specialized training through fellowships in Pediatric Surgical Critical Care at the University of Tennessee- Le Bonheur Children’s, Pediatric Minimally Invasive Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Pediatric Surgery at UCSF-Benioff Children’s in California.

Raised in Houston, Texas, Dr. Mora’s cultural versatility extends to her fluency in Spanish, enhancing her ability to connect with an underserved patient population. In her role as Assistant Professor, Dr. Mora combines her extensive training, multicultural proficiency, and compassionate approach to provide top-tier care and make a lasting impact on the lives of young patients. Her true passion lies in advocating for the most vulnerable children, embodying her unwavering belief in delivering equitable healthcare to every child, with a special focus on those who are underrepresented in our society.

Dr. Jani Lee grew up mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating with a Biochemistry degree from New York University, she completed her medical school education at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Dr. Lee graduated from General Surgery Residency training from Mount Sinai West-Morningside Hospitals, and graduated from Vascular Surgery Fellowship training from The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Lee has been well trained in all open and endovascular aspects of Vascular Surgery including complex aortic repair, peripheral artery disease, carotid disease, mesenteric disease, dialysis access, and venous disease. She is fluent in Korean and familiar with Spanish.

Dr. V. Suzanne Klimberg is a Professor and the Division Chief of Surgical Oncology and Colorectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). She is a board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeon with three decades of experience in breast surgical oncology. Dr. Klimberg holds the Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., M.D., Distinguished Chair in General Surgery and is Clinical Director of the UTMB Cancer Center and Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Service Line.

After her PhD candidacy in Biochemistry at the University of Miami Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1977-1980), Dr. Klimberg earned her medical degree with honors in 1984 at the University of Florida (UF) in Orlando, Florida. She remained at UF to complete her general surgery internship (1984-1985) and residency (1985-1988) as well as a clinical oncology fellowship (1988-1989). Dr. Klimberg went on to complete a breast diseases fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1990-1991.

During her fellowship at UAMS, Dr. Klimberg became a faculty member in the Department of Surgery. She remained at UAMS for 27 years where she became a respected leader in breast surgical oncology. During her time at UAMS, Dr. Klimberg held several leadership positions, including Director of the Breast Cancer Program and Division Director of Surgical Oncology. She was also honored with the Muriel Balsam Kohn Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology and with her own named lectureship at the Rockefeller Cancer Institute by her colleagues and friends.

Dr. Klimberg joined UTMB in 2017. That same year she earned her PhD in Clinical and Translational Sciences from the University of Arkansas.

In her career, Dr. Klimberg has pioneered innovative breast cancer treatment methods and holds several patents in surgical treatment methods. She has authored over 260 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 49 book chapters in surgical textbooks as well as served as editor of 13 surgical textbooks. Additionally, Dr. Klimberg is Chair of the Oncoplastic Breast Skills Course at the American College of Cancer, has held over 30 editorial board positions for surgical journals and publications, has won over 75 awards in teaching, research, and clinical care, and is the past president of three major American surgical organizations. She has also been funded by the NIH, American Cancer Society, Merit Review, and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York.

Dr. Klimberg's clinical interests include prevention of lymphedema using Axillary Reverse Mapping (ARM) technique; needleless breast surgery; minimally invasive breast surgery; treatment of breast cancer with radiofrequency ablation; diagnosis of breast cancer with tears; high-risk management; breast pain; and chest wall pain after surgery.

Her numerous list of honors include Top Doctors in Texas, Texas Monthly, 2018, 2019; Super Doctors®, 2019; Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors List; America's Top Doctors, Castle Connolly, 2017; One of America's Top 1% Most Honored Professionals, American Registry, 2017; Compassionate Doctor 5-Year Award, Vitals, 2017; America's Top Doctors for Cancer 2017, Castle Connolly; and Exceptional Women in Medicine 2017, Castle Connolly.

Dr. Klimberg is also actively involved in many professional medical organizations and journals. Her responsibilities include Deputy Editor of the Annals of Surgical Oncology; Associate Editor of the Journal of Surgical Oncology; Editorial Board Member for the Annals of Surgery, Surgery, and The Breast Journal; Treasurer of the Southern Surgical Association; Fellow of the American College of Nutrition; and Member of the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Association for Academic Surgery.

Dr. Ranasinghe’s interests in head and neck cancer surgery include thyroid and parathyroid surgery, oral cavity and oropharynx cancer, larynx cancer, skin cancer, salivary gland, and microvascular reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Ranasinghe grew up in New York and South Carolina before attending Clemson University where he was a member of the Clemson Honors College and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Microbiology. He attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.

Dr. Ranasinghe completed his residency in Otorhinolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then completed a fellowship in Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Ranasinghe believes in a multidisciplinary team approach to head and neck cancer care that provides individualized care plans for each patient. His research interests include nonmelanoma skin cancer treatment and examining sociodemographic factors that impact cancer outcomes.

Outside of patient care, Dr. Ranasinghe enjoys cooking, skiing, motorsports, and watching college football.