Dr. Anthony D’Andrea is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. He grew up in Houston, and received a Bachelor in Business Administration at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He then went on to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where he graduated with a dual Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Health (MPH). As a medical student he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society. He completed residency training in surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and fellowship training in colon and rectal surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida.

Dr. D’Andrea’s training in colorectal surgery is longstanding. Prior to medical school, he worked as a clinical research associate at the Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, under the guidance of Dr. John Marks. His research focused on minimally invasive laparoscopic colorectal surgery featuring radical sphincter preservation for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation. During medical school at the University of Miami, Dr. D’Andrea’s public health work involved the study of colorectal cancer survivorship and improving patients’ quality of life after treatment. In general surgery residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital, he spent a dedicated year of research under the mentorship of Dr. Patricia Sylla where he focused on minimally invasive laparoscopy, robotic surgery, and transanal endoscopic surgery for rectal cancer, as well as Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. Dr. D’Andrea’s training culminated at the Cleveland Clinic Florida where he had the opportunity to learn from longtime leaders in the field of colorectal surgery. Dr. D’Andrea is now privileged to return to Texas joining the faculty at UTMB where he can help serve the health and population of his home state with the highest quality of care.

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Dr. Michael Silva was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, earned his BA from The University of Texas, Austin, Texas and his MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston where he completed his Residency in General Surgery. He also completed fellowships at Columbus Hospital, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois and UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.

Dr. Silva is currently The Fred J. and Dorothy E. Wolma Professor in Vascular Surgery, Professor of Radiology, Chief in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, and Director of the Texas Vascular Center. He is an active member of various committees, which include The International Society for Vascular Surgery, The International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery/Society for Vascular Surgery, American Board of Vascular Surgery and the Society of Vascular Surgery. He is the principal investigator on numerous funded grants. Dr. Silva's interests include the innovations in vascular and endovascular training, carotid angioplasty and stenting, endovascular intervention for aneurysmal disease, occlusive disease, traumatic injury and pediatric indications.

Dr. Silva received awards and honors which include UTMB Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2014, Houston's Best Doctors in 2013, and Best Doctors in America from 2008-2013. He is an editorial board member for Vascular, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and Perspectives in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. His research has been published in various journals such as Journal of Vascular Surgery, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and has authored chapters in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Sabiston's Textbook of Surgery.

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. 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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Dr. Christine Shokrzadeh received her MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and completed her residency in Vasculary Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Clinically her interests relate to aortic disease, carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, venous disease, hemodialysis access creation and management, endovascular and minimally invasive vascular surgery.

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. 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.

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.