Santa Monica Team

Alexandra Drakaki is an MD, PhD and board certified Oncologist / Hematologist. She received her training in Internal Medicine at a Tuft's University affiliate program while she completed her hematology / oncology training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School and her research fellowship at Dana Farber Cancer Center Harvard Medical School in Boston. She specializes in genitourinary cancers and specifically cancers of the bladder, testis, urethra, prostate and kidney.

Dr Richard Finn is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/ Oncology. He was an undergraduate at UCLA where he was involved with early laboratory studies investigating the HER2 oncogene and the development of monoclonal antibodies to this target in breast cancer with Dr Dennis Slamon. He participated in the pre-clinical studies that defined the clinical candidate that eventually humanized and became the FDA approved agent trastuzumab (Herceptin). He went on to medical school at USC then returned to UCLA for his clinical training in Internal Medicine and then Hematology/ Oncology.

Dr. Monica Mead specializes in malignant hematology with a particular focus on B and T cell lymphomas, leukemia and stem cell transplant. She participates in numerous clinical trials for patients with lymphoma.

Lee Rosen, MD, FACP is Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine. He has a longstanding interest in the treatment of pancreas and other gastrointestinal malignancies, specifically in the area of new drug development. Dr. Rosen completed his residency and fellowship in hematology/oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine in 1996, joining the full-time faculty immediately thereafter. He created and directed the Cancer Therapy Development Program, designed to coordinate translational/clinical research of new cancer treatments. Some of the first drugs he and his team worked with were designed for gastrointestinal cancers, so he and colleagues created a group dedicated to treating these diseases in a coordinated fashion. He also became interested in so-called "targeted" therapy, whereby cancers could be attacked by agents with a more rational drug design and the avoidance of toxicity to normal cells. He has worked with angiogenesis inhibitors since their first appearance in the clinic and other molecules inhibiting signal transduction, others that try to harness the immune system to control cancer and still others that work by rational drug design.

Dr. Zev Wainberg is Assistant 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. Callahan attended Yale University and obtained a BS in Biology. She later attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where she graduated with high honors, Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed her Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology training at UCLA. As an assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCLA, Dr. Rena Callahan is active in the breast cancer research and treatment program. She has spoken on the topic of the evolving treatment of breast cancer at both local and national meetings. Dr. Callahan is dedicated to providing patient centered care. She shares in decision making with patients so that this individual goals are met. She has a unique interest in how complementary therapies, such as meditation, yoga, and reiki can be integrated with Western evidence-based medicine.

Dr. Master is a Southern California native. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University in Boston, MA, and her medical degree from A.T. Still University in Kirksville, MO. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA and her Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the combined Harbor-UCLA and City of Hope program. She was chosen as Chief Fellow during her final year of fellowship.

Dr. Kelly McCann completed fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at UCLA and joined the faculty in the Breast Cancer Research Group. She majored in Biomedical Engineering at Rice University, was part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford University to earn a PhD in Cancer Biology, and completed residency in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. She is a member of Dr. Dennis Slamon’s Translational Oncology Research Laboratory. Dr. McCann’s basic science research interests are in the genetic and molecular biology of cancer for the development and use of targeted therapies. Her clinical interests are breast cancer, gynecologic malignancies, and palliative care.

Erica L Silver, MS, LCGC is a licensed and certified genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics and hereditary cancer syndromes. She received her Bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She then completed her Masters degree in Genetic Counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. She is board certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling and holds a genetic counseling license through the California Department of Public Health. Her interests include the decision-making process to proceed with genetic testing and how individuals use the information to help make management decisions.