Santa Monica Team

Dr. Sidharth Anand is a medical oncologist and hematologist who practices in Santa Monica and Westlake Village. He is a generalist with a specialized interest in gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, pancreatic and gastric cancers. He also has an interest in the application of integrative oncology, which means approaching cancer care with traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, along with evidence-based integrative methods, including nutrition and exercise, while working closely with the Simms/Mann – UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology.

Dr. Garon received his MD degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in 1999, and his internal medicine training at the University of Chicago. He trained in Medical Oncology at UCLA, and joined the UCLA faculty in 2006. He also received a Masters’ Degree in clinical investigation at UCLA. In 2008, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology and in 2014 he was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Garon has been awarded Diana Gordon Jonnson Award for Clinical Excellence in 2015. In addition to his clinical work, he also has an extensive focus in clinical and translational research. He has led studies that have led to FDA approvals of two drugs and a companion diagnostic test. He has received multiple foundations grants in addition to NIH grants, including an NIH/NCI K23 award in 2011 and a NIH/NCI R01 in 2017.

Dr. Hecht is a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine. He holds the Carol and Saul Rosenzweig Chair for Cancer Therapies Development and is the Director of the UCLA Gastrointestinal Oncology Program. Dr. Hecht attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He took his internal medicine residency at Northwestern and completed fellowships in gastroenterology research at the University of Chicago, and in gastroenterology and medical oncology at UCLA. Dr. Hecht is an internationally known clinical and translational researcher in the field of gastrointestinal cancers. He has published widely on the molecular biology, early detection, and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. He has lead and is currently directing small trials with new molecules as well as large international randomized trials. Current ongoing research includes preclinical models of therapy with biological agents, early studies with gene therapy vectors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and leading phase II and phase III trials with novel agents.

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.