Leadership
Emmett L. McGuire, MD, FACS
Program Director
Dr. McGuire program director for the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency, is board-certified in general surgery and critical care medicine. Dr. McGuire received his medical degree from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. He completed an internship in general surgery at the University of Hawaii. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Hawaii and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He also completed a fellowship in trauma at Gran/Riverside Methodist Hospital and a fellowship in critical care at the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Glenda Quan, MD, FACS*
Senior Associate Program Director
Dr. Glenda Quan was raised in California. She attended the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in biology and English. She attended the University of California at Davis for medical school. She moved to Portland, Oregon, for surgical residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Dr. Quan is board certified in general surgery and neurocritical care. She lives in Greenwood Village with her husband and two daughters.
Faculty
Stephen Annest, MD; vascular surgeon
Dr. Stephen Annest was born and raised in the Seattle Washington area. Dr. Annest is board certified in general surgery and vascular surgery. Dr. Annest attended the University of Washington for both undergraduate and medical school; he then moved to Albany, New York, where he completed surgical residency and a trauma fellowship at the Albany Medical Center. Dr. Annest completed his vascular fellowship in Dallas, Texas at Baylor Medical Center. He currently practices at the Vascular Institute of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Annest lives in the Denver metro area, is married and has 3 children and numerous grandchildren.
John Baer, DO; anesthesiology
John Baer, D.O., is an anesthesiologist with U.S. Anesthesia Partners. He is the Chair of the Swedish Medical Center Anesthesia department. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Rocky Vista University. He completed his anesthesia residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Baer furthered his training with a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic. He was happy to move back to Colorado and lives in Castle Rock with his wife and two children.
Kaysie Banton, MD; trauma surgeon*
Kaysie Banton, MD, is the Trauma Services Medical Director at Swedish Medical Center. She began her role as both a trauma surgeon and medical director at Swedish in March 2018. Dr. Banton completed her medical degree at the University of New Mexico. She went on to complete her residency in general surgery at the University of Minnesota. She furthered her training with a fellowship in surgical infectious disease and a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Minnesota. She was the Acute Care Surgery Services Director at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, before joining Swedish. She has many publications and presentations in her experience, as well as teaching and curriculum development expertise.
David Bar-Or, MD
David Bar-Or, MD serves as the director of trauma research at Swedish Medical Center. He has authored or co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed journals and is the recipient of the Gustav Levi Award from the Hadassah/Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, New York, and the Kornfield Award for the Outstanding MD Thesis. He received his medical degree from the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, in Jerusalem, Israel. He completed his residency and fellowship at Denver Health Medical Center, where he specialized in emergency medicine. He has been in practice for over 37 years.
Daine Bennett, MD; colorectal surgeon
Dr. Daine Bennett is board certified in general surgery and colon and rectal surgery. Dr. Bennett is an Arkansas native and attended the University of Arkansas--Fayetteville where he graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor of science. Dr. Bennett then attended University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for medical school and then University of Colorado for general surgery residency where he also obtained a MS in Clinical Science. He then followed with a colon and rectal surgical fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Dr. Bennett has a special clinical interest in minimally-invasive colorectal surgery including robotic and laparoscopic techniques. He currently practices at SurgOne, P.C. Dr. Bennett lives in the Denver Metro area and is married with two young sons. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, cycling, escaping to the mountains to ski and camp as well as cooking, but most of all he enjoys spending time with his family.
Douglas Benson, MD; colorectal surgeon
Dr. Doug Benson is a native of Minnesota. He received his undergraduate degree from Macalester College and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where he performed research investigating the effects of blood transfusion on cancer outcomes. He completed fellowship training in colon and rectal surgery in 2014 at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He is board-certified in both general surgery and colon and rectal surgery.
As a colon and rectal surgeon in Lone Tree, Parker and Littleton, Colorado, Dr. Douglas Benson’s clinical interests are advanced minimally invasive colorectal surgery, robotic colorectal surgery, cancer of the rectum, colon, and anus, including familial and inherited colorectal cancer, surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pelvic pouch procedures for IBD, diverticulitis, transanal endoscopic microsurgery, colonoscopy, benign anorectal disorders, reoperative abdominal and pelvic surgery, and bowel incontinence.
Aside from his professional activities, Dr. Benson enjoys spending time with his wife, two children, and black Labrador. They enjoy hiking, biking, and camping. He also has an interest in music and recreational activities like golf, tennis, and skiing.
Kenneth Blake, MD; colorectal surgeon
Dr. Ken Blake is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland. He is a board certified Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons.
He has served on a variety of local, state, and national committees throughout his career. He is the past president of the Arapahoe, Elbert, & Douglas County Medical Society. He is currently a member of the Public Relations Committee of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons. He is on the Medical Advisory Board of the Rocky Mountain Division of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.
As a colon and rectal surgeon in Lone Tree, Littleton and Parker, Colorado, Dr. Ken Blake has particular interests in the treatment of colon & rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis and benign ano-rectal conditions. He performs colonoscopies, anorectal surgery, and major laparoscopic bowel resections.
Maxwell Busch, MD; general surgeon*
Dr. Busch is a general surgeon who graduated from the University of Minnesota residency program in 2019. He will be practicing general surgery as a core faculty member for the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency when he arrives in Colorado in August 2021. His areas of interest include burn, trauma, acute care surgery and critical care surgery. He has received many awards and has research interests as well.
Winston Chan, MD; pediatric surgeon
Dr. Chan graduated from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1988. He works in Spokane, Washington and specializes in pediatric surgery. Dr. Chan is affiliated with Providence Holy Family Hospital, Providence Mount Carmel Hospital and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital. He holds an MBA. Dr Chan has served as the section chief of pediatric surgery at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital since 2010. He has given many presentations, taught ATLS and PALS and has published many articles. Dr. Chan is one of three pediatric surgeons on the faculty of the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency.
Lily Daniali, MD; burn/plastic surgeon
Dr Lily Daniali graduated medical school from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She completed her residency in plastic surgery at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences School in Newark, New Jersey. She went on to complete a fellowship in hand and microsurgery at the University of Texas Southwestern and a craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery fellowship at the Pediatric Plastic Surgery Institute.
Ryan Endress, MD; hand/plastic surgeon
Dr. Ryan D. Endress is a board certified plastic surgeon with a certificate of added qualifications of surgery of the hand. He is based in Englewood, Colorado where he currently practices at Burn and Reconstructive Centers of Colorado and is affiliated with Swedish Medical Center. Dr. Endress received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS and his medical degree from University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, KS followed by a residency in plastic surgery, at Stanford University in Stanford, CA and a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Endress specializes in all aspects of orthopedic hand, wrist and forearm surgery, including microvascular free tissue transfer, sports trauma, brachial plexus and peripheral nerve surgery. He is also an expert in migraine surgery and the treatment of arthritis.
Brandon Garland, MD; general & vascular surgeon
Dr. Brandon "Ty Garland is board certified in general surgery and vascular surgery. Dr. Garland was raised in Spokane, Washington. Dr. Garland attended Dartmouth College and graduated with a degree in biochemistry. After graduation he moved to Jackson, Wyoming to pursue a career in wilderness medicine where he worked with Teton Country Search and Rescue and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Dr. Garland then attended the University Of Washington School Of Medicine for medical school and for vascular surgical residency. He currently practices as a vascular and endovascular surgeon at the Vascular Institute of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Garland’s interests include mountaineering with search and rescue, and he is an accomplished classical pianist and photographer.
Laura Hafertepen, DO; breast surgeon
Laura Hafertepen, DO, is a breast surgeon practicing at Swedish and the Centrum Surgery Center in Colorado. She completed her degree is osteopathic medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Calfornia. Her general surgery residency was completed at the University of California San Francisco Fresno. She has received many honors and awards in her career and has many professional affiliations and publications/presentations in her experience. She speaks Spanish and is interested in outdoor activities, cooking and baking in her free time.
Thomas Heffron, MD; transplant surgeon
Dr. Thomas Heffron is board certified in general surgery with certification in solid organ transplant and hepatobiliary surgery. Dr. Heffron was raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dr. Heffron attended Creighton University and graduated Magna cum laude with a degree in biology. Dr. Heffron then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center for medical school and completed his general surgery residency at Creighton University Affiliated Hospitals. Dr. Heffron then completed a fellowship in hepatobiliary surgery, renal, pancreas and liver transplantation at the University Of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He currently practices at SurgOne, P.C. and is executive director of surgery adult and pediatric transplant at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado.
Sarah Hill, MD; pediatric surgeon
Dr. Sarah Hill is a general surgeon in Spokane, Washington and is affiliated with Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital. She received her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and has been in practice between 6 and 10 years. She is one of 31 doctors at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital who specializes in general surgery. She was a pediatric surgery clinical fellow at the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in Georgia. She is board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery. She is a member of the American Pediatric Association and the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. Dr. Hill is one of three pediatric surgeons on the faculty of the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency.
Burt Katubig, MD; trauma surgeon*
Burt B Katubig, MD is a trauma/critical care/acute care general surgeon based out of Swedish Medical Center since 1997. He completed his general surgery and trauma residency at Cook County Hospital/University of Illinois in 1996. He then completed a fellowship in surgical critical care/trauma at St Louis University Hospital in 1997. He Moved to Colorado after graduating from St. Louis University Hospital. During his time at Swedish Medical Center, he has served as the surgical director of the ICU, trauma medical director, director of ethics committee and is currently director of the trauma outreach program. He also served as medical director at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado from 2004-2016. He is certified as an ATLS instructor and course director. He is currently a member on the state/regional trauma committee and has presented at multiple hospital, regional, local and neighboring state conferences regarding trauma critical care topics.
Tracey Kim, MD; trauma surgeon
Tracey Kim, MD, grew up in Los Angeles, California and went to Virginia Commonwealth University for medical school. She completed her general surgery residency at Loma Linda University and proceeded to fellowship in trauma/surgical critical care at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She specializes in the evaluation and surgical treatment of trauma patients, surgical critical care, emergency general surgery and elective general surgical issues such as cholelithiasis, hernias and general gastrointestinal surgical pathology. In her spare time, she likes to go skiing, hiking with her family and two dogs and exploring the Denver food scene.
Bryan Kramer, MD; vascular surgeon
Dr. Kramer completed his undergraduate studies at Rice University and his medical degree at Albany College in 1995. He completed residency in general surgery at the University of Cincinnati in 2000 and a fellowship in Vascular Surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital in 2002. Prior to moving to Denver, he was a member of the Vascular Group, PLLC and an assistant professor of Surgery at Albany Medical Center, supervising and training medical students, surgery residents and vascular surgery fellow. Dr. Kramer is board-certified in both general and vascular surgery and has been practicing exclusively vascular surgery since 2000. He performs all types of venous and arterial surgery, specializing in open repair of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms. He also has extensive experience in the technique of eversion carotid endarterectomy under local/regional anesthesia.
Ashwin Kurian, MD; general surgeon
Dr. Kurian completed his medical schooling in Bangalore Medical College, India in 2001. After this he completed a general surgery residency in the United Kingdom, where he is a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He moved to Philadelphia, USA to continue his general surgery training in Abington Memorial Hospital. He graduated from his training program in 2011. He has completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery of the esophagus and stomach and advanced flexible endoscopy.
Jeffrey Levine, MD; general surgeon
Dr. Levine is the Trauma Medical Director at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colorado. He went to Vanderbilt University General Surgery Residency and completed his fellowship in critical care medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine. He attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a member of the American Board of Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He is also a fellow with the American College of Surgeons.
Jenifer Marks, MD; thoracic surgeon
Jenifer Marks, MD, is a thoracic surgeon at the Medical Center of Aurora. She received her medical school training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She completed her residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, in general surgery. She went on to fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in thoracic surgery. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Her areas of expertise include: achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus, chest wall tumors, empyema, esophageal cancer, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, hyperhidrosis, lung cancer, lung nodules, mediastinal masses, pleural effusions, pneumothorax and rib lesions.
Barbara Melendez, MD; vascular surgeon
Dr. Melendez is originally from Chile. She moved to Colorado at age 16 where she started her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado. She continued her education at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine. She completed her general surgery residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Albany Medicine Center. She specializes in open treatment of complex peripheral arterial disease and thoracic outlet syndrome. In her time off she enjoys running and traveling.
Kian Modanlou, MD; hepatobiliary surgeon
Dr. Modanlou is a native of Southern California. He completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University where he graduated with distinction with a degree in biology. He returned to his home state for medical school and graduated from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. Dr. Modanlou then moved to Denver where he completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He then went on to Chicago where he completed a fellowship in Abdominal Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Northwestern University. After stints at Saint Louis University and the University of Tennessee, Dr. Modanlou was fortunate to move back to Denver in 2015 to be the Surgical Director of Transplant at Porter Adventist Hospital. In 2018 he decided to join Dr. Eric Kortz to help him expand the Complex Gastrointestinal Surgeries Program at the Center for Diseases of the Liver and Pancreas at Swedish Medical Center. Dr. Modanlou’s professional interests include all aspects of general surgery and complex problems of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas including minimally invasive techniques. He strongly believes in a multidisciplinary approach to complex medical problems and personalization of the patient experience.
Rosemary Morgan, MD; breast surgeon
Dr. Morgan graduated from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine in 2013. She then graduated from the Oregon Health Science University in 2019. She is a member of the American Board of Surgery. She has numerous publications and publications to her credit. She is a new member of the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency and is a breast surgeon.
Omar Mubarak, MD; vascular surgeon
Dr. Omar Mubarak is board certified in general surgery and vascular surgery. Dr. Mubarak was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and attended the University of Colorado-Boulder where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology and a minor in philosophy. Dr. Mubarak attended University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, CO for medical school and then Michigan State University for general surgery residency followed by a vascular surgical fellowship at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI. He currently practices as a vascular surgeon at the Vascular Institute of the Rockies and in wound care at the Denver Wound Healing Center in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Mubarak lives in Denver, Colorado and in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, and training and competing in Ironman events.
Andrew Nemechek, MD; head/neck oncology surgeon
Dr. Nemecheck is board-certified in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. He is fellowship-trained in advanced head and neck oncologic surgery. His other clinical interests include advanced cutaneous malignancies and reconstruction, HPV-related head and neck cancers, and tumors of the skull base and paranasal sinuses. He also commonly treats tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands as well as salivary neoplasms. Dr. Nemechek earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine where he also completed training in otolaryngology and general surgery. He completed his fellowship in advanced head and neck oncologic surgery at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Allan Nguyen, DO; critical care surgeon
Allan Nguyen DO, is a graduate of Western University of Health Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Dr. Nguyen was born and raised in Aurora, CO. He moved to southern California with his family in 2001. He obtained his BS in Biology from the University of California in Irvine. Allan attended Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA for medical training and also earned an MS in Medical Sciences. He graduated from the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency program in 2021 and went on to earn his critical care fellowship from Jacob/Montefiore in the Bronx, New York. He is now employed at North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, Colorado, and is a faculty member for the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency. In his free time, Dr. Nguyen loves spending time with his family and friends. He is a die-hard Broncos fan and enjoys tinkering with computers and cars.
Bailee Olliff, MD; general surgeon
Dr. Olliff was born and raised in rural central Florida. She attended the University of South Florida for her undergraduate studies and continued on to medical school at the USF Morsani College of Medicine. She completed general surgery residency at USF and went on to pursue a critical care fellowship at Brown University. She is board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care. Dr. Olliff ultimately chose to work at North Suburban because she enjoys working with medically underserved patients and finds the variety of trauma and acute care surgery to be rewarding. Dr. Olliff is a foodie! She also enjoys traveling, skiing, and spending time with her family.
Benson Pulikkottil, MD; plastic surgeon
Benson Pulikkottil, MD, has been in practice at the Swedish Medical Center Burn and Reconstructive Centers of Colorado since September 2016. He attained his medical degree at Albany Medical College in 2001. He went to residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in general surgery. He completed a research fellowship in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also completed two additional fellowships: one in plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern and one in orthopedic hand surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2016.
Cassandra Reynolds, MD; trauma surgeon*
Cassandra Reynolds, MD, FACS is a Trauma/ Critical Care Surgeon at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Reynolds completed her Trauma Critical Care/ Fellowship at University of California Davis in Sacramento. She joined the team at Swedish after having worked at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC a busy level 1 academic trauma center for the last three years.
Dr. Reynolds did her general surgery residency at Texas A&M- Scott and White in Temple, TX after completing her Doctor of Medicine at University of Nebraska in Omaha, NE. Dr. Reynolds is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Western Trauma Association, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Association of Women Surgeons. She has been involved in several national research presentations on topics in acute care surgery and trauma surgery and has authored peer reviewed journal articles and abstracts.
Suraj Sunder, MD; pulmonologist
Suraj Sunder, MD, is board certified in internal medicine and pulmonology and is currently a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health. Dr. Sunder is in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in biology and the University of Texas Health Science Center, with a master's degree in public health. Dr. Sunder attended medical school at Texas A&M Health Science Center and did his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. He then completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Washington University. Dr. Sunder's clinical interests are in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary vascular disease and in providing patients with individualized treatment and a dedicated focus on leading-edge treatments and personalized care. His other interests include the treatment of critically ill patients with respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism (PE) and acute lung injury (ALI).
Alan Synn, MD; vascular surgeon
Dr. Alan Synn is board certified in general surgery and vascular surgery. Dr. Synn is a native of California and attended Stanford University where he graduated with a degree in biochemistry. Dr. Synn then attended the University of California Los Angeles for medical school and then University of Washington for general surgery residency followed by a vascular surgical fellowship at the University Iowa. Dr. Synn is a founding member of the Vascular Institute of the Rockies in Denver, CO where he currently practices as a vascular surgeon. Dr. Synn lives in Denver, Colorado and in his spare time, enjoys his family life with his wife and their two children.
Peter Syre, MD; neurosurgeon
Dr. Peter Syre has always been interested in the neurosciences and studied it extensively. He has also always found a need to volunteer and served in the Peace Corps in South America before beginning medical school. With this background, while in medical school he became fascinated with the intricacies of the nervous system and the complex bioengineering involved in the anatomy of the brain and the spine. The precise nature of neurosurgery is a very rewarding practice. Dr. Syre completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania where he pursued further fellowship training in the treatment of spinal disorders. He has a great interest in spinal scoliosis, spinal trauma, and tumors of the spine in addition to the breadth of neurosurgical diseases. He believes that the key to exemplary neurosurgical treatment is patient centered care where each treatment is individualized and each patient is treated as a person, not a disease. With this mindset, patients can have the best outcomes possible and both he and his patients can accomplish their ultimate goal, regaining their life. His neurosurgical interests include: Cranial: Brain tumors, brain metastases, trigeminal neuralgia, gamma knife radiosurgery Spine: Spinal tumors, spinal deformities, spinal trauma, spinal pain, minimally invasive spine, complex spinal instrumentation, spinal cord stimulation, spinal radiculopathy and stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, spondylithesis Other: Special interest in neurotrauma, peripheral nerve disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve decompression, pain syndromes
Paul Thorne, MD; pediatric surgeon
Dr. Paul Thorne is a general surgeon in Spokane, Washington and is affiliated with Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital as an attending pediatric surgeon. He received his medical degree from Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is one of 31 doctors at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital who specializes in general surgery. He was a fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. He is board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgeons and the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. Dr. Thorne is a faculty member and site director/program director at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital for the Swedish Medical Center General Surgery Residency.
John Tillett, MD; urologist
John W. Tillett, MD FACS, is a board-certified urologist with the Urology Center of Colorado on staff at Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital. He graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University. He received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine, where he also completed his post-graduate urology training. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and he was also previously on the medical school faculty at Florida State University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He previously practiced on active duty in the U.S. Navy, as well as in private practice in Naples, FL, before relocating to Denver. Dr. Tillett's main clinical areas of interest include robotic surgery for kidney cancer and other disorders, kidney stones, neurogenic bladder, urethral reconstruction, and microsurgical management of chronic testicular pain.
Richard Tillquist, MD; GI-lap surgeon
Dr. Richard Tillquist is a general surgeon in Englewood, Colorado and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the metro area, including Swedish Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and he completed his residency at Baylor University Medical Center. He has been in practice for more than 33 years. He specializes in bariatric surgery and general surgery at SurgOne, PC.
Eddie Tsvankin, MD; neurosurgeon
Dr. Eddie Tsvankin considers himself an honorary Colorado native. After immigrating to the United States as a child, he grew up in Lakewood. Dr. Tsvankin attended the University of Colorado for both undergraduate and medical school obtaining his bachelor's degree from CU Boulder and Medical School at the CU School of Medicine in Denver. At the CU School of Medicine, Dr. Tsvankin met his wife and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Tsvankin completed his neurosurgical residency at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina, as well as a fellowship in surgical neuro-oncology at Duke's world- renowned Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. Dr. Tsvankin has trained in the full spectrum of brain and spine surgery. His passion is caring for patients with brain tumors and his particular expertise focuses on complex and eloquent tumor resection, awake craniotomy and brain mapping, keyhole and minimally-invasive resection techniques, laser interstitial thermal therapy, and radiosurgery. He has published extensively on immunotherapy for gliomas and intratumoral drug delivery, and have served as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Neurosurgery and Journal of Neuro-Oncology. In his spare time when not working Dr. Tsvankin enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats, playing ice hockey, powerlifting, road biking, or enjoying the spoils of living in Denver - camping, hiking, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.
Paul van der Sloot, MD; head/neck surgeon
Dr. Paul van der Sloot is board certified in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery. Dr. van der Sloot grew up in Alberta, Canada, and attended Brandon University in Manitoba and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he obtained a Bachelors in Music-Violin Performance prior to attending the University of Calgary where he began his path to medical school. He then attended the University of Alberta for medical school and otolaryngology residency followed by a Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, Microvascular Reconstruction, Cranial Base Surgery fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Dr. van der Sloot then completed his MS in Medical Management at the Simon School of Business--University of Rochester. He currently practices as an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at the Head and Neck Cancer Care Center at Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center where he treats head and neck tumors and specializes in transoral robotic surgery and microvascular reconstructive procedures. Dr. van der Sloot is married with four children and lives in the Denver metro area.
Ahmed Zihni, MD; general and laparoscopic surgeon
Ahmed M Zihni, MD, MPH, is a board-certified general and laparoscopic surgeon and works as a foregut surgeon for Denver Esophageal and Stomach Center in Denver, CO. He received his Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude) from SUNY Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY and his Masters of Public Health (Distinction) and Medical Degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Zihni completed residency at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, followed by a fellowship in Foregut Surgery (Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery) at the Oregon Clinic in Portland. OR. Dr. Zihni has a strong background in academics and research with numerous publications, posters and presentations to his credit.