The UCI Health physicians are a devoted team of internationally regarded practitioners, researchers, and educators leading at the forefront of healthcare.
Orange, California
Joined July 2023
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After a hepatectomy, much of the liver’s volume recovery can occur in the first four to six weeks, with additional changes over subsequent months.
@UCIrvineHealth surgical oncologist Zeljka Jutric, MD explains why this regenerative capacity is so remarkable. For clinicians, the key consideration is how the expected remaining liver volume and function affect operative planning for each patient.
Full conversation linked below.
Gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery services at @UCIrvineHealth are among the nation’s best, ranking No. 49 in the country by @usnews.
Our gastroenterologists, gastrointestinal surgeons and surgical oncologists lead trailblazing research and clinical trials to develop novel approaches to detect GI diseases and find the most innovative ways to treat them.
This dedication has also propelled UCI Health to new heights of quality and safety for patients. Whether a patient is here for prevention, diagnosis or treatment, they benefit from a customized plan executed by a team of nationally recognized, board-certified physicians who are at the forefront of digestive health.
Learn more: ucihealth.org/about-us/news/…
Few organs can regenerate like the liver. In this discussion on hepatobiliary surgery, @UCIrvineHealth Division of Transplantation Chief Robert R. Redfield, MD, explains how this property lets surgeons remove substantial portions of the organ while preserving function in appropriately selected patients.
The conversation highlights both the possibilities of liver resection and the expertise required to plan it safely. Full feature linked in the comments.
For patients and families, major surgery can be a defining and difficult experience. Here, Zeljka Jutric, MD, reflects on the uncertainty patients face and the resilience they demonstrate throughout #livercancer treatment. A reminder that technically complex oncologic care must also account for the patient’s experience and family support.
Full conversation linked in the comments.
In 2025, @UCIrvineHealth became the first NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in California to offer histotripsy, which uses focused sound waves to destroy select liver tumors without incisions. It offers another option for certain patients with inoperable primary or metastatic liver tumors.
"For cases involving a single lesion, histotripsy can be viewed as a potential cure," says UCI Health interventional radiologist Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD. "For people with metastatic disease, histotripsy can extend life."
Learn more about this new frontier in treating inoperable liver malignancies: ucihealth.org/blog/2025/06/s…
Surgical planning begins well before a liver operation. @UCIrvineHealth surgical oncologist Zeljka Jutric, MD describes the mental three-dimensional map needed to navigate vessels and bile ducts during a complex resection.
The discussion highlights why careful anatomic evaluation and innovation matter when assessing surgical approaches for patients with liver tumors.
Complete discussion below.
🤖 Made with AI
A @UCIrvineHealth discussion with hepatobiliary surgical oncologists Reed Ayabe, MD, and Zeljka Jutric, MD, and moderator Robert Redfield III, MD, to explore how specialized surgical evaluation and multidisciplinary care can expand treatment options for selected patients.
00:00 Introduction to liver cancer care
00:49 Primary and metastatic liver cancers
02:00 Why liver surgery is uniquely challenging
05:02 Liver regeneration after resection
06:38 Planning complex operations as a team
08:31 The anesthesia and surgical care team
10:32 The evolution of minimally invasive liver surgery
12:21 Robotic liver surgery and recovery
13:35 Staged and repeat liver resections
15:22 Can colorectal liver metastases be resected?
17:23 Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy
19:13 Histotripsy, robotics and emerging approaches
19:57 Future liver remnant and portal vein embolization
21:45 The future of personalized liver cancer surgery
A @UCIrvineHealth discussion with hepatobiliary surgical oncologists Reed Ayabe, MD, and Zeljka Jutric, MD, and moderator Robert Redfield III, MD, to explore how specialized surgical evaluation and multidisciplinary care can expand treatment options for selected patients.
00:00 Introduction to liver cancer care
00:49 Primary and metastatic liver cancers
02:00 Why liver surgery is uniquely challenging
05:02 Liver regeneration after resection
06:38 Planning complex operations as a team
08:31 The anesthesia and surgical care team
10:32 The evolution of minimally invasive liver surgery
12:21 Robotic liver surgery and recovery
13:35 Staged and repeat liver resections
15:22 Can colorectal liver metastases be resected?
17:23 Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy
19:13 Histotripsy, robotics and emerging approaches
19:57 Future liver remnant and portal vein embolization
21:45 The future of personalized liver cancer surgery
The liver’s capacity to regenerate makes complex resection possible, but its intricate anatomy demands careful planning.
In this clip, @UCIrvineHealth surgical oncologist Reed Ayabe, MD, discusses how evolving operative techniques and liver-directed therapies shape treatment for challenging liver disease. For referring physicians, specialized surgical evaluation can help clarify the full range of treatment options.
Full conversation linked below.
UCI Health medical oncologist Poorva Vaidya, MD is currently offering a new clinical trial sponsored by the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge, and lead by Warren Chow, MD, aimed at tackling a persistent challenge in melanoma care if patients fail first-line immunotherapy.
This study explores adding a low-dose, daily oral chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide) to standard immunotherapy for patients who have progressed on their initial treatment. Since many patients develop resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors over time, this approach seeks to re-engage the immune system using a familiar drug in a novel, continuous regimen.
While the trial is still in its early stages, and open to further accruals, the team is optimistic about gathering meaningful insights by ASCO 2027 to help expand options for those with limited choices. #ASCO2026
UCI Health is here at #ASCO2026 to share the work of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
From precision oncology and real-world data to AI-driven decision tools and innovative clinical trials, our physician-scientists and research teams are contributing across disciplines.
Catch our team at the exhibit booth and throughout their contributions to the meeting. Looking forward to a weekend of progress, collaboration, and impact.
#ASCO26 #CancerCare #Oncology
The UCI Health Digestive Health Summit, hosted by the Chao Digestive Health Institute, brought together leading experts from across gastroenterology, surgery, oncology and digestive health for an inspiring three days of learning, collaboration and innovation in Huntington Beach. Through expert‑led talks, interactive case discussions and forward‑thinking panels, attendees explored the latest advances shaping the future of gastrointestinal care.
From new gastroenterology insights to hands‑on training and meaningful peer connection, the summit reinforced the commitment to advancing digestive health and improving patient outcomes. Thank you to our faculty, speakers and attendees for making this event a dynamic space to share knowledge, spark ideas and continue pushing digestive care forward.
Under the leadership of Stefan Ciurea, MD, UCI Health is an early leader in establishing the connection between donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) and graft failure in haploidentical transplantation, research that helped inform the ASTCT guidelines for managing mismatched transplants.
Now, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is advancing desensitization strategies, building state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient infrastructure, and laying the groundwork for outpatient transplants and cell therapies to expand access while improving outcomes.
#ASH25
Defining the future of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation through clinical trials.
At the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stefan Ciurea, MD, is leading a new era of personalized, patient-centered cellular therapy.
In this video, Ciurea highlights two clinical trials shaping transplant care:
• ADAPT – tailoring conditioning regimens to patient comorbidities and relapse risk
• BK virus trial – using virus-specific T cells to reduce post-transplant complications
With multiple abstracts accepted to #ASH25 and a dedicated NK cell research lab on the horizon, the program continues to push the boundaries of innovation, quality, and compassionate care.
There is a shifting appetite towards utilizing AI in healthcare, according to Chief Medical Information Officer and Vice President of Clinical Informatics Deepti Pandita, MD.
"So people who are naturally curious will embrace it," says Pandita, on the topic of how physicians feel about AI in the medical field.
Listen to this episode of the Physician Huddle #podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or iHeartRadio.
As the value of AI in the medical field increases, UCI Health is at the forefront of clinical innovation by piloting tools that will improve the quality of healthcare and the efficiency of clinicians.
"We have had to head pilots going between DACs, which is a Microsoft nuance product and a bridge, which is, its own company and both use large language models," says Chief Medical Information Officer and Vice President of Clinical Informatics Deepti Pandita, MD.
The advancements include a tool UCI Health is piloting called ambient scribing which will make everyday clinical tasks more seamless and allow healthcare providers more time to focus on patient care.
Listen to this episode of the Physician Huddle #podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or iHeartRadio.
Chief Medical Information Officer and Vice President of Clinical Informatics Deepti Pandita, MD explains how developing and validating AI models for clinical use requires time, oversight, and continuous refinement.
"Any cognitive computing model that you develop, you have to study it for at least a year to 18 months just to make sure that it is functioning the way you designed it," says Pandita. "So models need to be managed for deprecation. And that is a very, very sort of, intense process."
Listen to this episode of the Physician Huddle #podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or iHeartRadio.