Meet Our Experts | Dignity Health Arizona

Breast cancer medical oncology

• Albert Wendt, MD: Dr. Albert Wendt is a renowned oncologist at Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s who has been treating cancer patients in the Valley for many years, and in 2008 began exclusively focusing on breast cancer. His expertise includes breast cancer risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Breast cancer surgery

• Lora Hebert, MD, MPH, FACS: A breast cancer surgeon with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Lora Hebert’s expertise includes the diagnosis, risk assessment, and management of cancer and precancerous changes in the breast. She has dedicated her professional career to helping women achieve breast health, even after a cancer diagnosis, and is involved in all aspects of care from diagnosis to survivorship. She is also interested in breast cancer prevention and collaborates with her research colleagues to unravel the factors contributing to its development. 

Gynecologic oncology

• John Farley, MD, COL (ret): Dr. John Farley is a respected gynecologic oncologist with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s who specializes in caring for women with reproductive tract cancers. His expertise includes clinical trial design, new drug development, treatment of complex gynecologic malignancies and medical resident education. Dr. Farley is a highly decorated Colonel in the U.S. Army, awarded the Bronze Star Medal in 2005 and Meritorious Service Medal in 2006.

Gynecologic surgery, pelvic pain and sexual health

• Nicole Afuape, MD, FACOG: Dr. Nicole Afuape is an advanced gynecologic surgeon and pelvic pain specialist with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s. Dr. Afuape’s expertise covers complex gynecologic conditions, such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian masses, pelvic congestion syndrome, and abnormal uterine bleeding. She also specializes in caring for patients who experience sexual health concerns, pelvic floor muscle spasm, bladder pain syndrome, pudendal neuralgia and general pelvic pain.

Urologic oncology and sexual health

• George JS Kallingal, MD, MPH: A urologic oncologist with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s and U.S. Army veteran, Dr. George Kallingal treats patients with prostate, bladder, kidney, penile, testicular, and adrenal malignancies. He has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery, surgical quality improvement and compassionate patient care. Dr. Kallingal also applies his urologic skillset to help patients with male sexual health concerns through the center’s new sexual health program. 

Colon and rectal surgery

• Anathea Powell, MD, FACS: A triathlete, and colon and rectal surgeon with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Anathea Powell’s medical expertise includes surgical treatment of all colon, rectal and anal conditions, including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, hemorrhoids, and other anal problems. 
  
  
• Clarence E. Clark III, MD: As director of Dignity Health Medical Group’s General Surgery Residency Program in the East Valley, Dr. Clarence Clark has been published in many peer-reviewed and book chapters. He a special interest in colon and rectal cancer surgery, and has written about hemorrhoid surgery, robotic surgery for resident training, techniques in advanced coloproctology for fistulizing anorectal disease, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and single incision laparoscopic colectomy among others.

Gastrointestinal medical oncology

• Mital Patel, MD: Dr. Mital Patel serves as the director of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s. He specializes in the care of patients with colon and rectal cancers; stomach and esophageal malignancies; liver, gallbladder, bile duct and pancreatic malignancies; and neuroendocrine tumors. He has a keen interest in developing clinical trials and improving patient access to them. He believes in compassionate, multidisciplinary care with treatment plans tailored to the individual needs of patients and their families.

Genetic counseling

• Karen Dirrigl, MS: A genetic counselor with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dirrigl works with patients to determine their risk for cancer based on their unique health and family histories. Her goal is to support informed decision making and coping for those determined to be at risk for cancer as a result of genetic testing.

Palliative care

• Brian Gans, MD: A palliative medicine, supportive care and cancer survivorship physician with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Brian Gans offers cancer patients unique and compassionate support along their journeys. His expertise includes pain and symptom management from cancer and cancer-related treatment, and maximizing physical and psychosocial functioning throughout the course of treatment and survivorship. 

Skin cancer

• Miguel Gonzalez Velez, MD: Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez is a melanoma and sarcoma physician with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s and his areas of expertise include malignant melanoma, squamous, basal and merkel cell carcinomas, soft tissue sarcomas and research trials. Dr. Gonzalez Velez has published extensively and participates in research and education with internal medicine residents and medical school students. He speaks both English and Spanish and has a special interest in health care disparities, immunotherapy and real world data.

Radiation oncology

• Nitika Thawani, MD: A radiation oncologist at Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Nitika Thawani treats numerous cancers including liver cancer. Her specialty is targeting tumors accurately with a variety of advanced techniques that allow for minimal side effects. Dr. Thawani has published extensively on radiation and radiotherapy techniques and applications, and participates in clinical research trials.

• Robert Roberts, MD (FRCPC, FRSM, FACP, FESC, FAHA, FISHR, MACC, LLD (Hon.), FRSC): Dr. Robert Roberts is the medical director of cardiovascular genomics for Dignity Health in Arizona. The world renowned cardiologist is best known for expanding the understanding of the connection between genetics and heart disease. He currently leads a breakthrough research study in which genetic testing is used to identify men and women at risk of developing heart disease based on the makeup of their DNA. 
  
  
• Rachel Bond, MD: Dr. Rachel Bond is cardiologist with Dignity Health in Arizona who specializes in the treatment of heart disease through early prevention, education and prevention. Dr. Bond has a special interest in women’s heart health and has authored several review papers regarding cardiovascular conditions that predominantly affect women including maternal health. She is also passionate about addressing health equity and reducing health disparities.
  
  
• Jaskanwal Bisla, MD: Dr. Jaskanwal “Sonny” Bisla is a cardiac electrophysiologist with the Heart Arrhythmia Center at Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center. Dr. Bisla specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from irregular heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation which is the most common arrhythmia.
   

• Anne Burns, MD: Dr. Anne Burns is the medical director of St. Joseph’s Department of Emergency Medicine, which is one of Phoenix’s busiest emergency departments. With St. Joseph’s being located within the inner city of Phoenix, Dr. Burns and her team are trained in triaging and treating the most emergent of medical cases.

Cancer

• Aidnag Diaz, MD, MPH: As medical director of Radiation Medicine at Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Aidnag Diaz treats patients with sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma, head and neck cancer, and central nervous system tumors. Among his many research interests, Dr. Diaz focuses on finding ways to alleviate disparities in the treatment of underserved populations; in particular, investigating how to increase enrollment of minorities into research protocols. Dr. Diaz speaks both English and Spanish.

• Miguel Gonzalez Velez, MD: A melanoma and sarcoma physician with Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez has a special interest in health care disparities, immunotherapy and real world data. His areas of medical expertise include malignant melanoma, squamous, basal and merkel cell carcinomas, soft tissue sarcomas and research trials. Dr. Gonzalez Velez has published extensively and also participates in research and education with internal medicine residents and medical school students.

Cardiology

• Rachel Bond, MD: Dr. Rachel Bond is cardiologist with Dignity Health in Arizona who specializes in the treatment of heart disease through early prevention, education and prevention. Dr. Bond has a special interest in women’s heart health and has authored several review papers regarding cardiovascular conditions that predominantly affect women including maternal health. She is  also passionate about addressing health equity and reducing health disparities. 

Neurology

• Brad Racette, MD, FAAN: Dr. Brad Racette, chairman of neurology and senior vice president at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the health effects from exposure to environmental toxins. His research includes identifying health disparities related to Parkinson’s disease and ALS through the use of large administrative datasets. These studies have demonstrated marked disparity in access to neurological care in women, minority populations, and the poor with Parkinson’s disease and ALS. Dr. Racette’s research spans much of the globe as he has investigated environmental risk factors for neurological conditions - including Parkinson’s disease - in the United States, Europe and Africa.

Epidemiology and infectious disease

• Omar Gonzalez, MD: Dr. Omar Gonzalez is one of Arizona’s leading epidemiologists and was essential in helping to lead Dignity Health’s Arizona hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Gonzalez is passionate about educating and providing factual information to the public regarding various forms of infectious diseases. He is a well respected subject matter expert with the press.

• Allan Markus, MD: Dr. Omar Gonzalez is one of Arizona’s leading epidemiologists and was essential in helping to lead Dignity Health’s Arizona hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Gonzalez is passionate about educating and providing factual information to the public regarding various forms of infectious diseases. He is a well respected subject matter expert with the press.

Alpha-1, interstitial lung disease

• Kendra McAnally, DO: A pulmonary and lung transplant physician at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, Dr. Kendra McAnally’s expertise is in advanced lung disease, with special interest in scleroderma as well as conditions that can lead to lung transplantation such as Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Interstitial Lung Disease.

COPD, early lung cancer diagnosis

• Ali Saeed, MD: Dr. Ali Saeed is the medical director of Interventional Pulmonology at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. His interests include thoracic oncology and diseases of the airway and pleural space. His research areas include early detection of lung cancer and opening of the airways for those with advanced lung disease. 

Donor lung procurement, organ donation

• Brandi Krushelniski, RN, BSN, MBA: Brandi Krushelniski serves as the vice president of Transplant Services for St. Joseph’s. With extensive background in lung transplantation coordination efforts, Krushelniski now oversees the hospital’s transplant services which include kidney and liver transplantation as well as Norton Thoracic Institute’s renowned lung transplant program. She offers unique insight to the transplant and organ donation processes. 

Esophageal cancer, complex GERD

• Sumeet Mittal, MD: A board-certified general surgeon, Dr. Sumeet Mittal serves as surgical director of the Esophageal and Foregut Program at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. He is an expert in many esophageal diseases, and his research interests include diseases of the esophagus and the foregut, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

LAM, cystic fibrosis, lung transplant

• Sofya Tokman, MD: A pulmonologist and critical care physician at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, Dr. Sofya Tokman serves as the institute’s Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Program medical director. In addition to LAM–a rare disease caused by genetic mutations and affecting mostly women, Dr. Tokman also specializes in lung transplantation, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. 

Lung cancer and lung transplant surgery

• Jasmine Huang, MD: Dr. Jasmine Huang serves as director of Education and Program Development, and co-director of the Lung Cancer Program at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. She has a sincere passion for general thoracic surgery, specializes in lung transplantation, the surgical treatment of benign and malignant lung and esophageal diseases, and the surgical management of chest wall tumors. 

Lung cancer, lung transplant surgery using OCS technology

• Michael A. Smith, MD: One of the nation’s leading lung surgeons, Dr. Michael Smith serves as the associate chief of Thoracic Surgery, and surgical director of Lung Transplantation at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. He specializes in thoracic oncology, lung transplantation, and esophageal surgery. He was instrumental in bringing organ care system (OCS) technology, also known as lung-in-a-box, to Norton’s lung transplant team. Rather than storing donated lungs on ice for transport, an OCS device keeps oxygenated blood pumping through the donated organs.

Lung transplant and advanced lung diseases

• Rajat Walia, MD: Dr. Rajat Walia is a renowned lung transplant and lung disease pulmonologist at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. He serves as the hospital’s division chief of Pulmonary Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and the Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, as well as medical director of Lung Transplantation, the Alpha-1 Program and the Interstitial Lung Disease Program. He has a passion for academia and for advancing care for patients with lung disease. Because of Dr. Walia and the dedicated team at Norton, the institute has become a true international destination for advanced lung disease and transplantation.

Lung transplant and esophageal cancer surgery

• Ross Bremner, MD, PhD: A leading lung transplant surgeon and executive director of St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, Dr. Ross Bremner is one of the nation’s most respected thoracic surgeons. Under Dr. Bremner’s leadership, Norton has become home to one of the largest lung transplant centers in the United States. In addition to lung transplantation, Dr. Bremner specializes in the treatment of lung and esophageal cancers, as well as other advanced lung and esophageal diseases. 

Lung transplant, pulmonary hypertension

• Ashwini Arjuna, MD: Dr. Ashwini Arjuna is a lung transplant pulmonologist at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. In addition to lung transplant patients, Dr. Arjuna provides care for advanced pulmonary disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, robotic thoracic surgery

• Samad Hashimi, MD: A cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute, Dr. Samad Hashimi specializes in lung transplant surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery using minimally invasive and robotic approaches. His research interests include lung cancer, lung disease, mediastinal disease, thoracic outlet syndrome, and lung transplantation.

ALS

• Shafeeq Ladha, MD: Dr. Shafeeq Ladha is the director of the ALS and Neuromuscular Disease Center at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Ladha is a renowned ALS expert who is focused on advancing research towards a treatment for one of the world’s most devastating and debilitating conditions. Barrow is a best-in-class model for offering complete ALS care within a single center while providing access to advanced clinical trials.

Aneurysm and Cerebrovascular Disease and neurosurgery

• Michael T. Lawton, MD: Dr. Michael Lawton, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, is one of the world’s most renowned neurosurgeons. He specializes in the treatment of complex brain malformations including brain aneurysms. Under Dr. Lawton’s leadership, Barrow performs more brain surgeries and trains more neurosurgeons than anywhere in the United States. Dr. Lawton is often sought after by patients and doctors from around the globe to treat the most complex brain disorders.

Alzheimer’s disease and memory disorders (clinical)

• Anna Burke, MD: Dr. Anna Burke is a geriatric psychiatrist, Alzheimer’s disease expert and director of the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Burke’s area of expertise includes the treatment of challenging behavioral and psychiatric disturbances that result from neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Burke is leading numerous Alzheimer’s disease clinical research trials.

Alzheimer’s disease and memory disorders (research)

• Marwan Sabbagh, MD, FAAN: Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, a behavioral neurologist at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, is a well respected Alzheimer’s and memory disorder expert. In addition to diagnosing and treating various forms of dementia, Dr. Sabbagh is a leading investigator of many prominent national Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment clinical trials. He has written and edited books about Alzheimer’s disease and contributed to hundreds of medical and scientific articles and news stories.

Concussion, Brain Injury and Sports Neurology

• Glynnis Zieman, MD: Dr. Glynnis Zieman is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the diagnosis and treatment of concussion and brain injuries. A sports neurologist, Dr. Zieman is the director of the Barrow Brain Injury and Sports Neurology Center which is one of the nation’s most comprehensive concussion prevention, treatment and education programs. Dr. Zieman also directs the nation’s first program dedicated to treating homeless domestic violence victims who have traumatic brain injury.

Deep Brain Stimulation

• Francisco Ponce, MD: Dr. Francisco Ponce, director of the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, is exploring an exciting medical frontier to treat neurological conditions through novel treatments including advanced deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound. Dr. Ponce is the nation’s leader in performing this life changing procedure. Typically used to treat Parkinson’s disease, Barrow is working towards using DBS to improve and restore function in patients with a number of other neurological conditions.

Environmental Neurology and Environmental Health Risk Factors

• Brad Racette, MD, FAAN: Environmental neurologist Dr. Brad Racette, chairman of neurology and senior vice president at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the health effects from exposure to environmental toxins. His research spans much of the globe as he has investigated environmental risk factors for neurological conditions - including Parkinson’s disease - in the United States, Europe and Africa. In addition to his groundbreaking research, Dr. Racette’s clinical expertise includes the diagnosis and management of all types of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. He is also a subject matter expert in global health, health disparities and data science.

Migraine and Headache Disorders

• Jennifer Robblee, MD: Dr. Jennifer Robblee is a neurologist at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of migraine and other headache disorders. Additionally, Dr. Robblee and the specialists at Barrow’s Headache Center work to identify headache triggers and prevent them from occurring, relieving pain for many patients who suffer from one of the most common and disabling medical conditions.

Neuro-Rehabilitation

• Christina Kwasnica, MD: Dr. Christina Kwasnica is one of the nation’s top experts in physical and neuro rehabilitation and is the medical director of the Neuro-Rehabilitation Center at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Kwasnica treats patients with the most serious and complex brain and spinal cord injuries and helps her patients enhance their quality of life by improving skills and independence through advanced and specialized therapy programs. It is not uncommon to witness a paralyzed patient walk again or a stroke patient speak again through the help of Dr. Kwasnica and her team of physicians and therapists.

Neuroscience Research

• Robert Bowser, PhD: Dr. Robert Bowser is the chairman of Neurobiology at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute and is an internationally-recognized leader in ALS research. Dr. Bowser has pioneered efforts to discover and validate biomarkers for ALS, and in partnership with IBM Watson, identified five never before linked genes associated with ALS. These discoveries have given ALS researchers new insights that pave the way for the development of new drug targets and therapies to combat one of the world’s most devastating and deadly diseases.

Parkinson’s Disease

• Holly Shill, MD: Dr. Holly Shill is the director of the famed Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. On the front line of the battle against Parkinson’s disease, the center strives to provide its patients with the same level of care “The Champ” and namesake of the center received during his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Under Dr. Shill’s direction, the center is credited with delivering the most advanced and latest clinical care, therapies, research trials, support groups, education and exercise classes to improve the quality of life for individuals with the condition. In addition to Dr. Shill’s clinical expertise, she leads a number of research trials including the identification of risk factors for the development and progression of the disease.

Spine Surgery

• Juan Uribe, MD: Dr. Juan Uribe, chief of St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute’s Division of Spinal Disorders, is a world expert in the surgical treatment of spine disorders including scoliosis, spinal trauma, and spinal tumors. He is a pioneer in performing minimally invasive surgical techniques on the spine resulting in less pain and faster recovery for his patients. Patients from around the world come to Barrow for treatment of complex spine conditions that many surgeons deem too complicated to treat.

Stroke

• Michael Waters, MD, PhD: Dr. Michael Waters is the director of the Stroke Program at St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute. Under Dr. Waters’ leadership, Barrow is working to curb staggering stroke statistics that have revealed stroke patients are not getting fast enough treatment. To help with this effort, Barrow launched one of the nation’s first mobile stroke treatment units to diagnose and treat stroke patients in the field. The Barrow Emergency Stroke Treatment Unit, which resembles an ambulance, is expected to dramatically speed the process in which strokes are diagnosed and treated, greatly reducing death and long-term disability in stroke victims. Dr. Waters is passionate about educating the public about the signs and symptoms of stroke and is also leading research trials surrounding the genetic mechanisms of stroke.

• Claudia Chambers, MD: Dr. Claudia Chambers is an obstetrician and gynecologist with the Dignity Health Medical Group at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Her special interests include minimally invasive surgery, cervical disorders, adolescent care and reproductive health. Dr. Chambers is also passionate about educating the next generation of health care professionals and serves as an associate professor at Creighton University School of Medicine - Phoenix and clinical associate professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Arizona.
  
  
• Meredith Hestand, MSN: Meredith Hestand is the chief nursing executive at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. With more than twenty years of maternal child health experience, Meredith is using her expertise to help further labor and delivery services in the East Valley. Meredith has played an integral role in the design and development of Mercy Gilbert’s new Women’s and Children’s Pavilion.

• Brady Heaps, MD: Dr. Brady Heaps is an orthopedic surgeon with the Dignity Health Medical Group and Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. His area of expertise is sports medicine and operative and non-operative sports medicine injuries such as Tommy John surgery, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and meniscal/cartilage repairs. Dr. Heaps also performs ultrasound guided shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle injections; and arthroscopic shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee sports injury reconstructions. 
  
  
• Clifford Jones, MD, FACS, FAAOS, FAOA: Dr. Clifford Jones is an orthopedic surgeon, physician, and medical director of Dignity Health Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute at St. Joseph's. He is dedicated to developing and investigating operative techniques and protocols that have the potential to enhance recovery and improve patient outcomes.  Dr. Jones is affiliated with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and is involved in studies that allow for translation of the civilian wounded and the wounded warriors. He also participates in multi-center studies with grants from the National Institutes of Health concerning hip fracture treatments, outcomes, and protocols. Dr. Jones has provided surgical care for wounded U.S. soldiers as a volunteer surgeon at the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and is a sought-after researcher, professor, and lecturer whose research and book chapters have been nationally recognized in peer-reviewed, high-impact medical journals.

• Charles Hu, MD: Dr. Charles Hu is the medical director of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery at Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center. Under his leadership, Chandler Regional’s Level I Trauma Center has quickly grown into one of the busiest in the Valley. Dr. Hu’s expertise includes management of critically injured patients and emergency general surgery.
  
  
• Jordan Weinberg, MD: Dr. Jordan Weinberg oversees Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center’s Level I Trauma Center, which is one of Arizona’s busiest and largest Level 1 Trauma Centers that treats the most severely injured trauma patients from throughout Arizona. St. Joseph’s Trauma Center provides the level of care that can make the difference between life and death. Dr. Weinberg has been published extensively for his research and  is committed to advancing excellence in trauma care throughout the region to ensure exceptional patient outcomes.