Anton J. Bilchik, MD, PhD, FACS, becomes Chief of Medicine at JWCI

SANTA MONICA, CA, Feb. 13, 2012 — The John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) at Saint

John’s Health Center is pleased to announce the return of Anton J. Bilchik, MD, PhD, FACS, a

highly respected and internationally recognized surgical oncologist. Dr. Bilchik, a former JWCI

Surgical Oncology Fellow, started in the beginning of February as Chief of Medicine and Chief

of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Research Program at JWCI.

“I am very encouraged by the changes I have seen in the past six months and see JWCI and Saint

John’s as well positioned to continue the legacy that Donald L. Morton, MD, started,” Dr. Bilchik

explained. “I regard Dr. Morton not only as a mentor and a friend, but as one of the greatest

surgical oncologists in the world today. His contributions have changed the face of cancer care in

the 21st century, and I cherish the opportunity to work with him again. The recent return of Mark

Faries, MD, from Yale University has already strengthened the translational research program at

JWCI, and I am excited to join him in designing important clinical trials and ‘brainstorming’

about ways of transforming cancer into a curable or chronic illness rather than a terminal event.”

Since it opened at Saint John’s in 1991, JWCI has built its reputation as a top-notch center for

translational cancer research, particularly in melanoma and breast cancer. With Dr. Bilchik’s

guidance, JWCI will expand its national and international presence in gastrointestinal cancer

research. Dr. Bilchik is an excellent clinician, a skilled minimally invasive surgeon who has the

diagnostic intuition essential for managing cancer patients with complex presentations and

potentially advanced disease.

“Having Dr. Bilchik join us greatly improves both the services we are able to offer our patients

and the scope of the research being done at JWCI,” said Lou Lazatin, President and CEO of Saint

John’s and JWCI. “He has already done extensive work with our fellows to create new studies.

His new appointments as Chief of Medicine and Chief of the GI Research Program build on the

continued growth going on with our cancer programs right now.”

Dr. Bilchik was largely responsible for building JWCI’s GI program, and his return will allow

JWCI to expand its clinical trial network for GI cancers. Dr. Bilchik’s return will also be pivotal

in the mentoring of JWCI’s surgical oncology fellows and working with them to develop new

research projects.

“One of the strengths of the JWCI is the fellowship program,” Dr. Bilchik said. “Dr. Morton has

trained more leaders in surgical oncology than anyone else I know. It has always been a privilege

to work with these fellows who sacrifice so much to spend two or three years at the JWCI. I have

been very impressed by the quality of these trainees and value the opportunity to work with them

again.”

Over the past year, Dr. Bilchik has resumed a daily mentorship role for JWCI fellows,

first in the operating room and more recently in the academic aspects of the surgical

oncology training program. His mentorship has already had an effect as two of JWCI’s surgical

oncology fellows, Danielle Hari, MD, and Anna Leung, MD, won ASCO Merit Awards for their

presentations at the ASCO GI Cancers Symposium, held in San Francisco Jan. 19-21. Only 20

young surgeons received awards, most from institutions larger than JWCI. Additionally, fellows

under the mentorship of Dr. Bilchik recently presented their studies at the Southern California

Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, one winning the Young Surgeons Travel Stipend

(awarded to only three surgeons each year).

Dr. Bilchik’s background and experience uniquely qualify him to run JWCI’s clinical and GI

research programs. He received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand

(Johannesburg) and his postdoctoral degree in gastrointestinal physiology at Yale University. He

then became a surgical oncology fellow at JWCI before joining JWCI’s faculty after graduation.

During this time, Dr. Bilchik began his seminal studies of occult nodal disease in colon and GI

cancers. These investigations have been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health

since 2001 and are widely published in the peer-reviewed literature. Dr. Bilchik has been

involved in international multicenter clinical trials in collaboration with California Oncology

Research Institute, UCLA, the United States Military Cancer Institute, and investigators in Israel

and Serbia. Several of the studies he has worked on have been published in high impact peerreview

journals and their findings have helped establish national guidelines and quality measures

for cancer patients. Dr. Bilchik is also spearheading JWCI and Saint John’s participation in

biotech-sponsored research trials, new drug development and tissue procurement.

“I have been working on developing and refining minimally invasive techniques to perform

complex gastrointestinal surgeries, in particular colon, liver and pancreas surgery,” Dr. Bilchik

explained. “As a result, patients are fast-tracked, start eating almost immediately after surgery and

are discharged home within a few days. I also believe in ‘bloodless’ surgery and rarely

transfusing anyone since it is well known that blood loss has a negative effect on cancer.”

Dr. Bilchik has several goals for the continued improvement of JWCI’s programs and research.

One of his biggest ones is to establish JWCI as a center of excellence for all gastrointestinal

cancers and build on Saint John’s reputation as a comprehensive cancer clinic where patients can

benefit from the experience of a multi-disciplinary team of surgeons, medical oncologists and

radiation oncologists.

###

About Saint John’s Health Center 

Since its founding in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Saint John’s Health Center has been providing the

patients and families of Santa Monica, West Los Angeles and ocean communities with breakthrough medicine and

inspired healing. Saint John’s provides a spectrum of treatment and diagnostic services with distinguished areas of

excellence in cancer care, spine, orthopedics, women’s health, cardiac care and specialized programs such as the

internationally acclaimed John Wayne Cancer Institute. Saint John’s is dedicated to bringing to the community the most

innovative advances in medicine and technology. For more information, visit www.newstjohns.org.

About the John Wayne Cancer Institute 

Since 1981, the John Wayne name has been committed by the Wayne family to groundbreaking cancer research and

education in memory of their father, who died of cancer. The John Wayne Cancer Institute has received worldwide

acclaim for advances in melanoma (skin cancer), breast and colon cancer as well as for immune therapy of cancer.

Other areas of research include prostate and liver cancer. With its unique ability to rapidly turn scientific breakthroughs

into innovative approaches to treatment and early detection, the Institute provides immediate hope to cancer patients

around the globe. For more information, visit www.jwci.org.