UC San Diego Health Vascular Surgery

10/10/2026

Could your cholesterol numbers be missing part of the picture?

Experts like Harpreet Bhatia, MD, MAS, FACC, cardiologist at UC San Diego Health, discuss advanced tests that can provide a more complete view of heart disease risk, including Lipoprotein(a), a largely inherited risk factor that often goes undetected.

Standard cholesterol screening does not always tell the full story. Learn how ApoB, Lp(a) and coronary artery calcium tests can provide added insight into cardiovascular risk.

10/09/2026

After being told his liver cancer was untreatable, Ricardo Navarro refused to accept that there were no options left. Seeking a second opinion led him to Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, where a multidisciplinary team, including Adam Burgoyne, MD, PhD and Yuko Kono, MD, PhD, developed a personalized treatment plan that included enrollment in a clinical trial.

The immunotherapy helped shrink his tumors, ultimately making him eligible for a life-saving liver transplant. Today, Navarro has no evidence of disease and is sharing his story to inspire others to seek expert care, ask questions and hold on to hope when facing a cancer diagnosis.

Patient with liver cancer receives life-saving care by enrolling in an immunotherpay clinical trial at UC San Diego Health.

10/08/2026

For many young breast cancer survivors, the end of treatment isn't always the end of the struggle. 💗

Anette Nelson, Lilly Ribner and Kaitlin Pettersen share the often-overlooked challenges of survivorship, including the uncertainty, fear and isolation that can emerge when appointments end and life is expected to return to normal. Through young survivor wellness retreats and support groups at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, they found something invaluable: a community of people who truly understand.

"It’s shocking because you’re not even thinking about what comes at the end — you can’t be,” said Lilly Ribner. You’re too present in it. Then suddenly you arrive at this milestone and everything floods in, and you’re thinking, ‘Wait, now what?’ I’m grateful to be alive, but what just happened to me and where am I supposed to go now? All that support, all the doctor’s visits … everything you knew just suddenly stops. And you’re left with this burned-to-the-ground version of who you were."

Read how these women turned shared experience into lasting bonds and found hope, healing and strength together.

Three young breast cancer survivors share the unexpected struggle that surfaces after cancer diagnosis and treatment are over, and how UC San Diego Health survivorship retreats and support groups have helped them cope

10/08/2026

Supporting physician well-being is essential to delivering exceptional patient care. 💙

UC San Diego Health has earned a gold designation from the AMA's Joy in Medicine™ program for 2026-27, recognizing its strong commitment to reducing physician burnout and fostering professional fulfillment among clinicians. In this Q&A, Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD, director of physician wellness, shares how these efforts are helping physicians thrive and rediscover the joy in medicine.

Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD, reflects on the importance of focusing on physician wellness in this Q&A.

10/07/2026

From prevention and early detection to the latest targeted therapies and clinical trials, UC San Diego Health is advancing care for women with gynecologic cancers.

Michael McHale, MD, discusses how research, education and innovation are helping expand treatment options while delivering personalized care throughout every stage of the cancer journey.

10/05/2026

Nine years cancer free. 💗

In 2017, at just 39 years old and with two young children, Michelle Brubaker was diagnosed with aggressive Stage 2B breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. She also tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation.

What followed was nearly two years of chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation, reconstruction, two clinical trials and countless appointments, tests and scans. Through it all, Michelle found strength in her family, her care team and the community surrounding her at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.

Now, she is celebrating nine years in remission — a milestone that once felt impossible to imagine.

"During the early days of my diagnosis, a survivor told me I would one day find the gifts from the journey. I didn't understand at the time. I almost didn't believe her. I have learned she was right," she said. "My life is even more vibrant now with new perspectives and deep gratitude."

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Michelle’s story is a reminder of the importance of early detection and why advancing cancer care matters. Clinical trials give patients access to promising new treatments and help researchers discover better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer. Every treatment available today exists because patients and researchers participated in clinical research. Clinical trials can open doors to new options and, ultimately, help save lives.

At Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, patients have access to a wide range of cancer clinical trials alongside multidisciplinary, personalized care.

Michelle is forever grateful for the people who walked beside her, and for the research and innovation in cancer care that continue to give patients hope.

health.ucsd.edu/care/cancer/cancers-we-treat/breast/

10/04/2026

Every pregnancy journey is different, and some require specialized care. Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, MD, perinatologist at UC San Diego Health, shares her path from immigrating from Peru and overcoming setbacks on her journey to medicine to becoming a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UC San Diego Health.

Today, she cares for patients with complex pregnancies, using her bilingual skills and cultural understanding to build trust, support families and help achieve healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, M.D., is a UC San Diego Health perinatologist and professor who cares for patients with complex pregnancies, including those affected by diabetes. She explains how immigrating from Peru, learning from her grandmother and wanting to serve Spanish-speaking communities shaped her....

10/03/2026

What if cancer treatment was designed for your cancer and no one else’s?

A groundbreaking study led by Jason Sicklick, MD, surgical oncologist at UC San Diego Health and professor of surgery and pharmacology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, found that tailoring treatment based on the unique DNA of a patient’s tumor can significantly improve outcomes. In the first clinical trial of its kind, researchers showed that personalized, biomarker-guided therapies were safe, effective and associated with better response and survival rates. This research brings us one step closer to a future of truly individualized cancer care.

First global trial shows tumor DNA-guided cancer therapy is safe and effective, improving outcomes through personalized drug combinations in oncology care.

10/02/2026

As chronic brain bleeds become increasingly common among older adults, UC San Diego Health is bringing the latest advances in minimally invasive neurosurgery to patients who need them most.

As the first health system on the West Coast to use new technologies for treating chronic subdural hematoma, a common type of brain bleed, UC San Diego Health is expanding treatment options and helping shape the future of neurological care. These innovations may help reduce the need for repeat procedures, improve patient outcomes and give physicians more flexibility to tailor treatment to each individual's needs.

"Chronic subdural hematoma is an increasingly common condition in neurosurgery and patients benefit from minimally invasive approaches that can reduce the need for repeat operations," said Santiago-Dieppa, MD, cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health.

"The patient at UC San Diego Health treated with this new coil technology is recovering well, which is encouraging as we continue to evaluate its potential. At the same time, advances in both coil-based and liquid embolization technologies are giving physicians more options to tailor treatment to each patient's anatomy and clinical needs. Our hope is that these innovations will help us more consistently treat the source of these brain bleeds and improve outcomes for patients."

Learn more about how our experts are helping shape the future of brain care:

Novel treatments may improve outcomes for chronic subdural hematoma, a common brain bleed, by enabling more complete artery closure.

10/01/2026

When physicians across San Diego County are asked who they would trust to care for their own family members, more than 115 UC San Diego Health doctors earned recognition as San Diego Top Doctors.

This peer-selected honor highlights the extraordinary expertise, innovation and compassion our physicians bring to patients every day across nearly 50 specialties.

“To be recognized by fellow physicians is an especially meaningful honor, because it demonstrates the respect and trust earned from peers who understand the rigors of practicing medicine — and the dedication required to excel in it,” said Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health. “This distinction is an affirmation of our doctors’ commitment to improving patients’ lives through groundbreaking research, innovation, and compassionate care.”

More than 115 UC San Diego Health physicians celebrated as the best on the annual San Diego Magazine Top Docs peer rankings.