UNLV Medicine

Dr. James M. Alexander, MD is a professor and chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. A 1991 graduate of the University of Texas at Houston, he went on to complete his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern. After his fellowship, he stayed on as faculty at UTSW where he served in many leadership positions including chief of the obstetrics service.

Dr. John Anooshian, an associate professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, received his medical degree from the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. 

Anooshian completed his general psychiatric residency at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. 

Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, he is medical director and senior psychiatrist at the UNLV Medicine-Mohave Counseling Center. 

Dr. Ovunc Bardakcioglu, an associate professor of surgery at the UNLV School of Medicine, serves as chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery.

Dr. Bardakcioglu was educated in Germany and chose to specialize in general surgery during his residency at Beth Israel Medical Center.

He completed a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.

Prior to becoming the clinical director of The UNLV Ackerman Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Solutions, Dr. Julie F. Beasley was in private practice for 17 years,  providing neuropsychological assessment and treatment for children from birth to 25 years of age.

An assistant professor of pediatrics in the UNLV School of Medicine, Dr. Boneh is a 2012 graduate of the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. She completed her internship and residency at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio in 2015.

Prior to taking her positions with UNLV, she served as chief resident of the University of Nevada School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, where she supervised residents in nursery training.

Dr. Boneh has a particular interest in preventative medicine and medical education.

Dr. Anja Carl is a clinical audiologist and faculty lecturer at the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology in Las Vegas. She was previously a clinical audiologist and guest lecturer under the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

Dr. Amber Champion is originally from Washington state, but has practiced in Baltimore and Nebraska prior to joining the UNLV School of Medicine. She graduated from The Flinders University School of Medicine of South Australia in 2005. She completed Internal Medicine Residency in Spokane, WA, and Endocrinology fellowship at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Dr. Paul Chestovich, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery, graduated from Purdue University with degrees in chemical engineering and biochemistry prior to receiving his medical degree from Indiana University.

He completed a general surgery residency at UCLA and an acute care surgery fellowship at the  University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. He has an active practice in trauma, critical care, burns, and acute care surgery, and is an active performer of clinical research.

Dr. Laura Culley, the UNLV School of Medicine Associate Dean of Community Engagement, has more than 25 years of experience as a board-certified physician in internal medicine, serving in leadership positions with two medical practices in New York City and Las Vegas.

She previously served as medical director of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Culley operated a private practice in New York City and then Las Vegas.

Dr. de Guzman is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and practices general obstetrics and gynecology. His main interests include general obstetrics, family planning, contraception counseling, STD screening and treatment, and gynecological surgical procedures.

Dr. de Guzman worked at the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and its affiliated Harvard University hospitals for the last 3 years prior to joining the UNLV faculty.

Dr. David Di John, an associate professor of pediatrics at the UNLV School of Medicine, and the program director of the UNLV Maternal-HIV program. 

He has more than 30 years of experience in research and treatment of pediatric infectious diseases, including clinical care for women, infants, children and youth with HIV/AIDS. 

He directed a pediatric AIDS clinic in New York, taught clinical pediatrics for 18 years at New York University Medical Center, and served as director of pediatric infectious diseases for Flushing Hospital Medical Center in New York.

Dr. Nora Doyle, the UNLV School of Medicine Assistant Dean for Ultrasound Education as well as a professor of maternal fetal medicine, was named in 2017 as one of America’s Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists by the Consumers Research Council of America.  

Rajany V. Dy, MD graduated from the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute, Manila, The Philippines in 2007. She trained in Internal Medicine at the Yale New Haven Hospital and Pulmonary / Critical Care Medicine at University at Buffalo. She specializes in pulmonary diseases and the care of critically ill patients. Her interests include interstitial lung diseases, COPD, ARDS and fluid management in the ICU. Dr.

Sabrina Eisinga was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She attended Arizona State University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Spanish. Later, she attended Nevada State College where she obtained her Nursing degree. She earned her master’s degree in Nursing with a specific concentration of Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In her free time, she enjoys, traveling, playing tennis, going to the gym, and spending time with her family.

John Fildes, MD, FACS, FCCM, FPCS (Hon) is Professor and Inaugural Chair of the Department of Surgery at the new UNLV School of Medicine (UNLVSOM). He established the first AAST approved fellowship in Acute Care Surgery in the nation and he continues to function as its Program Director.  

In August 2019 Dr. Fildes was appointed UNLV School of Medicine Dean by UNLV President Marta Meana.

Mitchell D. Forman, D.O., is an Osteopathic physician and the Founding Dean and Professor of Medicine at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. During that period of time he also had a busy part-time Rheumatology practice at Touro. He retired as the Dean of Touro’s Medical School in 2016 to practice Rheumatology in the Touro Clinic. He is currently Dean Emeritus and Professor at Touro University Nevada.

Wade Gaal, MD, CAQSM, Assistant Professor Family and Community Medicine received his medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine after receiving his BS in Biochemistry at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 

He completed his specialty training at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Family Medicine Residency program followed by fellowship at the University of Nevada School of Medicine Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship.

He is board certified in Family Medicine with certification of additional qualifications in Sports Medicine.

Dr. Mario J. Gaspar de Alba is responsible for the evaluation and treatment of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities for the UNLV Ackerman Autism Center and Neurodevelopment Solutions. He also assists the UNLV School of Medicine to achieve and maintain a diverse faculty and student body, which in turns creates a culture of inclusion among patients and throughout the entire school.

Dr. Nadia Gomez, an assistant professor of gynecology and director of the minimally invasive gynecology surgery division at the UNLV School of Medicine, became in 2015 the first female physician to perform robotic benign gynecological surgery at University Medical Center, where she is currently the vice chair of the robotics committee.

Dr. John Marshall Ham, a professor of surgery at the UNLV School of Medicine, has performed more than 1,000 kidney transplants in his career, recently reaching a career high of 78 in one year.

Josh Harrold, APRN,  is originally from the East Coast. He went to college at Thomas Jefferson University, where he got both his BSN and MSN, with a concentration in pediatric primary care. Josh has a particular interest in developmental pediatrics. 

Josh has been practicing as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner for five years.

Josh has five years experience in pediatric primary care, three of which he served in the United States Air Force. 

Dr. Sara Hunt, an assistant dean of behavioral health sciences with the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, also serves as director of the UNLV Mental and Behavioral Health Coalition. 

She completed her doctorate in psychology at Utah State University. Dr. Hunt completed her pre-doctoral internship in Toronto, Canada. Her research and clinical interests have focused on individuals with chronic health concerns. 

Dr. Jayaraj earned his medical degree from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Inda. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency training at University of Nevada School of Medicine, Las Vegas. He completed his Gastroenterology Fellowship at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Jayaraj’s clinical interest include prevention of colorectal cancer by screening and surveilance colonoscopy, general hepatology and bariatric endoscopy. 

Dr. Jones-Betancourt is originally from Vista, CA located in San Diego county. She was the first person to attend college at the University of California, Berkeley where she studied environmental biology with an emphasis on human health. She attended University of California, Davis for medical school where she was involved with student run clinics and the Latino Medical Student Association. She completed her residency training at University of Southern California Los Angeles county. Dr.

Dr. Oriaku A. Kas-Osoka, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, is one of the few Southern Nevada physicians who specializes in adolescent medicine.

With an educational background that includes a fellowship in adolescent medicine from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Kas-Osoka appreciates that working in academic medicine allows her to work with both patients and students.

Dr. Nazia Khan, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, received her medical degree at Dow Medical College in Pakistan.

Board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine, she completed a residency at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine.

Her research includes work done at the LDS Hospital Cardiovascular Research Division in Salt Lake City, UT. 

Dr. Daniel Kirgan, a professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is currently vice chair of the department, and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology. 

A graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine, he completed his general surgical residency at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. Following completion of his residency, Dr. Kirgan did a two-year surgical oncology fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in California. 

Dr. David Kuykendall, an assistant professor with the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine, is proud of his community-focused and volunteer activities, which include assisting with Volunteers of Medicine of Southern Nevada, the Nevada Obstetrical Charity Clinic and participating in the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program to identify people exposed to radiation at the Nevada Test Site. 

Dr. Eden Lee currently serves as associate director of Psychiatry Residency Training Program for UNLV School of Medicine.

She is a teaching attending for Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Dr. Lee attended medical school at De La Salle University Health Sciences Institute in the Philippines. She completed her residency at Case Western University-MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Lee is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Kate Martin, an associate professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine, developed a health assessment and promotion program to improve the quality of life for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. 

Serving as the medical school’s director of community engagement, Dr. Martin is also the residency program director for the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine. 

Dr. McNickle, an Assistant Professor at the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is the Section Chief of Emergency General Surgery.

Dr. McNickle earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College and completed her General Surgery Residency at the University of Illinois-Chicago at Mount Sinai Hospital. She completed her Acute Care Surgery Fellowship at University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Dr. McNickle is Board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care.

Dr. Rebecca Meyers joined the UNLV faculty in 2017 as a pediatric hospitalist. 

Her primary clinical roles include caring for hospitalized children at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. In addition, she is involved in medical education by instructing resident physicians and medical students during their inpatient service. Dr. Meyers’s professional interests include the care of medically complex children and pediatric transplant recipients, as well as quality improvement. 

Dr. Evelyn Montalvo Stanton, who completed a research fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, the New York City medical school where she later taught, is the chair of the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

A graduate of  Rutgers New Jersey Medical School — she subsequently held an appointment there as a clinical associate professor of pediatrics — Dr. Montalvo Stanton also served in New Jersey as Barnabas Health Medical Group’s Division Director of Pediatric Pulmonology.

Beverly A. Neyland, professor of Pediatrics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine, earned the B.S. degree from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the M.D. degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Additional training includes an externship at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia; an internship at the Long Beach Memorial Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, California; and pediatric residency at the UCLA/Harbor General Hospital in Torrance, California. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Gordon Ohning, a professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, graduated from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa and a fellowship in gastroenterology from UCLA. 

After 30 years as a professor at UCLA — he also was a prolific researcher with the CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center there — Ohning said the opportunity to help create the new UNLV School of Medicine was too good to pass up. 

Dr. Charissa A. Olson, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, has had her research published on women’s chronic pelvic pain in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management. 

A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, she completed her residency at Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio. 

Dr. Lianne Ong, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Family & Community Medicine, has served as the UNLV Student Health Center Latent Tuberculosis Treatment Program Coordinator. 

Board certified in family medicine, she said she appreciates that academic medicine allows her to work with medical students and to provide her patients with evidence-based care. 

Her medical interests are providing care to women, adolescents, and children. 

Dr. David Parks, a pediatric pulmonologist and associate professor in the UNLV School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, believes that patient education and establishing rapport with patients and their families are essential to the art of medicine.

For asthma patients, he developed a two-page “asthma action plan” that details what they should do while living with asthma, how to use an inhaler, and the actions to take when different symptoms arise.

Dr. Fateh Peera, who at the University of Arizona College of Medicine studied the importance of calories obtained from beverages as a contributing factor to obesity in children, joined UNLV Medicine as a pediatrician in 2018. 

A 2007 graduate of the University of Arizona College of Medicine where he also completed his residency program in pediatrics, he worked as a pediatrician in Tucson, AZ for five years before becoming an assistant professor of pediatrics at Texas Tech University in 2015. 

Dr. Pistorio is originally from Maryland. She worked in biomedical research for ten years prior to medical school.  She completed her undergraduate degree at Thomas Edison State College in animal science and her master’s degree in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Jahan Z Riaz is a graduate of Quaid-e-Azam Medical College,Pakistan. He did Internal Medicine Residency Training at St Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Riaz has worked as a Hospital Medicine Specialist at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff, Arkansas and the Veterans Hospital, that is also in Little Rock. He has served as a part-time Clinical Instructor at the University Of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor and Attending Physician at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine.

Dr. Arthur Oliver Romero, an assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, graduated from the University of Philippines College of Medicine. 

He specializes in pulmonary critical care medicine and internal medicine.

Dr. Romero is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and internal medicine.

Dr. Ashley Sarasan, who completed a fellowship in geriatrics at the Mayo Clinic, is a UNLV School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with clinical interests that include Parkinson’s disease, end of life care and Alzheimer’s disease.

A graduate of India’s M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Dr. Sarasan completed her residency in internal medicine at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers  Biomedical and Health Sciences in New Jersey.

Dr. Michael Scheidler, an associate professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. 

Board certified in general and pediatric surgery. Dr. Scheidler’s clinical interests include neonatal surgery, thoracic surgery, pediatric bariatric surgery, pediatric surgical oncology, and pediatric laparoscopy.

A member of the American College of Surgeons and American Pediatric Surgical Association, Dr. Scheidler attended University of Pittsburgh and graduated from the Temple University School of Medicine.

Dr. Joseph Shea, M.D. specializes in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Family Medicine.

He most recently completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Medicine where he also obtained advanced Family Medicine Obstetrics fellowship training.

His prior residency training in Family Medicine was completed through the University of Connecticut.

An academic background in sociology and public health has served as a catalyst for Dr. Dodds Simangan’s approach to pediatric medicine. That educational framework, says the assistant professor in the UNLV School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, led to an understanding that medicine and community are directly intertwined. During medical school, he took part in a service-centered education model, training in underserved areas of Hawaii and volunteering in social justice and community outreach organizations.

Brandon T. Snook, MD, FACS

General Surgery, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care

Dr.  Snook, an associate professor with the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is a trauma surgeon who is board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care.

A graduate of the Boston University School of Medicine, he completed surgical residency with the US Air Force at Keesler Medical Center in Mississippi, and went on to do an acute care surgery fellowship at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine.

Dr. Spinner is a board-certified otolaryngologist with additional fellowship training in the area of Pediatric Otolaryngology.

Her scope of practice encompasses all aspects of pediatric head and neck disease including disorders of the ear, complex airway disease, cleft lip and palate, sleep disturbances, neck masses, and sinus conditions.

Dr. Joseph Thornton, an associate professor with the UNLV School of Medicine, has been a practicing colon and rectal surgeon in Las Vegas for more than 25 years.

A graduate of Meharry Medical College in Nashville who later did a colon rectal surgery fellowship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Dr. Thornton is board certified in colon and rectal surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Dr. Sandhya Wahi-Gururaj, an associate professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, is a board-certified general internist and currently serves as the internal medicine residency program director. 

A member of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Wahi-Gururaj has helped to shape curricula and training programs for local fellows and residents while maintaining a clinical presence that centers on establishing long-lasting, communicative relationships with her primary care patients.

Dr. Robert Wang, a professor, and chair of otolaryngology at the UNLV School of Medicine has more than 30 years of experience in dealing with conditions of the ear, nose, and throat and related structures of the head and neck.

With expertise in head and neck cancer treatment, Dr. Wang runs the sole head and neck tumor board in Las Vegas, partnering with Dr. Oluwafunmilola Okuyemi who performs the reconstruction.  Dr. Wang performs robotic-assisted as well as laser surgery for cancers.

Dr. David Weismiller, a professor in the UNLV School of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine, is known nationally for educating his colleagues through many learning activities and venues. 

He has developed and presented continuing education courses to physicians through the AAFP “Board Review Express Course Series” since 2005. He also has educated colleagues through an AAFP webcast series covering multiple topics, ranging from geriatrics and primary care to treatment of blood cholesterol and sports concussions.

Ji Won Yoo, MD, is a Korean-speaking clinician and health service researcher with a long-term goal to improve decision-making processes and clinical outcomes for vulnerable adults who can easily lose their healthy and happy lives. As a primary care physician and geriatrician, he provides both ambulatory and inpatient care services. He also participates in various formal and informal clinical research mentoring activities for medical students, postgraduate trainees, and visiting scholars at University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine and School of Public Health.