Uy Shirley, MD

Dr. Joseph Pisegna is Professor of Medicine at UCLA and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Dr. Pisegna is interested in the molecular pharmacology of hormones and receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, especially the diagnosis and management of islet cell tumors of the pancreas, including the Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. These research and clinical interests derive from research in the biochemistry and physiology of neuroendocrine tumors. While a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Pisegna first developed a clinical interest in the Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (ZES), where he discovered and cloned the receptor for gastrin and named it the cholecystokinin B receptor. More recently, Dr. Pisegna has demonstrated that receptors for gastrin are present in the kidney and mediate food-induced regulation of salt excretion. Dr. Pisegna was recruited to the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Center for Ulcer Research and Education (CURE) in 1996. He is a recipient of the VA Career Development Award at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. His addition to the faculty of the UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases provides unsurpassed expertise in the diagnosis and medical management of pancreatic endocrine tumors.

Dr. William Carroll is an internist who practices both traditional primary care and complex medical care for the UCLA Health Extensivist Program in Westwood. He is board certified in internal medicine, and uses evidence-based methods and a multidisciplinary team approach to improve health outcomes for patients.Dr. Carroll received his medical degree from St. George's University. He completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine at New York's Stony Brook University Hospital, where he went on to complete his chief medical residency. He received his undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.Outside of the clinic, Dr. Carroll engages in clinical research on how to improve the quality and safety of opioid prescription for the use of non-cancer related pain. He also conducts research on how to improve the way that social determinants of health are addressed in patient populations.He is a strong advocate for improving patient care and graduate medical education in the David Geffen school of Medicine and UCLA. He continues to advocate for improvements in our health care system while working with the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Szilagyi is a pediatric health services and clinical researcher with an overall mission to improve access to healthcare, quality of care, and health outcomes for children. He has focused his research on improving the delivery of healthcare in primary care and other settings in three related areas: immunization delivery, healthcare financing, and improved care for children with chronic diseases. His immunization delivery studies have led to national recommendations for vaccine financing, evidence-based strategies in primary care to raise immunization rates, a renewed focus on HPV vaccinations and influenza vaccinations, and use of technology to improve immunization delivery. His studies on healthcare financing for children contributed heavily to the passage of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP, now known as CHIP) in 1998, the SCHIP reauthorization debate in 2008, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), and the recent reauthorization of CHIP in 2015. In collaboration with many others, his studies on common chronic diseases of childhood and adolescence have contributed to improved management, care coordination, and building of medical homes to improve the care of children with chronic conditions such as asthma, mental health, behavioral, and developmental conditions, and childhood obesity. His work has extended far beyond academics - he has advised CDC on immunization strategies, advised federal and state policy-makers on health insurance for children, and has been appointed to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a prestigious organization that advised Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services about Medicaid and CHIP. He is also a national leader in pediatric education, particularly in training academic general pediatric fellows and in building the field of health services researchers. In 2016 he was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) which makes recommendations about vaccinations for the nation's child, adolescent and adult population. Contact Information: PSzilagyi@mednet.ucla.edu