Our Surgeons

Ronald R. Salem, MD earned his medical degree from University of Rhodesia and is a Board Certified Surgeon. Passionate about improving the lives of patients with cancer, he is committed to advancing medical and surgical treatment and integrating the latest techniques and minimally invasive surgery in his clinical practice. He is one of the few surgeons in Connecticut with a high volume practice performing the Whipple procedure. Dr. Salem specializes in malignant and pre-malignant diseases of the pancreas, liver and biliary system, the gall bladder, stomach, colon and rectum, lymphoma, neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract as well as liver tumors in pregnant women. His research includes a special focus on optimizing clinical outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery, combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer and the management of benign and malignant liver tumors. He has received many honors and recognitions, including The Best Doctors, N.Y. Metro Area annually for over ten years; Best Doctors in Connecticut and Top Minimally Invasive Surgeons, NY Metro Area. He was recently awarded the prestigious David and Cindy Lefell Award for clinical excellence, the Yale New Haven Hospital Heroes Award, the Smilow Cancer Center Clinical Award the Alvin Feinstein Teaching Award and has received the Chief Resident in Surgery Teaching Award on seven separate occasions.

Charles H. Cha, MD, FACS earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School and is a Board Certified Surgeon. He completed a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. He is dedicated to advancing surgical techniques for removing tumors and advancing medical knowledge about tumor growth. In his practice, he continually integrates the latest in minimally invasive techniques and surgical technology to provide better outcomes for his patients. Dr. Cha is one of the few surgeons in the region with considerable experience in laparoscopic ablation of hepatic tumors.

He specializes in benign and malignant diseases of the liver, esophagus, stomach, colon, and pancreas. He currently serves as the Director of the Minimally Invasive Hepatopancreatobiliary Program with an specific interest in robotic and laparoscopic surgery for the liver, pancreas and stomach.

Dr. Cha has established an active research laboratory studying the effects of angiogenesis on colorectal and liver malignancy using gene-silencing techniques to silence angiogenic factors leading to decreased tumor growth. His clinical research includes the determination of the diagnostic and therapeutic utility of angiogenic inhibitors for treatment of colorectal and liver cancers. In addition, he is involved in clinical outcomes research in surgery for liver, gastric, esophageal, and colorectal malignancy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database as well as the Connecticut Tumor Registry.

He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his research and teaching, including the American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Award and the Ohse Surgical Research Award.

Dr. Anees Chagpar graduated from the University of Alberta and completed her general surgery residency training and MSc at the University of Saskatchewan. She went on to complete the Susan G. Komen Interdisciplinary Breast Fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, an MPH at Harvard School of Public Health, and an MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of Louisville. After her fellowship, she joined the University of Louisville, where she became the Director of the Multidisciplinary Breast Program at the James Graham Cancer Center and rose through the ranks to become an Associate Professor with tenure. She has taken on leadership positions in various professional organizations, and her clinical practice and research interests are focused on breast cancer.

Learn more about the Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital.

Dr. Horowitz graduated from Columbia University and did her General Surgery residency at Yale University. One of the first women in her residency class, she went on to build and sustain a thriving practice in New Haven and joined the faculty at Yale in 2010 where she has focused solely on breast cancer. She has over 25 years of experience in surgery and is one of the most respected surgeons in the region.

Dr. Killelea completed a MPH at Johns Hopkins prior to graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She went on to do her General Surgery residency training at the St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center and a fellowship in breast surgical oncology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt /Beth Israel Medical Center. She joined the surgical faculty at Yale in 2009 and continues to be a vibrant member of our breast surgical team.

Dr. Lannin graduated from the University of Minnesota where he also completed his General Surgery residency and went on to do a fellowship in oncology funded by the National Institutes of Health. He rose through the ranks to Professor of Surgery at East Carolina University and joined the faculty at Yale in 2002. With nearly 30 years of experience in surgery, he has been instrumental in building The Breast Center -- Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, serving as its Executive Director from 2002 to 2010.

Dr. Tsangaris has been appointed the Medical Director of Breast Services for the Smilow Cancer Hospital Network. He will help us in future endeavors with other campuses, as we develop a more prominent footprint in the state.

Dr. Tsangaris' research interests include breast cancer prevention, identification of tumor markers, and sentinel lymph node dissection, as well as other surgical procedures in the treatment of breast cancer. He is currently Chief of Breast Surgery and Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Breast Center at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve. Dr. Tsangaris will join the Breast Center faculty on July 1, 2012.

Dr. Tsangaris joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in March 2002 as the Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center and the Chief of Breast Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology. He earned his BA at Wake Forest University in 1979, was awarded his MD degree at George Washington University School of Medicine in 1983, completed his General Surgery Residency at George Washington University in Washington, DC, Surgical Breast Oncology Fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, 1990 and attended Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Medicine during the summer of 1994, where he completed their educational program in Clinical Effectiveness. An accomplished surgical oncologist who specializes in breast cancer, he has held several leadership positions prior to joining the Johns Hopkins faculty. These include; Assistant Professor and Acting Chief of Breast Surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York in 1990-1992. Visiting Surgical Consultant for the Saudi-US University Project for King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Saudi Arabia in 1995-1997. Director, Student Clerkships in the Department of Surgery at George Washington University Medical Center also during 1995-1997, and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of the Breast Cancer Center at George Washington University fro 1993-1997. Most recently, from 1997 to February 2002, prior to joining the Johns Hopkins faculty, he was the Director of Breast Surgical Services and Associate Professor of Surgery at Lombardi Cancer Center at the Georgetown University’s Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Tsangaris joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in March 2002 as a nationally renowned breast surgical oncologist with expertise in surgical management as well as a breadth of knowledge and experience in clinical research in the field of breast cancer.