Anton J. Bilchik, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.

Medical Director, California Oncology Research Institute

Dr. Bilchik is Co-Founder and Medical Director for the California Oncology Research Institute (CORI) and is Professor of Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Internationally recognized for his research in surgical oncology and gastrointestinal malignancies, Dr. Bilchik directs and manages the treatment and research of all gastrointestinal cancers at CORI. As a leader in gastrointestinal research, he has pioneered a novel surgical approach for the laparoscopic staging of colon cancer, along with minimally invasive approaches for the destruction of liver tumors. Drawing from his surgical innovations, he focuses his scientific research to include molecular profiling, the staging of gastrointestinal cancers, and immunotherapy. Dr. Bilchik is concentrating on providing a multidisciplinary approach with scientific research to improve the understanding of cancer, while individualizing therapy for all of his patients using both novel surgical and scientific methods. 

Prior to co-founding CORI, Dr. Bilchik served as the Director of the Gastrointestinal Research Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. As a member of the faculty, he was responsible for training and mentoring fellows participating in JWCI’s prestigious fellowship program for surgical oncology. Dr. Bilchik has published more than 170 peer review journals and editorials, and was invited globally to lecture, present, and participate in various consensus panels in cancer research. He continues to collaborate with surgeons and scientists throughout the world.

In addition to his distinguished career at JWCI, Dr. Bilchik has received numerous awards and accolades. He has been honored by the American Cancer Society, the University of Leiden, and is listed as one of “The Best Doctors in America” and one of “Americas Top Surgeons.” Dr. Bilchik is also the recipient of numerous grants for cancer research, including the National Cancer Institute for colon cancer. He is an active member for the editorial board of four cancer journals, participates on the executive council for two, leading national medical societies, and was asked to join the National Cancer Institute study section that awards clinical trial grants in research. Most recently, Dr. Bilchik was elected to the American Surgical Association, the most prestigious surgical society in the United States. He has appeared on several news stations discussing breakthroughs in cancer research and most recently was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN.

He received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, and completed his PhD in gastrointestinal physiology at Yale University. He performed residency in general surgery at UCLA, where he received the Golden Apple award for teaching excellence, and where he retains an appointment. Before serving as a faculty member at JWCI, Dr. Bilchik completed JWCI’s surgical oncology fellowship training program.