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Physicians and Surgeons
Richard Birrer MD currently holds the position of associate dean for International affairs for Tufts University School of Medicine. He graduated from the Cornell University, New York in 1975. He then completed a family practice residency at the State University of New York-Kings County
Hospital where he was Chief Resident. He continued his academic career and completed fellowships in sports, emergency, and geriatric medicine. Dr. Birrer's research interests include epidemiology, hypertension, sports injuries, and the management of diabetic ketoacidosis. In additon to his extensive research, citations, and reviews, Dr. Birrer was a Fulbright scholar and Egypt and Fogarty scholar in Russia.
He received the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Service Medal in 1979, an academic scholarship to Harvard, the Parke-Davis Teacher Development Award, AAFP, in 1982, Outstanding Young Man
of America, U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal in 1986, and the Citizen Ambassador to China, People to People International Eisenhower Foundation in 1988. Dr. Birrer was the founder and medical editor for the Gallagher Report and Gallagher Medical Report from 1981 to 1982. In addition, he has been a Consulting Editor and Book Editor, New York State
Journal of Medicine. He was the physician-in-charge of the New Jersey Special Olympics in 1979 and a flight surgeon(Commander) in the US Navy. Dr. Birrer has over 300 peer review publications including 13 textbooks. Recently he completed climbing the seven highest continental summits.
Dr. Uttam K. Sinha graduated with distinction from the Calcutta University, India in 1985. He was invited by the House Ear Institute and University of Southern California where he started his research career in molecular biology of neuroscience and cancer. He then finished residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at USC. He continued to peruse academic career and completed a clinical fellowship in Microvascular and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. He then went to Leon, France to complete a clinical fellowship in laryngology. Subsequently, he joined the faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at USC. Because of his academic achievements, leadership, teaching and research, he became Chief and Residency Program Director for the department. His major areas of research are head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, plastic and reconstructive surgery, trauma, and speech and swallowing. By using nanotechnology, Dr. Sinha and his team are able to detect cancer cell in the saliva and serum. He is also studying the mechanism of metastasis. Dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) is a common symptom following head and neck cancer therapy. Dr. Sinha and his team introduced a novel treatment called neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for rehabilitation of swallowing using a new “platform” technology called BION. He received multiple federal and foundation grants. His dedication to patient care and research made him world authority in head and neck diseases. To further the research endeavors, Dr. Sinha has established collaboration with multiple national and international institutes from England, France, India, China and Mexico. Three years ago Dr. Sinha launched a Patient Survivorship Program (http://hncsupport.org). The Support Group is actively involved in patient education and promoting awareness about head and neck cancer.
Jennifer S. Hui, MD is Board-certified in Neurology and joined the USC faculty in 2004. She attended medical school at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and completed Neurology residency in Chicago at Rush University Medical Center. Her interest in Parkinson’s disease brought her to USC, where she completed a clinical fellowship in Movement Disorders. Dr. Hui’s research interests include the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including dementia, depression, and the behavioral side effects of medication in Parkinson’s patients. She works closely with the DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) program for Parkinson’s disease and other Movement and Psychiatric Disorders at USC. She has ongoing projects studying patient outcomes, expectations, and experiences surrounding their DBS surgery. Current research projects also include the study of compulsive behaviors in Parkinson’s patients, and the effect of exercise on cognition in Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Hui serves as the site investigator for several clinical trials studying Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, and serves as Assistant Program Director for the Neurology Residency training program at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
Dr. Go graduated from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences Medical School in 1989. He later completed an internal medicine internship at Roosevelt Hospital in New York from 1989-90, followed by a diagnostic radiology residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He then came to USC for a two year neuroradiology fellowship, and has remained a faculty member of the Keck School of Medicine ever since. Currently, Dr. Go holds the following academic positions: assistant professor of radiology, assistant director of the neuroradiology fellowship program, director of magnetic resonance imaging and director of head and neck imaging. Dr. Go has been an active participant in radiology at the local, regional and national level. He has previously chaired the Education Committee for the Los Angeles Radiological Society and was president elect for the LARS at the 60th Annual Midwinter Radiology conference on January 26, 2008. He has previously been a member and chair of the Membership Committee for the Western Neuroradiological Society and currently is on the Program Committee. As a senior member of the American Society of Neuroradiology since 1996, he has served on the Electronic Education Committee for the past five years. He is currently a reviewer for the American Journal of Neuroradiology, American Journal of Roentgenology and the journal Radiology; and has been an invited author for multiple textbooks and journals. He has previously co-edited two editions for Neuroimaging Clinics of North America on Intracranial Trauma and Infection.
Linda Liang has worked in a range of occupational therapy practice settings including eleven years at the Keck Medical Center of USC. Her areas of clinical expertise and specialty certifications include neurological rehabilitation, low vision therapy, hand therapy, and lymphedema management. She has been instrumental in program development at the Keck Medical Center of USC, including the Occupational Therapy Low Vision Program at the Keck Medical Center of USC, and the occupational therapy protocol for cognitive assessment of individuals with possible normal pressure hydrocephalus. Linda Liang was an ophthalmologist in China for seven years and blends that medical knowledge and experience with occupational therapy to provide thorough evaluation and effective treatment. She analyzes patients’ conditions and related anatomy, physiology, and pathology to deliver unique occupation-based interventions for optimal results. She also consults with rehabilitation teams and other disciplines. Liang has trained occupational therapy doctoral residents in neurological rehabilitation and low vision evaluation and treatment, and also teaches low vision therapy at the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
Dr. Marisa Perdomo is a physical therapist practicing at USC Physical Therapy Associates on the Health Sciences Campus, the faculty practice for the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She specializes in treating patients with orthopedic and neurologic disorders, cancer treatment related impairments, vestibular dysfunction, and balance and gait impairments. Dr. Perdomo is a member of the Orthopedic Section and the Geriatrics Section of the American Physical Therapy Association and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner. Dr. Perdomo is an Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy in the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She teaches in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program within the Therapeutic Exercise curriculum. She is a faculty instructor in Therapeutic Exercise (PT 530a), the course director for Special Topics in Therapeutic Exercise (PT 530b), and coordinates the Community Exercise Program at the faculty practice. She is also involved with guest lectures and laboratory sessions in topics ranging from neurologic screening and lymphedema evaluation and treatment. For the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Dr. Perdomo instructs the musculoskeletal examination labs for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses.
Dr. Julie E. Lang, MD, FACS is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a fellowship trained breast surgical oncologist and cancer researcher. Her laboratory studies expression profiling of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer as predictive biomarkers. Her team's interests also include translational genomics, inflammatory breast cancer, and radiation-‐induced sarcoma. Dr. Lang completed a surgical residency and postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco in 2006. She went on to complete a breast surgical oncology fellowship at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2007. She served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona Cancer Center for 5 years, where she was Director of Breast Surgical Oncology. Dr. Lang has experience with clinical trials, clinical outcomes studies, basic and translational studies pertaining to breast cancer. Her laboratory has developed a novel circulating tumor cell assay capable of isolating high quality RNA from circulating tumor cells suitable for next generation sequencing. Prospective studies evaluating the prognostic and predictive value of this approach are underway. Additionally, her lab has developed and characterized a novel radiation-‐induced sarcoma cell line. Dr. Lang has been awarded extramural funding for her research studies. Additionally, she has been recognized for her clinical expertise in breast surgical oncology.
Dr. Yamada practices at USC Physical Therapy Associates, a faculty practice of the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She specializes in orthopaedic, neurologic, lymphedema, and oncology related disorders. Dr. Yamada is certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. Dr.Yamada is also a Certified Athletic Trainer and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA),the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA), and the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). Dr.Yamada is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy in the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She teaches in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program for content related to oncology curriculum and therapeutic modalities. She is also a faculty mentor in the Orthopedic Physical Therapy residency program at USC. She is an APTA credentialed clinical instructor for physical therapy student interns. Dr. Yamada along with many of the physical therapists at the faculty practice, instruct the musculoskeletal examination labs for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses at the USC Keck School of Medicine. She has been a guest presenter at the APTA’s annual Combined Sections Meeting and at the International Head and Neck Symposiums.Dr.Yamada is also involved in clinical physical therapy research and has publications related to self-efficacy and low back pain. She is the Healthcare Compliance Liason representing the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She is currently involved in research for lymphedema management and physical therapy after head and neck cancer treatment.