V. Liana Tsikitis, M.D., M.B.A., M.C.R., FACS, FASCRS (she/her)

  • Professor of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery, School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Vassiliki ‘Liana’ Tsikitis joined the Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery at OHSU in 2011. During her tenure, she completed her Master’s in Clinical Research in 2013, and was promoted to Associate Professor of Surgery in 2014. In 2019, Dr. Tsikitis obtained her Master’s in Business Administration in Health Policy at Brandeis University and was promoted to Professor of Surgery. She currently serves as Head of the Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery and Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of Surgery. 

Within OHSU, Dr. Tsikitis additionally serves as the Chair of the School of Medicine’s Promotion and Tenure Committee. Regionally, Dr. Tsikitis serves as the State Chair for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Nationally, she serves as Colorectal Subcommittee Chair for the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Furthermore, she serves as a question writer for the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons’ written examination and continuous certification assessment (CertLink), and for the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons’ Colon and Rectal Surgery Educational Program (CARSEP). 

Clinically, Dr. Tsikitis specializes in the surgical management of malignant and benign colon and rectal diseases. Her primary focus is on the surgical management of patients with complex inflammatory bowel disease and advanced colon and rectal cancer. Her research focus is on microbial dysbiosis and colorectal neoplasia, and delineating the tumor microenvironment of early onset colorectal cancer. She has received intramural and extramural funding that has supported more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and chapters and has allowed her to serve as a member of editorials boards and as a study reviewer at the NIH. Dr. Tsikitis is an active collaborator and leader on multi-institutional research projects and frequently collaborates with researchers from OHSU’s Department of Cell, Development, and Cancer Biology including the Anand Lab and Wong Lab. She is sought after, regionally and nationally, to lecture on the surgical management colorectal cancer.

Dr. Tsikitis has made significant contributions to service, research, and teaching throughout her career. Her continued dedication has been acknowledged on institutional, regional, and national levels. Her most recent recognitions and accomplishments include being awarded the OHSU Department of Surgery 2022 Distinguished Service Award, being chosen as the Brown University Department of Surgery 2023 Distinguished Alumni Lecturer, and lastly, being selected as a 2022-2023 Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program. 

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • M.D., 2000, Temple University School of Medicine
    • M.C.R., 2013, Oregon Health & Science University
    • M.B.A., 2019, Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management

  • Residency

    • General Surgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 2000-2007

  • Fellowship

    • Colon-Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, MN, 2007-2008

  • Certifications

    • American Board of Surgery (2007; Recertified 2017)
    • American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (2009; Recertified 2017)

Memberships and associations:

  • Association for Academic Surgeons, Finance Committee
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Society
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • American College of Surgeons, Fellow
  • American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
  • Association for Academic Surgery
  • European Society of Coloproctology
  • International Society of Digestive Surgeons
  • International Society of Surgeons
  • Pacific Coast Surgical Association
  • Priestley Society of Mayo Clinic, Council Board
  • Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Research Committee
  • Southwest Oncology Group
  • Society of University Surgeons

Areas of interest

  • Colorectal cancer genetics

Additional information

Honors and awards

  • 2017, American College of Surgeons/American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Health Policy Scholarship recipient: “Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management”
  • 2017, Top Doctors, Portland Monthly Magazine
  • 2013, Department of Surgery Service Excellence Award, Oregon Health & Science University
  • 2010, The Charles F. Zukoski Award for Outstanding Role Model in Surgery, University of Arizona
  • 2007, Haffenreffer Fellow in Medical Sciences, Brown University
  • 2007, Dean's Teaching Excellence Award, Brown University
  • 2007, Brian A. Dorman, M.D., Surgical Education Award, Brown University
  • 2006, Outstanding Resident Physician, Brown University

Publications

Elsevier pure profile

Publications

  • Liver-First Resection in Patients With Synchronous Colorectal Liver Metastases Is Associated With Inferior Recurrence-Free Survival

    Diseases of the colon and rectum
    1. Thomas L. Sutton
    2. Ranish K. Patel
    3. Katherine M. Watson
    4. Ivy H. Gardner
    5. Daniel O. Herzig
    6. V. Liana Tsikitis
    7. Emerson Y. Chen
    8. Skye C. Mayo

  • Combinatorial Inhibition of Complement Factor D and BCL2 for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

    Diseases of the colon and rectum
    1. Shahrose Rahman
    2. Arthur G. Affleck
    3. Rebecca A. Ruhl
    4. Ranish K. Patel
    5. Lina Gao
    6. Brian T. Brinkerhoff
    7. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis
    8. Sudarshan Anand

  • Colonic Microbial Abundances Predict Adenoma Formers

    Annals of surgery
    1. Katherine M. Watson
    2. Ivy H. Gardner
    3. Sudarshan Anand
    4. Kyla N. Siemens
    5. Thomas J. Sharpton
    6. Kristin D. Kasschau
    7. Elizabeth N. Dewey
    8. Robert Martindale
    9. Christopher A. Gaulke
    10. V. Liana Tsikitis

  • Conservative management of malignant colorectal polyps in select cases is safe in long-term follow-up

    American journal of surgery
    1. Marina Affi Koprowski
    2. Thomas L. Sutton
    3. Brian T. Brinkerhoff
    4. Emerson Y. Chen
    5. Nima Nabavizadeh
    6. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Dietary and lifestyle associations with microbiome diversity

    Gut Pathogens
    1. Katherine M. Watson
    2. Kyla N. Siemens
    3. Sudarshan Anand
    4. Ivy H. Gardner
    5. Thomas J. Sharpton
    6. Elizabeth N. Dewey
    7. Robert Martindale
    8. Christopher A. Gaulke
    9. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Early Versus Late Recurrence in Rectal Cancer

    Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
    1. Marina Affi Koprowski
    2. Thomas L. Sutton
    3. Nima Nabavizadeh
    4. Charles Thomas
    5. Emerson Chen
    6. Adel Kardosh
    7. Charles Lopez
    8. Skye C. Mayo
    9. Kim Lu
    10. Daniel Herzig
    11. V. Liana Tsikitis

  • Progression of Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia to Cancer Is Low with Anoscopy Surveillance and Treatment

    Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
    1. Ivy H. Gardner
    2. Katherine M. Watson
    3. Desiree Nguyen
    4. Elizabeth N. Dewey
    5. Karen Deveney
    6. Kim C. Lu
    7. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Transcriptional and Cytotoxic Responses of Human Intestinal Organoids to IFN Types I, II, and III

    ImmunoHorizons
    1. David A. Constant
    2. Jacob A. Van Winkle
    3. Eden VanderHoek
    4. Simone E. Dekker
    5. M. Anthony Sofia
    6. Emilie Regner
    7. Nir Modiano
    8. V. Liana Tsikitis
    9. Timothy J. Nice

  • A Distinct Innate Immune Signature of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer

    ImmunoHorizons
    1. Ivy H. Gardner
    2. Ragavan Siddharthan
    3. Katherine Watson
    4. Elizabeth Dewey
    5. Rebecca Ruhl
    6. Sokchea Khou
    7. Xiangnan Guan
    8. Zheng Xia
    9. V. Liana Tsikitis
    10. Sudarshan Anand

  • Are surgical guideline changes in diverticulitis care associated with decreased inpatient healthcare expenditure?

    Annals of surgery
    1. Saunders Lin
    2. Elizabeth N. Dewey
    3. V. Liana Tsikitis

  • Circulating Hybrid Cells

    Annals of surgical oncology
    1. Brett S. Walker
    2. Thomas L. Sutton
    3. Luai Zarour
    4. John G. Hunter
    5. Stephanie G. Wood
    6. V. Liana Tsikitis
    7. Daniel O. Herzig
    8. Charles D. Lopez
    9. Emerson Y. Chen
    10. Skye C. Mayo
    11. Melissa H. Wong

  • First experience in clinical application of hyperspectral endoscopy for evaluation of colonic polyps

    Journal of Biophotonics
    1. Jonghee Yoon
    2. James Joseph
    3. Dale J. Waterhouse
    4. Charlie Borzy
    5. Kyla Siemens
    6. Sarah Diamond
    7. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis
    8. Sarah E. Bohndiek

  • Relevance of circulating hybrid cells as a non-invasive biomarker for myriad solid tumors

    Scientific Reports
    1. Matthew S. Dietz
    2. Thomas L. Sutton
    3. Brett S. Walker
    4. Charles E. Gast
    5. Luai Zarour
    6. Sidharth K. Sengupta
    7. John R. Swain
    8. Jennifer Eng
    9. Michael Parappilly
    10. Kristen Limbach
    11. Ariana Sattler
    12. Erik Burlingame
    13. Yuki Chin
    14. Austin Gower
    15. Jose L.Montoya Mira
    16. Ajay Sapre
    17. Yu Jui Chiu
    18. Daniel R. Clayburgh
    19. Su Ellen J. Pommier
    20. Jeremy P. Cetnar
    21. Jared M. Fischer
    22. Jerry J. Jaboin
    23. Rodney F. Pommier
    24. Brett C. Sheppard
    25. V. Liana Tsikitis
    26. Alison H. Skalet
    27. Skye C. Mayo
    28. Charles D. Lopez
    29. Joe W. Gray
    30. Gordon B. Mills
    31. Zahi Mitri
    32. Young Hwan Chang
    33. Koei Chin
    34. Melissa H. Wong

  • Differential Expression of PEG10 Contributes to Aggressive Disease in Early Versus Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer

    Diseases of the colon and rectum
    1. Katherine M. Watson
    2. Ivy H. Gardner
    3. Raphael M. Byrne
    4. Rebecca R. Ruhl
    5. Christian P. Lanciault
    6. Elizabeth N. Dewey
    7. Sudarshan Anand
    8. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Early postoperative mortality among patients aged 75 years or older with stage II/III rectal cancer

    JNCCN Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
    1. Helmneh M. Sineshaw
    2. K. Robin Yabroff
    3. V. Liana Tsikitis
    4. Ahmedin Jemal
    5. Timur Mitin

  • Feasibility and benefits of an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotharpy

    American journal of surgery
    1. Ragavan Siddharthan
    2. Elizabeth Dewey
    3. Kevin Billingsley
    4. Erin Gilbert
    5. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Stem Cell Marker Expression in Early Stage Colorectal Cancer is Associated with Recurrent Intestinal Neoplasia

    World journal of surgery
    1. Brett S. Walker
    2. Luai R. Zarour
    3. Nicole Wieghard
    4. Alexandra C. Gallagher
    5. John R. Swain
    6. Sheila Weinmann
    7. Christian Lanciault
    8. Kevin Billingsley
    9. V. Liana Tsikitis
    10. Melissa H. Wong

  • Anal intraepithelial neoplasia

    Annals of Gastroenterology
    1. Ragavan V. Siddharthana
    2. Christian Lanciault
    3. Vassiliki Liana Tsikitis

  • Appendiceal cancer masked as inflammatory appendicitis in the elderly, not an uncommon presentation (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare Analysis)

    Journal of surgical oncology
    1. Ragavan V. Siddharthan
    2. Raphael M. Byrne
    3. Elizabeth Dewey
    4. Robert G. Martindale
    5. Erin W. Gilbert
    6. Vassiliki L. Tsikitis