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.