Clinical Trial Experts
Daniela A. Bota, M.D., Ph.D.
- Professor — Department of Neurology, UCI School of Medicine
- Vice Dean, Clinical Research — UCI School of Medicine
- Chief Scientific Officer — Center for Clinical Research
- Director — UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic
- Vice Chair, Academic Affairs — Department of Neurology
- Medical Director — UCI Health Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program
101 The City Drive South, Bldg. 23
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-8000
Email: dbota@uci.edu
- Dr. Daniela A. Bota is a UCI Health neuro-oncologist who specializes in the treatment of primary and metastatic brain and spinal cord tumors, as well as in the neurological complications of cancers.
- Bota is the medical director of the UCI Health Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program and principal investigator on numerous clinical trials, including novel treatments using brain tumor vaccines and the use of electrical fields to inhibit the growth of gliomas.
Bota also serves as vice dean for Clinical Research at the UCI School of Medicine, medical director of the UCI Center for Clinical Research and director of the UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic.
Jefferson W. Chen, M.D., Ph.D., FACS
- Professor — Department of Neurological Surgery
- Vice-Chair — Clinical Affairs, Department of Neurological Surgery
- Director — Neurological Trauma, Neurosurgery Services
UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
101 The City Drive South, Pavilion 1, Bldg. 30
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-6966
Email: jeffewc1@hs.uci.edu
- Dr. Jefferson W. Chen is a board-certified UCI Health neurosurgeon. His clinical interests include neurological trauma and critical care, normal pressure hydrocephalus, stroke and brain tumors. He is a leader in such techniques as multimodal brain monitoring for traumatic brain injury and the use of BrainPath® technology to access deep-seated lesions.
- Chen earned his PhD and medical degrees from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed residencies in general and neurological surgery at UC San Diego. He also completed a fellowship in neurovascular and skull base surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
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His research endeavors include studying the molecular mechanisms and biochemical underpinnings of traumatic brain injury, stroke and the flow of fluids through the brain.
Farshid Dayyani, M.D., Ph.D.
- Professor — Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UCI School of Medicine
- Medical Director — Stern Center for Cancer Clinical Trials & Research, UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC Irvine Health
101 The City Dr. South
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-8161
Email: fdayyani@uci.edu
- Dr. Farshid Dayyani is a board-certified UCI Health medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. His clinical interests include colorectal, stomach and esophageal cancers, and anal carcinoma.
- Dayyani earned his medical degree at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, where he also received a doctoral degree in immunology. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. He also completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
- His goal is to bring leading-edge treatments to patients with gastrointestinal cancers through innovative clinical trials and translational research. He is the author or co-author of more than 40 research papers published in leading medical journals.
Leonid I. Groysman, M.D.
- Associate Clinical Professor
- Neurocritical Care Fellowship Director
University of California, Irvine
101 The City Drive South, Pavilion 1, Bldg. 30
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-7720
Email: lgroysma@uci.edu
- Health neurologist and assistant clinical professor at the Department of Neurology, UCI School of Medicine.
- Specialties include neurocritical care and neurology.
- Director of stroke studies for the Alpha Clinics and assistant clinical director for the Stem Cell Research Center (SCRC).
- Dr. Groysman has been principal investigator and UCI site leader on multiple investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical trials, focused specifically on surgical implantation of stem cell therapeutics in subjects with recent ischemic stroke.
- He has been involved in many clinical trials. Out of many, stem cell research is one of them. Stem Cell Clinic provides the necessary infrastructure, and medical and operational expertise to effectively and efficiently drive novel stem cell therapies to clinical trials and ultimately change clinical practice.
Hirohito Ichii, M.D.
- Professor — Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UCI School of Medicine
Department of Surgery
University of California, Irvine
333 City Boulevard West Suite 1205, Orange CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-8590
Email: hichii@uci.edu
- Associate professor, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UCI School of Medicine
- Specialties include transplant surgery and general surgery
- Clinical interests are islet cell transplantation, kidney transplantation, pancreas transplantation
Xiao-Tang Kong, M.D., Ph.D.
- Associate Clinical Professor
- Clinical Director, Neuro-Oncology Program
Department of Neurology
UC Irvine School of Medicine
200S. Manchester Ave, Suite 206
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-7214
Email: xkong@uci.edu
- Dr. Kong is a board-certified UCI Health Neuro-Oncology specialist in the diagnosis and management of primary brain tumor, CNS lymphoma , and metastatic cancers of the brain and spinal cord, as well as managing neurological complications from cancers and their therapies.
- She is also a neuro-oncology hospitalist who ensures continuity of care for patients during their hospitalization.
- Dr. Kong is deeply involved in managing clinical trials for brain and spinal cord tumors
Nimisha K. Parekh, M.D., MPH, FACG, AGAF
- Professor — Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
- Associate Dean — Faculty Development, UCI School of Medicine
- Director — UCI Health Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program
- Director — Gastroenterology & Hepatology Fellowship Program, Division of Gastroenterology, UCI School of Medicine
University of California Irvine
101 The City Drive, City Tower, Suite 400, Zot 4092
Irvine, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-6745
Clinical Line: 714-456-7358
Email: parekhn@hs.uci.edu
- Dr. Nimisha K. Parekh, a board-certified UCI Health internist and gastroenterologist, is director of the UCI Health Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program. She believes in an integrated approach to managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Her research interests include outcomes in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, clinical trials for new drug therapies to treat IBD, women’s issues and the role of ethnicity in disease outcomes. She also is actively involved in the training of GI fellows, residents and medical students.
- Parekh is co-director of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America-Orange County Chapter. She also is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterology Association, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.
Nicolás Phielipp, M.D.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, UCI School of Medicine
UC Irvine Health
University of California Irvine
1 Medical Plaza Dr., Suite 1323
Irvine, CA 92697
Phone: 949-824-8600
Email: nphielip@uci.edu
- Dr. Phielipp is an assistant professor in the neurology department at UC Irvine Health.
- Research interests include the management of Parkinson's disease and task-specific dystonias such as writer's cramp and musician's, golfer's or tennis player's dystonia. He is also interested in developing techniques to better diagnose Parkinson's disease, understanding the mechanisms involved in deep brain stimulation, and improving the diagnosis and management of movement disorders in general.
- Phielipp's one-year fellowship at the Favaloro Foundation-Institute for Neurosciences in Argentina was under the mentorship of Oscar Gershanik. His three-year fellowship in neurophysiology and movement disorders was under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Chen and Anthony Lang at the University of Toronto.
- Participated in several research projects involving transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of mood and motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the mechanism of deep brain stimulation in cervical dystonia, the mechanism of action of botulinum toxin in the treatment of writer's cramp and musician's dystonia and the treatment of psychogenic/functional tremor
Qin Yang, M.D., P.h.D.
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Physiology and BiophysicsDirector, UC Irvine Diabetes Center
University of California, Irvine
101 The City Drive South, Pavilion 1, Bldg. 30
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714-456-7720
Email: qin.yang@uci.edu
- Dr. Qin Yan is a board-certified, fellowship-trained UCI Health endocrinologist who specializes in diseases and conditions of the endocrine system, including diabetes and metabolic disorders.
- Yang's research interests include the epigenetic regulation of insulin resistance and energy expenditure in obesity and type 2 diabetes. His lab is also developing new methods aimed at selectively raising the metabolic rate of organs involved in obesity. He is the author or co-author of many research studies that have appeared in major peer-reviewed publications.