About Us
Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine is a new center that offers state-of-the-art cancer care. We have a dedicated team of experienced medical professionals who are committed to providing personalized care.
At the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine, (CSSIFM), we appreciate the differences between each individual and how treatment affects everyone differently. We care about the things that make you unique. This outlook informs every element of your experience with us, from the compassionate care of our staff to the treatment options we design for you. Our experienced medical oncologists obtain the most comprehensive molecular diagnostics available, so that, together, we can make the best treatment decision for you. In some cases, this means enrolling in a clinical trial, or creating a unique treatment regimen, or administering standard of care.
Our dedicated medical staff consisting of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse educators, social worker and dietician will support you along your treatment journey.
Our Guiding Principles
Our greatest satisfaction comes from taking care of our patients. Our goal is to provide patients with the highest level of expertise, as well as continuity of care. Our years of experience provide us with unique skills so that we deliver care in a compassionate, comfortable, clean, and safe environment.
We imagine the impossible. We learn from the past to lead the way into the future. We work collectively to achieve our vision.
We are committed to delivering medical breakthroughs that defeat cancer and improve the health and wellness that every man, woman, and child deserve.
El Segundo
Meet the Team
Chaitali Nangia, MD
Chaitali Nangia, MD is the Director of Head and Neck Oncology for the Verity Health System.
Dr. Nangia is a nationally renowned medical oncologist who provides leadership and active involvement in clinical trials focusing on immune oncology, precision care, biologics, targeted drugs and hormonal agents. With her expertise in the breast, head, and neck cancers she treats, she focuses on survivorship, quality of life, patient reported outcome and symptom management. Her goal is for each patient to have a high quality of life during and after treatment.
Dr. Nangia is published in many areas, including head and neck cancers, breast cancers, thyroid cancers, salivary gland tumors, rare tumors and skin cancers. Most recently, she practiced at UC Irvine where she was the HS Associate Clinical professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology and the Associate Program Director for the hematology oncology fellowship program. Dr. Nangia has received many awards, including Teacher of the Year for UC Irvine’s Hematology Oncology Division for an impressive three times in a row, NCI Clinician Award and Orange County Medical Association Physician of Excellence award.
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Dr. Nangia is a nationally renowned medical oncologist who provides leadership and active involvement in clinical trials focusing on immune oncology, precision care, biologics, targeted drugs and hormonal agents. With her expertise in the breast, head, and neck cancers she treats, she focuses on survivorship, quality of life, patient reported outcome and symptom management. Her goal is for each patient to have a high quality of life during and after treatment.
Dr. Nangia is published in many areas, including head and neck cancers, breast cancers, thyroid cancers, salivary gland tumors, rare tumors and skin cancers. Most recently, she practiced at UC Irvine where she was the HS Associate Clinical professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology and the Associate Program Director for the hematology oncology fellowship program. Dr. Nangia has received many awards, including Teacher of the Year for UC Irvine’s Hematology Oncology Division for an impressive three times in a row, NCI Clinician Award and Orange County Medical Association Physician of Excellence award.
Tara E. Seery, MD
Dr. Tara E. Seery is a medical oncologist who specializes in treating cancers of the pancreas, esophagus, colon, rectum, anus, and liver. She has extensive experience in pancreatic cancer, including multiple publications, and is one of the highest enrollers in an early phase pancreatic cancer trial.
Dr. Seery received her M.D. from University College Dublin School of Medicine after receiving her B.S. from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Seery did her residency and fellowship training in hematology/oncology at Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston and completed her fellowship training at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Most recently, Dr. Seery was an Associate Professor at UC Irvine in the Division of Hematology Oncology where she received the prestigious C. Ronal Koons, M.D. Humanitarian Award for service and compassion to patients.
Compassion and hope have driven Dr. Seery toward specializing in gastro-intestinal cancers. Although no one in her family is in medicine, she has been passionate about becoming a physician since she was five years old. Dr. Seery states that “joining CSSIFM is exciting because we are offering patients more hope, a better quality of life, and our future is to cure cancer.” Her plan is to help lead the pancreatic cancer studies for CSSIFM.
She enjoys teaching and was recently featured at the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Annual Lecture Series. Her research experience includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy and intraoperative chemotherapy for resectable pancreatic cancer and Corydalis Yanhusuo for prevention of chemotherapy induced neuropathy. She has been the primary investigator for 20 oncology trials. Dr. Seery has been published numerous times, has many abstracts, and is an invited speaker around the world.
Dr. Seery has lived in Southern California since 2010, enjoys running and spending time with her husband and young daughter.
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Dr. Seery received her M.D. from University College Dublin School of Medicine after receiving her B.S. from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Seery did her residency and fellowship training in hematology/oncology at Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston and completed her fellowship training at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Most recently, Dr. Seery was an Associate Professor at UC Irvine in the Division of Hematology Oncology where she received the prestigious C. Ronal Koons, M.D. Humanitarian Award for service and compassion to patients.
Compassion and hope have driven Dr. Seery toward specializing in gastro-intestinal cancers. Although no one in her family is in medicine, she has been passionate about becoming a physician since she was five years old. Dr. Seery states that “joining CSSIFM is exciting because we are offering patients more hope, a better quality of life, and our future is to cure cancer.” Her plan is to help lead the pancreatic cancer studies for CSSIFM.
She enjoys teaching and was recently featured at the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Annual Lecture Series. Her research experience includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy and intraoperative chemotherapy for resectable pancreatic cancer and Corydalis Yanhusuo for prevention of chemotherapy induced neuropathy. She has been the primary investigator for 20 oncology trials. Dr. Seery has been published numerous times, has many abstracts, and is an invited speaker around the world.
Dr. Seery has lived in Southern California since 2010, enjoys running and spending time with her husband and young daughter.
Katayoun Moini,
MHS, PA-C, RD, CNSC
Physician Assistant
Professor Moini is a PA at CSSIFM with over 15 years of experience in hematology and oncology. She is certified through the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and licensed as a PA by the State of California and Connecticut. Moini holds a Master of Health Science Physician Assistant degree, Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition and is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). In addition to medically managing patients, she creates and incorporates individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy into patient care, including oncology specific nutrition support guidelines and educational resources.
Moini is the founder and owner of 2MPOWER. Which was created to improve medical care through holistic medical education of both future and current medical providers. The mission of 2MPOWER! is to develop medical providers who practice the ART of medicine with COURAGE and EMPOWER patients to be knowledgeable, healthy and educated!
Prof. Moini is the founding former PA Program Director for the Master of Health Science PA Program at Charles R. Drew University (CDU). At CDU she built a PA Program centered around social justice, holistic patient care and holistic medical education. She incorporated social determinants of disease and medical nutrition therapy throughout the curriculum and successfully obtained Accreditation Provisional status for the program in April 2016. She graduated the program’s inaugural class in 2018 with a resounding overall board pass rate of 100% and lead the students to a 3rd place (out of 104 teams) victory at the National Challenge Bowl competition.
Additional experience includes teaching for Yale’s online PA Program where she created a clinical nutrition course and CME program; teaching for Touro University’s PA Program; Educational Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor Quinnipiac University (QU) PA Program; Assistant Professor QU Department of Medical Sciences, and extensive experience as a PA in a number of clinical settings, with an area of specialty in hematology/oncology and blood and marrow transplantation.
Moini was a member of the U.S. Inline Hockey Team and competed at several World Inline Hockey tournaments. She also has a nationally registered therapy dog named Luci that is an ambassador for her breed. Luci, an American Staffordshire Pitbull Terrier, specializes in working with children with learning disabilities and makes a fantastic skating companion along the boardwalk in Hermosa Beach!
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Moini is the founder and owner of 2MPOWER. Which was created to improve medical care through holistic medical education of both future and current medical providers. The mission of 2MPOWER! is to develop medical providers who practice the ART of medicine with COURAGE and EMPOWER patients to be knowledgeable, healthy and educated!
Prof. Moini is the founding former PA Program Director for the Master of Health Science PA Program at Charles R. Drew University (CDU). At CDU she built a PA Program centered around social justice, holistic patient care and holistic medical education. She incorporated social determinants of disease and medical nutrition therapy throughout the curriculum and successfully obtained Accreditation Provisional status for the program in April 2016. She graduated the program’s inaugural class in 2018 with a resounding overall board pass rate of 100% and lead the students to a 3rd place (out of 104 teams) victory at the National Challenge Bowl competition.
Additional experience includes teaching for Yale’s online PA Program where she created a clinical nutrition course and CME program; teaching for Touro University’s PA Program; Educational Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor Quinnipiac University (QU) PA Program; Assistant Professor QU Department of Medical Sciences, and extensive experience as a PA in a number of clinical settings, with an area of specialty in hematology/oncology and blood and marrow transplantation.
Moini was a member of the U.S. Inline Hockey Team and competed at several World Inline Hockey tournaments. She also has a nationally registered therapy dog named Luci that is an ambassador for her breed. Luci, an American Staffordshire Pitbull Terrier, specializes in working with children with learning disabilities and makes a fantastic skating companion along the boardwalk in Hermosa Beach!
Nursing
Karen Fayssoux
RN, Infusion Nurse
Pharmacy
Sharon Denison
Research Pharmacist
Sharon received her undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego, and her Pharm.D. degree from University of California, San Francisco.
She is responsible for providing oversight of the pharmacy and investigational drugs. Sharon brings more than 25 years of experience as an investigational drug pharmacist to the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine. Prior to joining CSSIFM in 2017, Sharon was an investigational drug pharmacist at the City of Hope.
When not at work, Sharon is an active volunteer with the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. She also visits at assisted living facilities with her two certified therapy dogs. She enjoys paper crafting and teaching classes at an assisted living facility.
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She is responsible for providing oversight of the pharmacy and investigational drugs. Sharon brings more than 25 years of experience as an investigational drug pharmacist to the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine. Prior to joining CSSIFM in 2017, Sharon was an investigational drug pharmacist at the City of Hope.
When not at work, Sharon is an active volunteer with the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. She also visits at assisted living facilities with her two certified therapy dogs. She enjoys paper crafting and teaching classes at an assisted living facility.
Apheresis
Wendy Beron
RN, Manager, Apheresis
I have been a registered nurse for 15 years. My nursing experience includes Neonatal ICU, Hematology and Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplant, and Apheresis.
My specialty is apheresis, performing different types of apheresis procedures on pediatric and adult patients.
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Regulatory Affairs
Jaya (Mini) Gill
Director, Research
Jacqueline Parnin
Research Coordinator
Wendy Mata
Data Coordinator
Finance /Administration
Joanne Luza
Manager, Finance
Sandy Brady
Administration/ Reception
Conflict of Interest Policy
The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Medicine (CSSIFM) acknowledges the importance of conflict of interest management which is why the Institute has proactively taken the appropriate steps and adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy (COI Policy) that requires comprehensive disclosure of the financial interests of Investigators conducting clinical research at the CSSIFM. See Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy which has been implemented in full prior to opening of the Institute.