KHALILI CENTER - Key Persons
Dallia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and obtained her Master of Social Work at Boston University.
Dr. Omid A. Shaye is Co-Director of Bariatric Gastroenterology at the Khalili Center.
Dr. Pedram J. Enayati is Co-Director of Bariatric Gastroenterology at the Khalili Center.
A specialist in advanced plastic surgery procedures, Dr. Ritu Chopra brings to the Khalili Center a wealth of experience and expertise in body contouring and reconstructive surgery.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Director / Khalili Center for Bariatric Care
- Founder and Director of the Khalili Center for Bariatric Care
- Our Founder
- Surgeon and Founder of Weight Loss Surgery of Southern California
Dr. Khalili and the team are specialists in advanced laparoscopic surgeries, which are minimally-invasive surgical procedures. They are also adept at the latest innovations, such as surgical robotics.
A well-known and highly regarded surgeon, Dr. Theodore M. Khalili is the Founder and Director of the Khalili Center for Bariatric Care.
Dr. Khalili is a pioneer in the field of minimally invasive bariatric surgery in Los Angeles. He helped start the Weight Loss Surgery Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and until June, 2010 served as its Director.
He has trained many surgeons in minimally invasive weight loss surgery, who have gone on to head up bariatric care programs all over the country. An accomplished teacher, Dr. Khalili won the Golden Apple Award as an outstanding educator in 2005 from Cedars-Sinai. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. Board certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Dr. Khalili is a member of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Bariatric Surgery, American Medical Association and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). He is the author of numerous papers and presentations on a variety of subjects, including laparoscopic surgery, bariatric surgery, organ transplantation and bio-artificial liver treatment. He has published and spoken nationally and internationally-and his work underscores his commitment to the ongoing advancement of new surgical procedures and technologies.
Like Dr. Khalili, our surgeons are experts in general and bariatric surgery procedures, including laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery, and gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy).
Dr. Khalili is a member of many esteemed associations, such as the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), American College of Surgeons, and the American Medical Association.
Our founder, Dr. Theodore M. Khalili, MD, FACS, is a leading figure in United States bariatric surgery. Having performed the first robotic-assisted gastric bypass in the United States, he is a pioneer and innovator in minimally invasive weight loss procedures. His knowledge and experience have resulted in thousands of positive weight loss results in his medical facility.
Gregg Kai Nishi, MD, FACS, one of the Khalili Center's partners and a board-certified bariatric surgeon, also specializes in minimally-invasive surgical options. He was one of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) principal investigators during trials on a new procedure called transoral gastroplasty (TOGA®), an incision-less weight loss surgery. Dr. Nishi was also one of the first US surgeons to perform this procedure.
Discover Dr. Nishi's role in the Khalili Center's development and see how his wealth of experience has transformed many obese patients' lives. Click here.
A surgeon at the Khalili Center and the newly appointed Director of the Institute for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery at K and B Surgical Center, Dr. Gregg Kai Nishi has been integrally involved in developing the Center with his colleagues, Dr. Theodore M. Khalili and Dr. Eraj Basseri, whom he worked with at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Nishi brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the Khalili Center. He's an expert on innovative, minimally invasive surgical techniques and has spoken extensively on the subject, having appeared in a variety of news media, including Good Morning America and the Los Angeles Times. He was also named the "Top Bariatrician in the Nation" for 2013 by HealthTap. He has trained a number of other bariatric surgeons who have gone on to head up bariatric programs all over the country in their own right.
Formerly the Assistant Director of the Cedars-Sinai Center for Minimally Invasive and Weight Loss Surgery, Dr. Nishi was also an attending surgeon in Trauma Services and Surgical Intensive Care at Cedars-Sinai. He is one of the principal investigators of the FDA trials on a new procedure called TOGA (incision-less weight loss surgery) and is one of only a handful of surgeons in the U.S. who have performed this procedure. Currently Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Dr. Nishi has published widely in such journals as American Surgeon and Bariatric Times, and lectures on weight loss surgery at national and international bariatric surgery conferences.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Paul Rubenstein, MD Prize for Excellence in Resident Research Abstract and Awards Presentation; the Society of Laproendoscopic Surgeons Resident Achievement Award; and the Leo G. Rigler, MD Award for Academic Achievement from Cedars-Sinai. An Associate Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Nishi is also a member of SAGES, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons; American Medical Association; and Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.
After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine and a medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Nishi went on to intern in the Department of Surgery at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, where he was named a resident of the year. He received his surgical training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center including a Fellowship in Surgical Critical Care.
A Southern California native, Dr. Nishi lives in Los Angeles with his lovely wife and daughter. Dr. Nishi enjoys skiing, biking, and car racing.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of the Adolescence Weight Loss Program
- Medical Director of the Beverly Hills Pediatric Surgery
Dr. Steve Chen is the Co-Director of the Adolescence Weight Loss Program for the Khalili Center.
Dr. Chen is also the Medical Director of the Beverly Hills Pediatric Surgery and the Pectus Surgical Institute. He holds an academic appointment as an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to establishing his private practice, he served as the Director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center until 2010. Recognized for his contribution to pediatric surgical care at Cedars-Sinai, he was honored as the inaugural holder of the Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery in 2003. Dr. Chen is a passionate surgical educator who is actively engaged in the teaching of medical students and surgical and pediatric residents. In 2009 he was honored with the Golden Apple Teaching award at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Chen has dedicated much of his expertise to the area of minimally invasive surgery for children and is recognized throughout the greater Los Angeles medical community for his laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgical skills.