Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, FACS, is assistant director of surgical oncology and director of gastrointestinal research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif. He received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and earned a doctoral degree in gastrointestinal physiology from Yale University. Bilchik is the recipient of many awards from such prestigious organizations as the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons. He is the author of more than 75 peer-reviewed journal studies and is the co-investigator in two major National Institutes of Health-sponsored grants.