Welcome 2026 Incoming Fellows!

Dr. Hattie Huston-Paterson is a surgeon-scientist whose clinical and research interests focus on improving access, quality, and outcomes in breast cancer care. Her work examines strategies to enhance cancer care delivery for patients living in rural and geographically dispersed communities, with particular attention to the structural and social barriers that affect care across the breast cancer continuum. In addition to caring for patients with breast cancer, she has a clinical interest in breastfeeding medicine and lactation-related breast health. Dr. Huston-Paterson earned a BA in Philosophy from the University of Oxford and her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her General Surgery residency at the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellow at Stanford University.

Dr. Amanda Labora completed her General Surgery residency at UCLA. She earned her MD from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Perelman Scholar, and holds a BA in History from Brown University. Before medical school, she completed a Fulbright research fellowship in Mexico. Dr. Labora has a special interest in healthcare innovation and biodesign, having completed an accelerator fellowship with UCLA Health Biodesign, and is committed to applying this lens to improve access and outcomes in breast cancer care. Outside of work, she enjoys beach days and perusing the local farmer's market with her family.

I have lived in the midwest most of my life. After completing my residency in general surgery at Mount Carmel in Ohio, I took a job in general surgery. I have completed my board certification in general surgery but always knew Colorectal Surgery was my calling. I am very excited to learn and grow with the best at Stanford. I enjoy spending time with my family and kids, fishing, and golfing in any of my free time.

Dr. Alexis Desir matched into the Endocrine Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University for the 2026–2027 academic year, where she was selected as the program’s inaugural fellow. She is excited to take this next step in advancing her academic career in both endocrine surgery and academic surgical education. Her work focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence and simulation to enhance technical skill acquisition among trainees, with the ultimate goal of improving long-term patient outcomes. Mentorship and connections within Silicon Valley's vibrant AI community will further support her innovative efforts in this space.

I’m from Geneva, Ohio – a small town in northeast Ohio right on Lake Erie. I completed my undergrad at Case Western Reserve University where I also earned a Master of Science in Biochemistry. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and completed General Surgery residency at the University of Minnesota.

During my academic development time in residency, I worked in the Preclinical Research Center (PCRC) at the University of Minnesota under Dr. Melanie Graham where I participated in preclinical transplantation research to better understand the effect of novel immunosuppressivedrugs on rejection. While in this lab, my interest in bariatric surgery blossomed as we also began to study the effects of obesity on the immune system and metabolism. At the same time I was working in a basic science and preclinical capacity, I also began to look at clinical outcomes of bariatric and metabolic surgical patients using large databases and datasets.

I’ve been fortunate to publish these works in various journals including Science Advances and to present at multiple conferences such as thea American College of Surgeons Clinical Congressand at Digestive Disease Week. Aside from my research and clinical interests in bariatric and metabolic surgery, I truly love all aspects of advanced minimally invasive GI surgery including foregut, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, and advanced endoscopy.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my fiancé as well as my dog, Jasmin, and cat, Kitty. We love to travel around the world together and with our closest friends. Outside of that, I love backpacking, camping, and anything involving my hands, from woodworking, welding, landscaping, cooking – you name it.

Born in San Luis Obispo, California, Dr. Taylor Wearda received his M.D. at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed General Surgery Resident at Tulane University.

As an undergraduate, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Longaker and was a Stanford CIRM Bridges Scholar in the Hagey laboratory for pediatric and regenerative medicine.

During medical school, he walked more than 600 miles along the historic route of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and he now returns to California as a fellow, with a special interest in abdominal wall and foregut surgery.

Dr. Farhan Chaudhry completed medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He stayed to complete his general surgery residency at Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University. Dr. Chaudhry is interested in a career as an academic surgeon. His research interests involve using artificial intelligence to improve prediction algorithms for critically ill patients. Farhan is also a certified scuba diver and travels frequently for diving. Additionally, he is an avid BBQ chef and loves to cook for his friends and family.

Dr. Brittany Davis completed medical school at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. She is board certified in general surgery and completed her residency at Stamford Hospital/Columbia University. Following this, she completed a fellowship in burn surgery at the University of Chicago, and went on to complete her independent plastic surgery residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Her research interests include stem cell therapy to improve functional and cosmetic outcomes for burn patients, and she is very passionate about medico-political activism at both the state and national level. Outside of medicine, Dr. Davis enjoys running, collecting cats, and taking impractically short trips to faraway places.

Dr. Fatima S. Elgammal completed her medical education at St. George’s University School of Medicine and her general surgery residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. Her undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and biological science from New Jersey Institute of Technology sparked her interest in epidemiological studies of trauma. When home, she enjoys baking and loves sharing her culinary catastrophes and triumphs alike.

Dr. Maham Javaid completed medical school at Boston University School of Medicine. She completed general surgery residency at Albany Medical Center. During her chief year, she was recognized with the Stronger than the Disease Award for exceptional clinical ability and received the Morris Alpert Resident Research Award First Place. Dr. Javaid’s research interests include shared decision-making, health literacy, and disparities in general surgery. She also loves her three dogs (Rottweiler, Italian Greyhound, and Dachshund), luxury shopping, fitness, fresh air, and sunshine.

Dr. Beatrice Sun grew up in the Bay Area and completed her undergraduate and medical school degrees in Southern California before returning for general surgery residency at Stanford in 2019. During her professional development years, she obtained a Master’s degree in Health Research and Policy at Stanford. Her research focused on understanding the experiences of cancer patients through mixed-methods research, in efforts to improve their quality of life and outcomes. She also has an interest in utilizing circulating tumor DNA to monitor long-term disease recurrence. Her current clinical interests include sarcoma, gastric cancer, and peritoneal surface malignancies. In her free time, she enjoys baking, running, swimming, and traveling with her family.