Thesecondopinion provides free comprehensive second opinions to adults in California diagnosed with cancer.

We convene multidisciplinary panels consisting of four to seven physicians of specific modalities.

At the heart of our program is the gift of service from our volunteer roster of Board Certified physicians. Their experience in cancer treatment is critical to our mission.

Requests for our service have been increasing and we hope to reach more vulnerable patients in need with more physicians.

We are currently recruiting physicians to volunteer with us. We encourage applications from pathologists, radiologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgeons with oncology sub-specialties.  Our volunteer physicians come from medical facilities all over the Bay Area.

How Easy Is It to Volunteer?

You can volunteer at the convenience of your calendar. While some physicians are able to participate as often as once a month, others attend a few times a year or only when a particular expertise is needed.

Panel sessions are currently held on Wednesdays or Fridays from 12:30 to 2:30 pm and we provide lunch. Three panels are held each month, and three patients are seen at each session, with four to seven physicians taking part.

We provide medical liability insurance.

Case materials are prepared by a Panel Chairs for review and sent to volunteer panelists well in advance of each session. On the panel day, records, radiology and pathology are jointly reviewed by the panel physicians, recommendations are made then discussed with patients and family members who are able to ask questions or express concerns.

We digitally record the session for the patient and their family. A consultation letter is prepared by the Panel Chair and is sent to the treating physicians and to each patient as well.

This is a valuable and rewarding experience for doctors and patients alike. Whether we confirm what their own physicians have recommended, offer a different opinion, or provide additional suggestions relating to diagnosis or treatment, our patients are profoundly grateful for the information we provide. Our format also has the added value of providing physicians from diverse practices an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with each other.

Volunteer physicians must have an active or volunteer California license and be board-certified in their specialty. For more information about our requirements and how you can get involved, please contact the Medical Director at (415) 775-9956 or email: mail@thesecondopinion.org or mail to thesecondopinion, 1200 Gough Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94109

Most Often Asked Questions by Doctors

How Often Can I Volunteer? You can volunteer as often as you like. Generally we would like your help about every 6 weeks. We try to make this as easy as possible, we even provide Malpractice Insurance and lunch!

Who Else Volunteers? We attract physicians from all over the Bay Area. View a list of our current volunteer doctors.

How is This Different from a Tumor Board? Tumor Boards are convened to answer questions from physicians in cancer care and rarely actually engage patients. Our process is convened to answer questions from patients and their family members; in fact, patients and family are in the room with the panel to facilitate this discussion.

What If I Want to Participate But Cannot Get There? The true value of our program is that patients get to speak directly to panel members. We realize that sometimes this is problematic and are developing the capacity to involve some disciplines from remote locations via video conferencing or similar approaches.

Medical Oncologists

Ravi Arora, MD
Raji Ayyar, MD
Norman Cohen, MD
Peter Gordon, MD
Howard Kleckner, MD
David Lakes, MD
Susan Lessin, MD
Judith Luce, MD
Joseph Mason, MD
Alan Newman, MD

Pathologists

Gregory Bean, MD
Lynne Brewer, MD
Sara Calkins, MD
Michael DiMaio, MD
Robert Freedman, MD
Regan Fulton, MD
Harris Goodman, MD
Hava Liberman, MD
Christine Louie, MD
Melike Pekmezci, MD
Laura Tabatabai, MD

Radiation Oncologists

Roy Abendroth, MD
Nicola Ally, MD
Michael Bastasch, MD
Lisa Boohar, MD
Barry Chauser, MD
Amy Gillis, MD
Jane Marmor, MD
Milan Patel, MD
Gordon Ray, MD
Mack Roach, III, MD
Mark Rounsaville, MD
William Wara, MD
Meiwen Wu, MD

Radiologists

James Gorder, MD
Alisa Gean, MD
Virginia Griswold, MD
Deborah Kass, MD
Frank Mainzer, MD
Jay Mall, MD
Douglas Sheft, MD
Edward Talberth, MD
Jim Wallman, MD

General Surgeons

Carol Tabak, MD

Surgical Sub-Specialists:

Breast Surgery

Shoko E. Abe, MD
Karen Goodwin, MD
Nima Grissom, MD
Susan Heckmann, MD
Susan Kutner, MD

Colorectal Surgery

Ahmed Alkoraishi, MD

Gastroenterology

Joanne Imperial, MD

Gynecologic Oncology

John Tatman, MD

Head and Neck Surgery

Bruce Jacobsen, MD
Matthew Lando, MD
Steven Sloan, MD

Hepatobiliary Surgery

Charles Binkley, MD

Neuroradiology

Alisa Gean, MD

Oncologic Surgery

Giovanni Begossi, MD
Richard Godfrey, MD

Thoracic Surgery

Carol Tabak, MD

Thoracic Oncology

James Jett, MD

Urology

Jim Crotty, MD
Antonio Otero, MD
Carl Thomas, MD
Timothy Tsang, MD

Nuclear Medicine

Charles Moser, MD

Genetic Counselor

Robin F. Lee, MS, LCGC

Pharmacy Oncology

Robert Ignoffo, PharmD

Clinical Dietitian

Jennifer Midori Yan, RD, CSO

Advisory/Inactive

Emily Bergsland, MD (Med Onc)
Andrew Ko, MD (Med Onc)
Maxwell Meng, MD (Urologist)
Jeanne Quivey, MD (Rad Onc)
Joe Hsu, MD (Rad Onc)