USC Upper GI/General Surgery Chief, Dr. John Lipham Joins ECAN Board

LOS ANGELES – The national non-profit organization, ECAN (Esophageal Cancer Action Network) has appointed John C. Lipham, M.D. to a three-year term on its board of directors.

“I wanted to join ECAN because I saw it as the only organization that was truly trying to make a difference and raise awareness about the link between GERD, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer,” Lipham said.

“An alarming number of patients are being diagnosed each year with esophageal cancer and almost none of them realize that heartburn is what put them at risk for the development of esophageal cancer,” he added. “The only way to impact this disease is by raising awareness and I am confident that ECAN is the organization that can do this.”

In addition to being Chief of the Division of Upper GI and General Surgery and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Lipham is also the Director of the USC Digestive Health Center and the Foregut Cancer Program. He also is Chief of USC Affiliated Academic Programs at Hoag Hospital and is the James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in GI Cancer.

Focusing on benign and malignant diseases of the esophagus and stomach, his clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of GERD, hiatal hernias, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal motility disorders, achalasia, malignant diseases of the esophagus and stomach, and gastroparesis. His current research interests include developing minimally invasive methods of diagnosing and treating GERD, Barrett’s, esophageal cancer and gastric cancer.

Lipham earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin where he was elected to membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He subsequently completed his internship and residency training in general surgery at USC and held a six-month position as a Senior Surgical Registrar in England. After completing a thoracic and esophageal surgery fellowship at USC under the direction of Dr. Tom DeMeester, he joined the USC faculty in 2001.

Currently serving as president of the Society of Graduate Surgeons, he also is a member of the International Association of Surgeons and Gastroenterologists, the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus, Society American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, the Los Angeles Surgical Society and the American Medical Association.

Lipham resides in La Habra Heights with his wife, Shannon, and their children, Jordan, Katelyn and Jenna.

About ECAN

ECAN’s mission is to save lives by increasing awareness about the link between heartburn and cancer, promoting early detection and supporting medical innovation to prevent, detect, treat and cure esophageal cancer. The Baltimore-based non-profit is led by a board of directors of top physicians, business leaders and families that have been touched by esophageal cancer.