The best health care professionals seek institutions that empower them to not only practice medicine but also push it forward to enhance patient care. Philanthropy helps Hoag recruit exceptional talent and foster it with nurturing environments that promote exploration and innovation. Here are some of Hoag’s newest recruits: 

Amanda Tran, PharmD, BCACP, Ambulatory Care Pharmacist 

Dr. Amanda Tran joined the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center in September 2022 as an ambulatory care pharmacist. In her role, Dr. Tran is pioneering Hoag’s Bridge Diabetes Program, a new care model being piloted that will assure high risk diabetes patients are seen immediately by a pharmacist to establish their treatment plans with medications, order labs and to supplement visits with an endocrinologist. She is helping shape the inpatient diabetes program, which provides continuous training to clinicians on how to provide care for the unique needs of diabetes patients. Her first foray into health and patient care was as a volunteer at Hoag while she was attending college at UCI. Volunteering inspired her career in health care and eventually her return to Hoag to pursue patient care. 

Carlos Becerra, MD, Medical Director, Cancer Clinical Research Program 

New to the Hoag Family Cancer Institute in September 2022, Dr. Carlos Becerra, medical director of cancer clinical research, joined Hoag from Baylor Scott & White in Dallas. Triple board certified, Dr. Becerra is a nationally recognized expert in early phase clinical trials and cellular therapy as well as gastrointestinal malignancies. Under his leadership, continued philanthropic support will play an important role in bringing early phase clinical trials to Hoag, increasing access to the latest developments in cancer research and therapies, reducing travel outside the region for care and elevating Hoag’s reputation as an internationally esteemed cancer center. 

Brian T. Lee, MD, Hepatologist, Liver Program  

Dr. Brian Lee, a triple board-certified transplant hepatologist, joined the Hoag Liver Program in December 2022 from Loma Linda University Health in San Bernardino. Alongside program director Tse-Ling Fong, MD, Dr. Lee will assist in leading Hoag’s comprehensive team of liver experts, working closely with providers as part of the Hoag Digestive Health Institute to care for patients with liver diseases such as fatty liver and liver cancer. His research interests lie in autoimmune liver disease, liver transplant, and liver cancer. Medically proficient in both Spanish and Korean, Dr. Lee’s practice will be integral to Hoag’s ongoing efforts to increase access to care for Orange County’s diverse population.

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