Cleveland Clinic Weston New Pancreas Center Named Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer and Pancreatitis

Cleveland Clinic Weston’s Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, part of the Ellen Leifer Shulman and Steven Shulman Digestive Disease Center, has established a Pancreas Center for personalized pancreatic care treatment and frontline research for every type of pancreatic disorder.

The Pancreas Center includes a multidisciplinary team of specialists such as gastroenterologists, pancreatic surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, nutritionists, and a genetic counselor who provide personalized pancreatic care for patients. The team works together to treat patients with conditions such as acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer.

Patients can expect personalized pancreatic cancer screening, leading edge endoscopy and radiology, diagnostic imaging and minimally invasive laparoscopic, and robotic surgery including pancreatic cyst ablation.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to expand our pancreas program and provide another level of service to patients who have complex pancreatic diseases,” said Rodolfo J. Blandon, MD, MBA, President of Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital. “We are even more thrilled to have received recognition, as it validates the work our multidisciplinary team of specialists achieve to help improve the quality of life for patients.”

In recent years, Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital has been recognized for excellence in treating patients with pancreatic diseases. The hospital has been named a Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer and a Center of Excellence for Pancreatitis. The new Pancreas Center brings additional specialists together to elevate pancreatic care to an even higher level.

Tilak Shah, MD, FACS, is the medical director of Cleveland Clinic Weston’s Pancreas Center. Dr. Shah earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C. He went on to complete fellowship training in pancreaticobiliary and interventional endoscopy at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Shah’s clinical and research interests include pancreatic disorders, gastrointestinal oncology, endoscopic imaging/artificial intelligence, interventional endoscopy and endobariatrics.

Dr. Shah joined Cleveland Clinic Weston in 2022. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Shah was Director of Endoscopy and Interventional Endoscopy at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System in Richmond, VA, where he established the first pancreas cyst ablation program, the first third space endoscopy program, and the first endobariatric program.

Mayank Roy, MD, FACS, is the Surgical Director of the Pancreas Center. Dr. Roy specializes in the treatment of benign and malignant conditions of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile duct. After receiving his medical degree from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Sambalpur, India, Dr. Roy spent more than five years in England, receiving surgical training where he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He did an internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Texas, and completed a residency in general surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He completed a fellowship in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida followed by881 an additional two years of HPB fellowship training at the Royal London Hospital and The London Clinic. Dr. Roy has a master’s degree in clinical Trials from the University of Edinburgh.

Lead Surgeon Conrad H. Simpfendorfer, MD, FACS, joined Cleveland Clinic Florida in 2006. His specialty interests include liver and pancreas surgery, liver metastasis, microwave ablation of liver tumors, and advanced laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Simpfendorfer is a graduate of Syracuse University where he completed his undergraduate education. He continued his education at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Penn., where he received his medical degree. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery and two fellowships in minimally invasive surgery and pancreatic hepatobiliary surgery at Cleveland Clinic.