Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care centers.

Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support the underserved community within the past five years, including areas like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education, and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers.

In the 2020 - 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings, Hoag is the highest-ranked hospital in Orange County, and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California.  Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

How personal experience shapes perimenopause and menopause care

Conditions
January 28, 2026

Many OB-GYNs find their views on perimenopause and menopause change once they experience these transitions themselves. Even with medical training, the symptoms can be surprising and harder to recognize than expected.

As women’s health clinicians, we understand the common challenges of this stage of life. Hot flashes, sleep problems, vaginal dryness, mood changes, weight gain, and trouble concentrating can affect daily routines in ways that many women do not expect. When …

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How personal experience shapes perimenopause and menopause care

Experts applaud the FDA hormone therapy decision to remove boxed warnings

Conditions
December 10, 2025

As a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP), I strongly support the recent FDA decision to remove the boxed warnings from FDA-approved estrogen therapies. For decades, these warnings created unnecessary fear and confusion for women and clinicians alike. They were based on early interpretations of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) that we now understand were overstated, misapplied, and widely misinterpreted.

The new FDA stance aligns with The Menopause Society guidelines and what …

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Experts applaud the FDA hormone therapy decision to remove boxed warnings

Glioblastoma immunotherapy trial: a new breakthrough

Conditions
November 22, 2025

All clinical trials are fueled, in part, by optimism. A trial currently underway in California is fueled by the optimism of one patient in particular, Kayvon Goodarzy.

Despite decades of effort, there has been an abject lack of new approved therapies for glioblastoma (GBM). The standard of care for this deadly brain tumor has been chemotherapy and radiation, to less-than-ideal results. But that might be changing, and it’s all thanks …

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Glioblastoma immunotherapy trial: a new breakthrough

Many seizures don’t look like the movies

Conditions
November 8, 2025

When most people think of seizures, they picture someone falling to the ground with violent shaking, the dramatic scenes we’ve seen in movies and television. While these tonic-clonic seizures (previously known as grand mal seizures) do occur, the reality is that many seizures look nothing like what Hollywood portrays. They are often subtle, easily missed, and can be mistaken for daydreaming or unusual behavior.

More than 3 million Americans have active …

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Many seizures don’t look like the movies

Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

Conditions
June 14, 2025

June is Men’s Health Month, an opportunity to spotlight the unique health challenges men face—and to change the way we talk about them. One of the most overlooked and under-discussed topics in men’s health? Fertility. It’s time to bring it to the forefront.

As a fellowship-trained urologist specializing in sexual medicine and male fertility, I’ve witnessed firsthand how male reproductive health is too often sidelined in conversations around family-building. For far …

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Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

Cancer treatment and sexual health: the conversation we need to have

Conditions
April 3, 2025

When we think of cancer treatment, we often focus on the immediate goals: Shrinking tumors, stopping the spread of the disease, and ultimately aiming for a cure. What doesn’t get as much attention, but is just as important, is how cancer treatments can affect a patient’s sexual health and reproductive future.

Many cancer patients, particularly younger ones, are often left in the dark about how their treatment could impact their sexual …

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Cancer treatment and sexual health: the conversation we need to have

How AI is transforming breast cancer detection: a game-changing tool for early diagnosis and personalized care

Conditions
October 20, 2024

If you had an assistant who helped you do your work faster, more efficiently, and more precisely, would you fear it?

With artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront of virtually everything today, two of the most common questions I hear in my daily practice are, “Do you use AI?” and “What does AI do for you?” For some, these questions stem from a desire to access cutting-edge tools, while others express …

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How AI is transforming breast cancer detection: a game-changing tool for early diagnosis and personalized care

What films get wrong about cancer – and why it matters

Physician
February 2, 2024

There are more cancer types than there are organ systems, but, according to Hollywood, there is essentially just “Cancer.” Capital C. Period.

Cancer-inflicted characters on the silver screen also primarily face just one outcome: death. This usually follows a montage of chemotherapy treatments that leave movie stars bald and purple under the eyes. There is no targeted immunotherapy in Hollywood. No clinical trials. No genomic medicine. Just an amorphous round of …

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What films get wrong about cancer – and why it matters

What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

Conditions
November 9, 2023

Twenty years ago, the headlines were grim. It was common for studies to warn: “Rising childhood obesity will decrease life expectancy.” In large part, those predictions came true. The rise in obesity – both in children and adults – has correlated to a catastrophic rise in chronic disease that continues to affect life expectancy, cost of care, and quality of life.

But take a look at the health news headlines now, …

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What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

Tech
September 21, 2023

For the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been proving itself as an effective tool in breast cancer screening. An ever-growing list of research studies has shown that using AI in mammography can safely and efficiently reduce patient wait times while reducing the pressure on in-demand radiologists.

This is significant, as early detection greatly improves patient outcomes and long-term survival. Imagine how much more significant it would be if AI …

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AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40

Conditions
June 3, 2023

Pop Quiz: At what age do medical experts recommend women of average risk for breast cancer begin receiving screening mammograms?

  1. 40
  2. 45
  3. 50
  4. All of the above.

If you answered “D,” you are correct. Confused? I don’t blame you. Medical societies and independent task forces do not agree on when to begin or end screening mammograms for women at average risk of developing breast cancer. This has led to confusion and …

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Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40

Revolutionizing depression treatment: Breaking free from ineffective medications for rapid relief

Conditions
May 15, 2023

If you want to know whether a standard-of-care medication will work to treat your depression, flip a coin.

More than half of all patients treated for major depressive disorder (MDD), the clinical name for what is typically thought of as depression, don’t respond to the first treatment option prescribed to them. Even those who do respond often won’t see the full clinical benefit for up to 12 weeks. And yet, prescribing …

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Revolutionizing depression treatment: Breaking free from ineffective medications for rapid relief

Take steps (literally) to prevent dementia

Conditions
October 12, 2022

A recent study out of England found that walking just under 10,000 steps a day reduces a person’s risk of developing dementia by 50 percent. Pick up the pace to a “brisk” walk (over 40 steps per minute), and that risk goes down even further. Perhaps most strikingly, the authors found that even a low number of daily steps was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

The walking study …

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Take steps (literally) to prevent dementia

How the mind-gut connection affects total health

Conditions
October 7, 2022

As a colorectal surgeon, I address complex intestinal issues with state-of-the-art interventions. Fortunately for most people, the key to a healthy digestive system isn’t that complicated. A proper diet, regular exercise, and stress reduction all help create a healthier and happier gut.

The “mind-gut connection” influences how you think and feel. Imagine a marathon runner nervous at the start of a race who runs to the bathroom first. Or how a …

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How the mind-gut connection affects total health

When should you consider surgery for scoliosis?

Conditions
August 24, 2022

Most people with scoliosis will never require surgery. But who does need surgery, and how do you know?

Often diagnosed in childhood, scoliosis is characterized by an abnormal curve in the spine that can range from as small as 10 degrees to more than 100 degrees. In pediatric patients, this can result in pulmonary problems if the curve is severe.

However, pediatric patients’ complaints are mostly centered around their appearance due to …

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When should you consider surgery for scoliosis?

A gastric bypass might help some people bypass cancer

Conditions
July 23, 2022

In an exciting recent study, researchers found that for adults with obesity, weight loss through bariatric surgery lowered their risk of cancer by 35% and reduced their risk of cancer-related death by 43%. This was true of both gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgeries, and the results were observed ten years after patients’ procedures.

This is great news for people who have seen weight-loss success through bariatric surgery. The study …

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A gastric bypass might help some people bypass cancer

Kissing disease’s link to multiple sclerosis

Conditions
February 21, 2022

In recent decades, mounting evidence has suggested the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous member of the herpes family that causes infectious mononucleosis (a.k.a. the “kissing disease”), can cause multiple sclerosis (MS). Last month, a study published in the journal Science went even further, citing EBV infection as likely the leading cause of MS. It is a compelling connection that begs many questions. For example, if someone has …

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Kissing disease’s link to multiple sclerosis

Expertise is the backbone of successful spine treatment

Conditions
January 15, 2022

People who experience debilitating back pain come to their doctors with one pressing question: Do I need back surgery? Often, they are surprised to hear me, a neurosurgeon, answer, “No.” In many cases, physical therapy, pain management, weight loss management, and physiatry can help people to delay – and in some cases avoid – back surgery.

However, if those remedies don’t work well enough, a person might decide that spine surgery …

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Expertise is the backbone of successful spine treatment

Pregnancy and the COVID vaccine: What expecting mothers should know

Conditions
August 18, 2021

“Is it safe for a pregnant woman to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?” This is the biggest question being asked of OB/GYNs right now. The short answer is “yes.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine have come out with strong recommendations that pregnant and lactating women receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Preliminary research suggests that vaccinating pregnant women even confers some …

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Pregnancy and the COVID vaccine: What expecting mothers should know

Maternal mental health in the time of COVID-19: How to find support

Conditions
May 19, 2021

Motherhood can be joyous, frustrating, terrifying, miraculous, exhausting, and messy. It is all these things at once in normal times. But these, as we know, are not normal times.

Among the many aspects of life that COVID-19 has upended, maternal mental health is one that could have lasting implications not only for mothers but also for entire families, as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are linked to premature delivery, low …

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Maternal mental health in the time of COVID-19: How to find support

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