Medical Services • Pancreas Health

Multidisciplinary team of pancreatic cancer experts

At NCH, if you are diagnosed with a pancreatic disease or pancreatic cancer, you will receive a comprehensive evaluation that incorporates all the resources we have available. NCH’s entire multidisciplinary team of board-certified surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists, endocrinologists and gastroenterologists will be involved in creating and implementing your individual treatment plan.

With the addition of nationally recognized surgical oncologist Dr. Malcolm Bilimoria, we've greatly enhanced our ability to offer leading edge care to patients with pancreatic or hepatobiliary cancers (cancer of the liver and gallbladder). Furthermore, you will receive the support of a nurse navigator, physician assistant, social worker and nutritionists to help you and your family.

Meet our experts

Malcolm M. Bilimoria, MD
Dr. Bilimoria, director of the Illinois Center for Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Diseases, is an expert in the Whipple procedure, considered one of the most complex surgeries in existence, second only to organ transplants. The Whipple procedure can increase survival and offers a real chance at a cure for many pancreatic cancer patients. As a surgical oncologist specializing in pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgeries, Dr. Bilimoria has averaged 50 to 75 Whipple surgeries per year over the past ten years, compared to some surgeons who may perform only ten a year. Dr. Billmoria is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

Willis Parsons, MD
Dr. Willis Parsons, medical director of the Gastroenterology Center at Northwest Community Hospital, specializes in advanced interventional GI procedures and the management of pancreaticobiliary disease. Dr. Parsons completed his residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, followed by an interventional endoscopy fellowship with Dr. Douglas Howell at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Rameez Alasadi, MD
Dr. Alasadi is a gastroenterologist at Northwest Community Hospital with expertise in advanced endoscopic procedures. After completing his gastroenterology fellowship at Northwestern University, he trained in advanced endoscopy at the University of California, Irvine with Dr. Kenneth Chang.

Kathy Lamont, RN, BS, MBA
Kathy Lamont is the Director of the GI Center at Northwest Community Hospital. She graduated from National Louis University with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare leadership and a master’s in business administration. She has been the nurse manager of the Gastroenterology Center at Northwest Community Hospital since 1994.

Beth Diviacchi, RN, MSN, APN
Beth Diviacchi received both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is an Advanced Practice Nurse. As our nurse navigator, Beth will help you schedule all your appointments, before and after surgery. She will supply you with educational materials and support tools, along with the most current information regarding your treatment plan.