Medical Services • Pancreas Care

Multidisciplinary team of pancreatic experts

At Northwest Community Hospital, if you are diagnosed with a pancreatic disease like pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, you will receive a comprehensive evaluation that incorporates all the resources we have available.

When creating and implementing your treatment plan, a multidisciplinary team of specialists will work together, including:

• Board-certified surgeons
• Radiation oncologists
• Pathologists
• Endocrinologists
• Gastroenterologists

Throughout your treatment for pancreas cancer or pancreatic diseases like pancreatitis, you will also receive the support of a nurse navigator, physician assistant, social worker and nutritionist 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. For many pancreas cancer patients, the Whipple procedure can increase survival and offers a real chance at a cure. As a surgical oncologist specializing in pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgeries, Dr. Bilimoria has averaged 50 to 75 Whipple surgeries per year over the past 10 years, compared to some surgeons who may perform only 10 a year. Dr. Bilimoria 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.

Find out how our expertise can help you. Call the Illinois Center for Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Diseases for a referral to a doctor specializing in pancreatic or hepatobiliary diseases at 847.483.9400.