Chester Griffiths M.D.
Otolaryngology - Endoscopic Skull-base

Chester F. Griffiths, M.D.

Professor of Neurosurgery
Department of Translational Neurosciences

Dr. Griffiths is board certified in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has an extensive 25 year experience in endonasal endoscopic sinus surgery for skull base tumors and pituitary tumors, sinonasal cancers including mucosal melanomas, and in the treatment of facial and nasal trauma, cosmetic deformities, sinus infections, and disorders of smell and taste. His practice also includes treatment of sleep apnea, snoring, difficulty breathing, disorders of the larynx, thyroid tumors and other head and neck cancers with an emphasis on viral HPV related cancers. As PBTC Chief of Endoscopic Sinonasal & Skullbase Surgery, Dr. Griffiths is co-surgeon with Dr. Daniel Kelly in endonasal endoscopic pituitary and skull base surgeries and provides post-operative sinus care for patients undergoing endonasal endoscopic surgery. He is also a participant in our monthly PBTC Case Conference, a faculty member as a professor of surgery at Saint John’s Cancer Institute, a faculty member in our annual PBTC-sponsored Endonasal and Keyhole Surgery Course and actively participates in our neurosurgery fellowship training.

Dr. Griffiths completed a three year general surgery residency then a three Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He then completed a visiting fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with world-renowned plastic surgeon, Dr. Ivo Pitanguy. He began his professional career with his father Cadvan Owen Griffiths Jr., MD in 1989. He is currently Co-Director of Pacific Eye & Ear Specialists with Dr. Howard Krauss of Neuro-ophthalmology. He is the medical director of West Wilshire Medical Surgical Center, a medicare certified ambulatory surgery center in Los Angeles which has received full accreditation for 25 years and of Pacific Specialists Imaging.

Career Highlights

Dr. Griffiths has been active on the medical staffs of Saint John’s Health Center and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Centers for many years. He served as the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center for 9 years, stepping down in 2008 and Vice Chief of Staff for 3 years. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine actively participating in the teaching of the family practice residents. He is a member of numerous societies and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American College of Surgeons. He is a team physician for the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team performing maxillofacial and plastic surgery for team members. Dr. Griffiths volunteers at the Venice Family Clinic treating the uninsured both as a consultant and performing surgical procedures pro-bono. In recognition of his service, he received the Morton K. Rubenstein Award for Outstanding Volunteer Physician in 1995. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Venice Family Clinic striving to continue the access for the uninsured to receive healthcare.