Dr. Steven Vasilev is a gynecologic oncologist and robotic endometriosis excision surgeon at Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Los Angeles, caring for patients from Southern California and beyond. He treats complex endometriosis, including deep infiltrating, multi-organ, recurrent, and atypical disease and large endometriomas, as well as endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers, using robotic excision surgery, precision therapies, and evidence-based integrative care. His work focuses on where benign and malignant pelvic disease meet.
Dr. Vasilev is the only U.S. physician focused on endometriosis who is board certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABMS), Gynecologic Oncology (ABMS), Integrative Medicine (ABPS/ABOIM), and Integrative & Holistic Medicine (ABIHM). He is a Professor at Saint John’s Cancer Institute, a Clinical Professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, and Founding Executive Director of the Lotus Endometriosis Institute. He was the founding Medical Director of Integrative Medicine and Integrative Gynecologic Oncology at Providence Saint John’s Health Center (2016–2024).
A pioneer of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, he was among the first to regularly perform complex radical laparoscopic procedures in the early 1990s. He has taught laparoscopy and robotics to residents and fellows for more than 30 years. He has served as Robotic Surgery Chair and Co-Chair, and as Director of Gynecologic Oncology and MIGS Residency Training at White Memorial Medical Center (2016–2022). He has trained hundreds of fellows and residents in gynecology, gynecologic oncology, urology, and surgical oncology at multiple academic institutions.
Previous appointments include Director of Gynecologic Oncology at City of Hope (1991–1997); Assistant Professor at UC Irvine (1991–1997); Professor at USC (1999–2012) and UCLA (2003–2019); Regional Director of Gynecologic Oncology (2001–2009), Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Los Angeles Medical Center (2006–2010), and Regional Director of Surgical and Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials (2005–2016) at Kaiser Permanente. He has been Principal Investigator at multiple institutions, including NIH-funded research, and has managed more than $15 million in research funding.
He has authored more than 90 publications, abstracts, and book chapters, cited more than 2,000 times. He is author-editor of a gynecologic oncology textbook and author of books on endometriosis, integrative oncology and ovarian cyst management. His research covers surgical innovation, the biology linking endometriosis, fibrosis, and malignancy, novel theranostics, and integrative health. He has been nationally listed in “Best Doctors” for more than 20 years. He holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson, with training and work history in Lean Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints.
Video: Endometriosis Types and Ovarian Cancer Risk
Dr. Vasilev discusses the relationship between endometriosis and ovarian cancer.