Faculty

Chief of Surgical Specialties
Assistant Professor
Colorectal and General Surgery
Nathaniel Ng, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Dr. Ng went on to complete a residency in general surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Following residency, Dr. Ng completed a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School. His clinical interests include the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum and anus.

Assistant Professor
Ophthalmology
Retina
Erica Renee Alvarez, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery. She earned her M.D. from TTUHSC El Paso's own Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Her speciality is ophthalmology with subspecialty training in medical retina and ocular oncology.
Dr. Erica Renee Alvarez graduated from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Texas. She completed her internship in internal medicine at the University of Chicago, her ophthalmology residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and her fellowship training at The Ohio State University. Dr. Alvarez is an El Paso native, bilingual in Spanish, and accepting new patients now.
Dr. Alvarez offers her expertise in treating cancers of the eye, including primary vitreoretinal lymphoma, uveal melanoma, conjunctival melanoma, leukemic retinopathy, ocular side effects of cancer treatments, as well as metastatic diseases to the eye. She is trained in the latest techniques for treatment, including intraoperative and in-office intravitreal chemotherapy injections. She is proficient in the placement of brachy radiation therapy plaques and transpupillary thermotherapy for treatment of uveal melanoma. She offers fine-needle aspiration biopsies, and transcleral biopsies for identification of tumor genetic markers and overall prognostication. For larger tumors, she is competent in surgical removal via enucleation. She has worked with radiation oncology and is competent in following patients as they receive external beam radiation for treatment of metastatic lesions, as well as cancers such as diffuse B-cell lymphoma.
As a retina specialist, Dr. Alvarez has experience in treating diabetic eye diseases, macular degeneration, uveitis, autoimmune retinopathy and numerous vascular and proliferative diseases of the retina. She offers services in screening for plaquenil or hydroxychloroquine toxicity. She is knowledgeable in Von Hippel Lindau disease and the different ophthalmic lasers for adequate treatment of hemangioblastomas. She not only offers intravitreal injections with steroids and anti-VEGF medications, but is also well-versed in numerous ophthalmology laser treatments, which she tailors to each patient’s individual needs.

Assistant Professor
Complex Surgical Oncology and General Surgery
Ioannis Konstantinidis, M.D., was born and raised in Greece. He graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School.
Dr. Konstantinidis moved to the U.S. and completed a research fellowship on pancreatic and biliary cancer and a surgical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital before he completed his general surgery training at the University of Arizona. During his residency, he completed a research fellowship on pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He continued his advanced training in complex surgical oncology and robotic surgery at City of Hope National Cancer Center with Dr. Yuman Fong.
Dr. Konstantinidis has written several peer-reviewed articles on pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers and has received several awards, including an American Cancer Society Merit award.
Dr. Konstantinidis' services include treatment of malignant and benign tumors of the gastrointestinal tract including liver, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts, stomach, small bowel, appendix; melanoma and sarcoma surgery; robotic assisted surgery; cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC); and general surgery.

Assistant Professor
Endocrine/Thyroid Surgery and General Surgery
Dr. Alkhalili (Pronounced al-ka-li-li) is an assistant professor of surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Transmountain Hospital. He graduated from medical school at the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan.
Dr. Alkhalili completed his internship in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital then finished his residency training at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. He then completed his endocrine surgery fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Alkhalili is dedicated to the surgical care of patients with disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands.
Dr. Alkhalili's services include:
- Diagnosis and workup of thyroid nodules including thyroid ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA).
- Thyroid and parathyroid surgery including thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy, neck dissection, and the transoral endoscopic “scar-free” approach to the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
- Workup of adrenal incidentalomas and nodules.
- Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) and open adrenalectomy.

Assistant Professor
General Surgery
Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery
Dr. Chiba is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery.
Shintaro Chiba, M.D. is an assistant professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Dr. Chiba specializes in weight loss surgery, reflux surgery, hernia surgery, minimally invasive general surgery, and robotic surgery.
Dr. Chiba completed his General Surgery Residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to complete a fellowship in Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery / Bariatric Surgery at Loma Linda University Health in Loma Linda, California.
Dr. Chiba is board-certified in general surgery. He is a member of American College of Surgeons (ACS), Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Dr. Chiba regularly publishes in his field and presents at national meetings.