Reed I. Ayabe
Biography
Reed I. Ayabe, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine. He received his M.D. from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, completed general surgery residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and completed a Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. During residency, he completed a two-year NIH Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, where he received both the Surgeon Scientist Award and Clinical Excellence Award. He is board certified in both general surgery and surgical oncology.
Ayabe's research focuses on the tumor microenvironment and microbiome in hepatobiliary malignancies and colorectal cancer metastases. His work has identified exportin 7 (XPO7) and STE20-like kinase (SLK) as therapeutic targets in cholangiocarcinoma through analysis of biliary exosomes, leading to a patent for treating bile duct cancers with tivozanib and a Phase I/II clinical trial. He has contributed to the design and translational components of multiple clinical trials evaluating perioperative chemoimmunotherapy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and accelerated recovery pathways after minimally invasive hepatectomy. His research has been supported by NIH T32 funding, the Marion D. Edwards Pilot Grant for Hepatic Cancer Research, and the TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Fellowship.
Ayabe has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications in journals including Cancer Discovery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, HPB, and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. He has presented his research at national meetings including the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and the Western Surgical Association. He serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals including Cancer Cell and JAMA Surgery, and is a member of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons Publications Committee. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study insecticidal toxins in Japan and is an elected member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Return to topEducation
- M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 2014
- B.A. in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, 2009
Distinctions
- Fulbright Fellowship, 2009
- Surgeon Scientist Award, Surgical Oncology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2019
- Clinical Excellence Award, Surgical Oncology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2019
- National Cancer Institute Surgical Oncology Fellowship, 2017
- AHPBA Young Investigator Award Finalist, 2019
- AACR-John Kincade Scholarship Fund Scholar-in-Training Award, 2024
- TRANSCEND Cancer Initiative Fellowship, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023
- Election to Phi Beta Kappa Society, 2009
- National Merit Finalist, 2005
- Clinical Clerkship Letters of Distinction, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2013
Areas of Expertise
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgical Oncology
- Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Treatment
- Colorectal Liver Metastases
- Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy
- Tumor Microbiome Interactions
- Cancer Testis Antigen Expression
- Exosomal Oncogenic Drivers
Recent Publications
- Hasjim B.J., Paukner M., Kwong A.J., Bhat M., Ichii H., Redfield R.R., Eng O.S., Jutric Z., Imagawa D.K., Ayabe R.I., “Impact of the 6-mo Wait Policy on Transplantation, Resection, and Ablation Outcomes for Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A National Cancer Database Analysis” (opens in new tab), Transplantation, vol. 110, pp. e204-e216, 2026.
- Ayabe RI, Eng OS, “The cost of waiting: Index vs. delayed cholecystectomy for acute cholangitis” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Surgery, vol. 239, pp. 115937, 2025.
- Maki H, Ayabe RI, Haddad A, “Associations of KRAS Point Mutations with Survival of Patients Who Underwent Curative-Intent Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 32, pp. 2425-2434, 2025.
- Ayabe RI, White MG, Zeineddine MA, Zeineddine FA, Yousef AMG, Iorgulescu JB, Scally CP, Fournier K, Newhook TE, You NY, Willis J, Kopetz S, Chang GJ, Shen JP, Uppal A, “Tumoral and Circulating Genomic Landscape Inform Survival Differences in Colorectal Carcinomatosis” (opens in new tab), Translational Oncology, vol. 55, 2025.
- Ayabe RI, Seo YD, Melendez B, “Cancer Testis Antigen Expression Correlates With Immune Activation and Survival in Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumors” (opens in new tab), JCO Precision Oncology, vol. 9, 2025.
- Ayabe RI, White MG, “Metastasis and the Microbiome: The Impact of Bacteria in Disseminated Colorectal Cancer” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 152, 2024.
- Ayabe RI, Beaty K, Newhook TE, Tran Cao HS, Tzeng CD, Helmink BA, Uppal A, Vauthey JN, Fournier KF, White MG, “Incomplete Cytoreduction and Need for Major Hepatectomy Predict Shorter Survival in Patients Undergoing Combined Cytoreductive Surgery and Hepatectomy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 6366-6368, 2024.
- Fields BC, Ayabe RI, Seo YD, Maxwell JE, Halperin DM, “Current Status of Immunotherapy in Management of Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumors” (opens in new tab), Current Oncology Reports, vol. 26, pp. 1530-1542, 2024.
- Ayabe R.I., Seo Y.D., Melendez B., Segura R.L., Fields B.C., Wani K.M., Johnson S., Witt R., Chelvanambi M., Hudgens C., Hernandez S.D., Ajami N.J., Wargo J.A., Lazar A.J., Halperin D.M., Estrella J., Maxwell J., “Correlation of cancer testis antigen expression with high type-I interferon signal and prognosis in small bowel neuroendocrine tumors” (opens in new tab), Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol. 42, 2024.
- Ayabe RI, Paez-Arango N, Estrella JS, “Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma - does pathologic response mean better outcomes?” (opens in new tab), HPB (Oxford), vol. 25, pp. 472-480, 2023.
- Ayabe RI, Vauthey JN, Newhook TE, “Optimizing the future liver remnant: Portal vein embolization, hepatic venous deprivation, and associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy” (opens in new tab), Surgery United States, vol. 174, pp. 116-118, 2023.
- Maki H, Ayabe RI, Yujiro N, Konishi T, Newhook TE, Tran Cao HS, Chun YS, Tzeng CD, You NY, Vauthey JN, “ASO Author Reflections: The Patient First Approach for Synchronous Liver Metastases from Rectal Cancer” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 30, pp. 5401-5402, 2023.
- Maki H, Ayabe RI, Nishioka Y, Konishi T, Newhook TE, Tran Cao HS, Chun YS, Tzeng CD, You YN, Vauthey JN, “Hepatectomy before primary tumor resection as preferred approach for synchronous liver metastases from rectal cancer” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 30, pp. 5390-5400, 2023.
- Ayabe RI, Mendoza T, Yennu S, Bruera E, Williams LA, Badgwell B, “Symptom Burden in Patients with Malignant Bowel Obstruction Treated With or Without Surgery” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 236, no. 3, pp. 514-522, 2023.
- Ayabe RI, Prakash LR, Bruno ML, “Differential Gains in Surgical Outcomes for High-Risk vs Low-Risk Pancreaticoduodenectomy with Successive Refinements of Risk-Stratified Care Pathways” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 237, no. 1, pp. 4-12, 2023.
- Ayabe R, Vauthey JN, Tran Cao HS, “High volume transplant experience is beneficial but not mandatory for the performance of complex liver resections”, Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 879-881, 2022.
- McClintock NC, Ayabe RI, Salas Parra RD, “A Microcosm of Disparities in Breast Cancer: Comparison Between a Private Hospital and a Safety-Net County Hospital Within Los Angeles County” (opens in new tab), American Surgeon, vol. 88, pp. 1653-1656, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- Ayabe R, Rootman DB, Hwang CJ, Ben-Artzi A, Goldberg R, “Adalimumab as steroid-sparing treatment of inflammatory-stage thyroid eye disease” (opens in new tab), Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 30, pp. 415-9, 2014.
- Ayabe RI, Wach M, Ruff S, Martin S, Diggs L, Wiemken T, Hinyard L, Davis JL, Luu C, Hernandez JM, “Primary Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Tumors: Insights into a Rare Histology using a Large National Database” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 3577-3585, 2019.
- Wach MM, Ayabe RI, Ruff SM, “A Survey of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship Programs Regarding Applicant Selection and Rank” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 2675-2681, 2019.
- Wach MM, Ruff SM, Ayabe RI, “An Examination of Applicants and Factors Associated with Matriculation to Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship Training Programs” (opens in new tab), Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol. 25, no. 12, pp. 3436-3442, 2018.
- Hung C, Ayabe RI, Wang C, Frausto RF, Aldave AJ, “Pre-Descemet corneal dystrophy and X-linked ichthyosis associated with deletion of Xp22.31 containing the STS gene” (opens in new tab), Cornea, vol. 32, pp. 1283-7, 2013.
- Ruff SM, Ayabe RI, Wach MM, “Practice patterns of VTE chemoprophylaxis after discharge following hepatic and pancreatic resections for cancer: A survey of hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons” (opens in new tab), Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 119-124, 2019.
- Ayabe RI, Azimuddin A, Tran Cao HS, “Robot-assisted liver resection: the real benefit so far” (opens in new tab), Langenbeck S Archives of Surgery, vol. 407, no. 5, pp. 1779-1787, 2022.
Contact Information
Email: rayabe@uci.edu
Address: 3800 W. Chapman Avenue, Suite 6200 Orange, CA 92868
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Last updated on 5/14/2026.