The Gamma Team
Gamma Knife® patients receive coordinated care from a
multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists,
radiation physicists, technicians and nurses. The team’s goal is to
provide the most advanced, effective treatment in a compassionate and
comfortable setting.Medical Directors
Neurosurgeons
Radiation Oncologists
The team is lead by two medical directors,
radiation oncologist, Randy Sorum, MD, and neurosurgeon Peter C. Shin,
MD, MS.
 |
Peter C. Shin, MD, MS
Medical Director, Neurosurgery, South
Sound Gamma Knife at St. Joseph
Dr. Shin received his undergraduate degree in
Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and a
Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State
University before graduating from medical school at
Northeast Ohio University. He was awarded a National Institute of
Health sponsored scientist training grant and research
fellowship in artificial intelligence programming to
stimulate brain development. He completed his residency in
neurological surgery at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center.
Dr. Shin then became Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at
Louisiana State University Health Science Center
specializing in functional neurosurgery, epilepsy, brain
tumor aneurysms, spine surgery and Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
He also served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Overton Brooks Veterans Administration
hospital in Shreveport. He received training on the latest
updates in Gamma Knife at the Queen Sophia
Hospital and Karolinska University Hospital Gamma Knife
centers in Stockholm, Sweden, where the leading-edge
technology was originally developed.
Dr. Shin’s rare dual credentials in both neurosurgery and
biomedical engineering have made him a leader in the fields
of computer-guided imaging, micro-surgical navigation, and
biomechanics. He holds medical staff privileges
at Franciscan Health System and Good Samaritan Hospital.
|
 |
Randy Sorum, MD
Medical Director, Radiation Oncology, South Sound Gamma Knife at St. JosephDr. Sorum joined Tacoma Radiation
Oncology Center in 1999. He is a board certified radiation
oncologist. He holds memberships with the Washington
State Medical Association, American Society for Therapeutic
Radiology and Oncology, and the American College of
Radiology among others. He on the active
staff of Good Samaritan Hospital and holds courtesy
privileges at MultiCare Medical Center, Franciscan Health
System and Puget Sound Hospital.
Dr. Sorum is a native of Sioux Falls, SD. He is an
undergraduate of Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and
obtained his medical degree at the University of South
Dakota School of Medicine, where he also completed his
internship. He completed his residency of Radiation Oncology
at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, CA.
Dr. Sorum's specialties include IMRT (intensity modulated
radiation therapy), 3-dimensional conformal
radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy,
high dose rate and low dose rate brachytherapy, and
prostatic seed implantation. He also has an interest
in brain cancers and diseases of the central nervous system that may benefit
from stereotactic radiosurgery. He has had specialty
training in Marseilles, France for Gamma Knife treatment of
functional disorders.
Dr. Sorum's hobbies include raising, breeding and showing
Arabian and Hackney horses. He also enjoys traveling.
|
Gamma Knife-Trained Neurosurgeons
 |
Alex Mohit, MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon
Dr. Mohit provides comprehensive neurosurgery, specializing in spine and skull base surgery. He received his medical degree from University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California and completed his residency at University of Washington Hospitals. Dr. Mohit recently completed a Complex Spine Surgery Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute in Ohio. Following a Skull Base Surgery Fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, he completed an elective International Neurosurgery Fellowship at Atkinson Morley's Hospital in London, England. Dr. Mohit is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He has held
teaching and research posts at USC School of Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and California Institute of Technology. He is fluent in English, Farsi and Spanish. Dr. Mohit enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid cyclist and runner. Dr. Mohit holds privileges at Franciscan Health System hospitals.
|
 |
Daniel G. Nehls, MD, FACS
Neurosurgeon, South Sound Gamma Knife at St. Joseph
Dr. Nehls established his practice in Tacoma in 1993,
bringing his exceptional surgical expertise and patient care
to the area. He is highly skilled in both spine and brain
surgery, and was the first neurosurgeon in the South Sound
to implant Glaidel chemotherapy wafers into brain tumors. He
has a special interest in Trigeminal Neuralgia, with
expertise in glycerol injection, balloon gangliolysis,
radiofrequency treatment, microvascular decompression and
Gamma Knife treatment. He is known and appreciated for his
down-to-earth style and genuine interest in his patients and
their families, and personally works to ensure they receive
the highest quality care, education and support.
Dr. Nehls received his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering,
and his medical degree from Northwestern
University, followed by a General Surgery internship at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr.
Nehls completed his residency training in Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix,
Arizona. With his interest in research, he applied for and
won the Charles Elsberg Fellowship, an endowment that
provides a year of study at any location worldwide. Dr.
Nehls chose the Wellcome Surgical Institute in Glasgow,
Scotland, where he studied brain blood flow and metabolism,
and explored treatments for stroke. Dr. Nehls received his
training for the Gamma Knife at the University of
Pittsburgh, the center which acquired the first unit in the
United States, and has the most experience and has treated
over 7000 patients.
Dr. Nehls’ experience also includes six years of
neurosurgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington D.C., and at William Beaumont Army Medical Center
in El Paso, Texas. He served as both Chief and Assistant
Chief of Neurosurgery Service at these Centers. At Walter
Reed, Dr. Nehls spent three years as a senior faculty member
training Neurosurgery residents. He has lectured throughout
the United States and Europe and has authored over 50
scientific articles and book chapters. He currently retains
an appointment as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the
Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in
Bethesda, Maryland. Board certified in Neurological Surgery
since 1990, Dr. Nehls holds medical staff privileges with
Franciscan Health System, MultiCare Health System and Good
Samaritan Hospital.
|
 |
Richard N.W. Wohns, MD,
MBA
NeurosurgeonDr. Wohns received extensive training
in the latest advances in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery at
the Queen Sophia Hospital and Karolinska University Hospital
Gamma Knife Centers in Stockholm, Sweden, where the
leading-edge technology was originally developed. He is a Magna Cum Laude
graduate of Harvard College in Biochemistry, and a graduate
of the Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his
neurosurgical residency at the University of Washington. Dr.
Wohns also received his Executive MBA from the University of
Washington where he serves as an Associate Clinical
Professor of Neurological Surgery.
His other areas of expertise in the field of neurosurgery
include brain tumor and skull base surgery, numerous complex
minimally invasive spinal surgical techniques, teleradiology,
computer-based neuronavigation and stereotaxis. He is one of
the first US neurosurgeons qualified to perform the
revolutionary XLIF technique for minimally invasive lumbar
fusions.
Dr. Wohns is President of the Washington State Association
of Neurological Surgeons, and Chairman of the Northwest
Quadrant of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. He
is also Chairman of the Board of NeoSpine, LLC.
In his "off-duty" time, Dr. Wohns is a leader in the field
of mountain medicine and served as Medical Director to the
Ultima Thule Expedition to Mount Everest, and is widely
known in the climbing community for having performed an
emergency appendectomy on the Baltoro Glacier, while on a K2
expedition.
A highly disciplined martial arts devotee, he currently
holds a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is also an
avid bicyclist, skier and tennis player. |
Gamma Knife-Trained Radiation Oncologists
 |
Kenneth Bergman, MD
Radiation OncologistDr. Bergman received his bachelor’s
degree from the University of California-Santa Barbara and
his medical degree from UCLA; he graduated with academic
honors from both colleges. While at UCLA, he was involved in
basic science and clinical research and published several
papers about his work using Positron Emission Tomography
(PET), an imaging technique that enables physicians to
monitor the chemical function of organs and tissues.
Dr. Bergman completed his internship at Tucson Medical
Center and did his residency training at the University of
Washington, where he was awarded an American Cancer Society
Clinical Oncology Fellowship.
His areas of specialization include 3D conformal radiation
therapy, as well as breast and prostate cancer. He’s on
staff at MultiCare Medical Center, Good Samaritan, St.
Joseph, St. Francis and St. Clare hospitals.
A board certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Bergman joined
the staff of Tacoma/Valley Radiation Oncology Centers in
2002. He holds memberships with the Washington State Medical
Association, American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and
Oncology, American College of Radiation Oncology and the
American Medical Association.
|
 |
Dean G. Mastras, MD
Radiation OncologistDr. Mastras joined Tacoma Radiation
Oncology Center in 1993. He is board certified in
Therapeutic Radiology. He holds medical staff privileges at
Tacoma General, Good Samaritan, St. Joseph and St. Francis
Hospitals. His specialties include GYN brachytherapy,
prostatic seed implantation and the treatment of breast
cancer. Dr. Mastras is especially interested in the
treatment of prostate cancer and has participated in several
regional symposiums on the subject.
Dr. Mastras holds membership in multiple medical societies
including the Washington State Medical Association, the
American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology,
American College of Radiation Oncology, and the American
Medical Association.
|
 |
Michael McDonough, MD
Radiation Oncologist,
Radiation Oncology, South Sound Gamma Knife at
St. JosephA native
of Tacoma, Dr. McDonough received his bachelor’s degree from
the University of Washington and his medical degree from St.
Louis University. He completed an internship in internal
medicine at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. He
completed residency training in Radiation Oncology at Wayne
State University in Detroit. He is board certified in
Therapeutic Radiology.
Dr. McDonough practiced
radiation oncology at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Louis.
He also served on the faculty of the Medical College of Ohio
in Toledo. He returned to Tacoma to join the Tacoma/Valley
Radiation Oncology Centers in June 2001. He holds
memberships with the Pierce County Medical Society,
Washington State Medical Association, American College of
Radiology, American College of Radiation Oncology, American
Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and American
Brachytherapy Society.
He holds medical staff
privileges at Franciscan Health System, Good Samaritan
Hospital, Auburn General Hospital and Multicare Health
System.
|
|
Huong T. Pham, MD
Radiation Oncologist
St. Francis Outpatient Center/Radiation OncologyDr. Pham
received her medical degree from the University of Maryland in
Baltimore. She completed her internship at St. Mary’s Hospital
in San Francisco and did her residency training at Cooper
Hospital, University Medical Center Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Pham’s fellowship in Radiation
Oncology was completed at the University of California San
Francisco. Her areas of special medical interest are treatment
of brain tumors, radiosurgery and lung cancer.
|
|
|
John Rieke, MD, FACR
Radiation Oncologist
MultiCare Regional Cancer Center
Dr. Rieke attended medical school in Oregon, and then
completed training in Internal Medicine in Minnesota and
Radiation Oncology at Stanford University in California,
becoming board certified in both specialties. Dr. Rieke has
practiced radiation oncology and stereotactic radiosurgery in
this region beginning in the late 1980s at Virginia Mason
Clinic in Seattle. He was a founding member of the International
Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society. He has presented radiosurgery
research in the areas of acoustic neuroma, brain metastases,
glioma and vascular malformations.
|
|
|
|