My family and I emigrated to US as political refugees from the Former Soviet Union in 1979.

I obtained my Bachelor's degree in science and Medical degree from Stanford University and Stanford Medical School.

In college, I worked as a research assistant in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology on development of peptide-based immunotherapy to prevent diabetes in the NOD mouse, a model of human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. I both published my work as well as received the Nycomed Prize for best abstract and presentation at 26thAnnual Meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology, SIOP, Paris, France. My interest in research continued throughout Medical school and I received a Stanford Medical Student Scholars Program Research Fellowship and subsequently worked in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation in the area of immunotherapy and its applications in the mouse model of Graft vs. Host Disease.

My interested in the clinical application of my research led me to the field of hematology/oncology. While completing my fellowship at USC, I worked on clinical development of a novel cancer drug and after obtaining an Investigational New Drug Application from the FDA, opened a PhaseI/II clinical trial using the drug Noscapine for patients with Non-Hogdkin's Lymphoma or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia refractory to chemotherapy. As a clinical fellow, I had received a grant for my work from Cancer Treatment Research Foundation for $50,125. I have been part of the Cedars Sinai Cancer Center and Medical Group since 2003 as a hematologist/oncologist.

In addition to clinical work, I continue to participate and conduct clinical research by serving as a principal investigator in therapeutic clinical trials. I also serve as a member of multiple Cedars Sinai Centers of Excellence Committees in the areas of Breast, Thyroid and Colorectal Cancers. I speak fluent Russian and my hobbies include Jewish studies, singing, learning French, traveling and ballroom dancing.