PRESENTS
Things I wish I knew Before Undergoing an Endoscopy
Exclusive Interview with James H. Tabibian, MD, PhD, FACP, FASGE, FACG, AGAF
Health Sciences Clinical Professor
Dr. James H. Tabibian is a Gastroenterologist and Advanced Endoscopist at Adventist Health Glendale and the Medical Director of Interventional GI. Prior to joining Adventist Health in 2023, he was a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Director of Endoscopy at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Tabibian grew up in Central California, where he attended UC Davis as an undergraduate. He received his MD degree at UCLA, wherefrom he graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He completed Residency training in the Osler Medical Housestaff Training Program at Johns Hopkins. Thereafter, Dr. Tabibian became the first joint NIH-ABIM Subspecialty Research track fellow in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic Rochester. During his Gastroenterology training, he completed a PhD through Mayo Graduate School, Center for Clinical and Translational Studies (CTSA). Following his training at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Tabibian joined the University of Pennsylvania as an Instructor and Advanced Endoscopy Fellow. At the terminus of his year at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Tabibian moved back to California to join the faculty at UC Davis Medical Center as an Assistant Professor and Director of Fellow Research. Family needs brought Dr. Tabibian back to Southern California in 2017, where he’s practiced ever since. Dr. Tabibian is experienced in endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and luminal stenting, among other advanced procedures. He is highly published in the medical literature, the author of the book “Digestive Problems Solved: A Patient’s Guide to Expert Insights and Solutions”, a biomedical consultant nationally and internationally, and an expert medical reviewer in Gastroenterology for the Medical Board of California.
Dr. Vicken Sepilian is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist and is the founder and director of American Fertility Specialists Medical Group and a partner at Pacific Fertility Centers of Los Angeles. He is double board-certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, as well as Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Sepilian has been an active member of the Armenian American Medical Society (AAMS) holding multiple leadership positions, including serving as the President from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Sepilian served as the Chairman of the 11th Armenian Medical World Congress and currently is the President of the Armenian Medical International Congress (AMIC), a nonprofit organization with member organizations and affiliates all over the world, with the aim of coordinating global efforts in improving healthcare in Armenia. Passionate about community education, in 2008, Dr. Sepilian launched the “Your Health” educational TV program aimed at sharing with the community the latest and most important healthcare topics. Since 2008, the show has been making house calls to tens of thousands of viewers helping educate them on preventative care and healthy lifestyles. In 2010, Dr. Sepilian, alongside other civic leaders and the former Mayor of the City of Glendale co-founded the Glendale Health Festival. Dr. Sepilian worked closely with city and state officials and local hospitals to organize this large-scale event with the aim to improve the health of the community. Dr. Sepilian is a strong believer that success and wealth are measured by life’s experiences and human interactions and that true happiness and purpose are achieved by giving. Cherished memories include debates about life and death with Dr. Jack Kevorkian, delivering school supplies to students in villages in Sri Lanka and teaching chess to orphans in Nepal. 
