About Us

DOCS consists of a group of highly specialized physicians, each with their own sub-specialty. Dr. Batra is a well established cosmetic surgeon with a sub-specialty in craniofacial surgery. Dr. Halls is an expert in the fields of reconstructive breast surgery, hand surgery and microsurgery. Dr. Lokesh Tantuwaya has expertise in the area of spine surgery and neurosurgery. Dr. Don Kikawa is a nationally recognized occulo-plastic surgeon. Dr. Andrew Chang is one of the foremost oral surgeons in San Diego Dr. Rollin Daniel is a national and international authority on nose reconstruction.

The core group of doctors has elicited the support of several individuals within the community. Volunteers include Dr. Russell Dunnam, the organization’s medical director, Mr. Jerry Dressel, C.P.A., Marsha Dressel, Lorin Moch, Setara Moosa, Sabine Soddemann, Marcus Gutierrez, Michelle, Ornelas, Joy Shedlosky, Rosamelia Lopez, Dodi Jones, Sandy Foley, Dolores Chavez, Iman Manni and Bree Walker. All of these individuals have given their time selflessly, by serving in varying capacities to further the DOCS objective of caring for the needy in San Diego.

DOCS has also teamed up with other local organizations. The Family Justice Center often sees victims of domestic violence. Women and children who seek refuge there, will be referred over to DOCS. Healing the physical wounds left behind by abusive relationships is one of the many necessary steps toward helping these women and children take back control of their lives. Children and young adults from the Monarch School who can benefit from the DOCS services will also be considered.

Recent cases have included a local marine who had severe spinal and craniofacial trauma due to a horrific car accident. His secondary reconstruction, including reconstructing his nose and left eyebrow, were done through DOCS. The patient and his family were not confident in the case being handled through the VA, due to the complexity of his injuries. Through a series of successive surgeries, the DOCS physicians were able to reconstruct this young man’s face, serving just one of our country’s dedicated servicemen.

The DOCS team spent over eight hours in the Operating Room working on a case so challenging, the patient had been turned away by a number of prior physicians. The young mother of two suffered from severe facial deformities due to bony tumors protruding from her skull and face. The technical difficulty and the possible incidence of complications and mortality was high. Previous surgical attempts at reconstruction had caused the patient to go blind in her left eye. Despite this, the patient entrusted her care to Drs’ Batra and Tantuwaya, realizing that the chance of a good outcome outweighed the quality of life she had with her facial deformities, and the embarrassment her youngest son suffered as he was constantly asked, “What’s wrong with your mother?” The patient is now one month out of surgery and feels her life has been given back to her.