In the late 1960s, The United States was at war in Vietnam. Having graduated from Albany Medical College in 1965, Dr. Melvin Silverstein was faced with a decision. All graduating physicians were required to serve in one of the military branches. Your choices were to be drafted, OR apply for the Berry Program, which allowed him to voluntarily join the US Army and ask for a deferment to complete training. Through a lottery program, he was given 5 years to complete his training as a general surgeon. He then entered the Army as a Major and was guaranteed that they would use him as a surgeon and not a generalist. Major Silverstein served in the medical corps from 1970 to 1972 at Walter Reed, Army Institute of Research and then DeWitt Army Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Since graduation from Medical College in 1965, Dr. Silverstein has accumulated 60 years of experience in the medical field that includes service to his country and his community. Dr. Silverstein came to Hoag after serving as Professor of Surgery and Director of the Breast Program at the Keck School of Medicine, USC. Dr. Silverstein is currently the Medical Director of the Hoag Breast Center and the Gross Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery.

Richard served from 1970 to 1973 as a Lieutenant in the Dental Corp of the United States Navy, which consists of naval officers with a doctorate in dental surgery to provide dental care for Sailors and Marines to ensure optimal oral health. The Corps’ primary mission is to prevent or remedy oral health conditions that may interfere with the duties of active member of the naval forces. In remote areas, state side, or in overseas locations, the Dental Corp may also treat dependent family members. Richard’s first deployment was to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina to perform surgical, restorative and emergency service to prepare Marine recruits for combat within the Vietnam arena, and to provide dependent oral health services as Parris Island was designated as a remote area. His second assignment was aboard the U.S.S. Grand Canyon, a Shenandoah-class destroyer tender reclassified as a repair ship, including a tour in the North Sea servicing the Atlantic Fleet and 6th Fleet, followed by duty at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay providing surgical, prosthetic, restorative and emergency oral health care procedures for the personnel of destroyers and other ships returning from various overseas military locations. Richard is currently on the medical staff at Hoag (Department of HEENT) and Children’s Hospital of Orange County (Section Chairman), is a Faculty member of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California. He is also the co-founder of Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, a non-profit organization providing oral health care for underserved and underprivileged medically challenged children in Orange County. Richard resides in Newport Beach with his wife Kris.

Dore graduated from UCSB (’71) and USC Keck School of Medicine (‘75), completed his Surgery Internship at LAC-USC Medical Center and residency at LAC-Harbor UCLA Medical Center, is an Associate Professor at UCI, served 12 years as Chief of Dermatology at Hoag, and since 1979 has practiced in Newport Beach including currently as Medical Director of Newport Dermatology & Laser Associates. He served 29 years on the Saddleback Unified School District board. In 2009 Dore enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 60 and requested a battlefield assignment in Afghanistan. In 2011 he put his practice on hold and his life at risk when deployed to a combat theater outside Kabul as a Brigade Surgeon responsible administratively at Camp Phoenix and 10 more-forward bases for the health of 10,000 troops, all health-care personnel, physician assignments, and setting up walk-in blood banks and clinically for training combat medics in the latest battlefield first-aid, particularly the use of tourniquets, as the most common cause of death in combat is bleed-out from wounds that might be stanched with better tourniquets or better instruction in their use. His decorations include the Afghan Campaign Medal with Campaign Bronze Star Device, and Joint Service Commendation, National Defense Service, Army Achievement (2), Army Service, Armed Forces Reserve, ISAF NATO, and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medals, and an Army Overseas Ribbon.

David is an internal medicine hospitalist at Hoag. Born in Taiwan, he immigrated with his family to America as a young boy. At an early age, he developed an admiration for the men and women of our nation’s military and the determination to someday serve his adopted country. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, David received a Navy scholarship to New York Medical College, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree. He completed his internship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and was assigned as a Battalion Surgeon for the Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan, providing general and acute care to more than 800 Marines and serving as Medical Advisor to the base Commanding Officer. He later served as Senior Medical Officer for the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, overseeing clinics providing medical care to 6,000 Marines. For his service, David was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal. At Hoag, he has had many leadership roles, including as a member of the Medical Executive Committee and as vice-chairman of the Department of Hospital Medicine providing expert leadership and operational management for 15 full-time hospitalists at Hoag Irvine and Hoag Orthopedic Institute helping guide most activities of the hospitalist team, from recruiting new physicians, providing mentorship, and collaborating with nursing staff to seeking new ways to enhance the transition of care for patients. David resides in Irvine with his wife Amy and daughters Caitlyn and Cara.

Janie is an internal medicine hospitalist at Hoag. A first-generation American, she immigrated to America from Taiwan with her family as a young girl. Education has always been important to Janie’s family. Her father wanted to come to America to earn a Ph.D., and her older brother David is also a physician. Even as a young girl, Janie knew she wanted to become a physician. David set a stellar path of education and service to her adopted country that inspired her, and which she ultimately followed. Janie received a Navy scholarship to New York Medical College and earned her Doctor of Medicine degree. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, received the Aequanimitas Award during her 3rd year of residency for humility, compassion, and excellent care of patients, and was assigned as Attending Staff, Internal Medicine, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan where she was one of just four Internists providing comprehensive outpatient and inpatient care to 43,000 military personnel, Defense Department civilians, and their family members. Janie has received numerous honors and distinctions for her service, including the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Janie is a full partner at Pacific Hospitalist Associates. Averaging up to 20 patient encounters daily, she provides care for hospitalized adult patients in ICU and in-house 24-hour Intensivist support. Janie resides in Newport Beach with her husband Dr. Coury Staadecker and daughter Hannah.

Tony grew up in a military family on the East Coast. He joined the United States Marine Corps directly out of high school, completing infantry school at Camp Lejeune. He was stationed with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, serving as squad leader. After military service, Tony returned to school, enrolling at Skyline Junior College in San Bruno, California then transferring to the University of California, Davis where he earned a degree in Biochemistry. He went on to medical school at the University of California, Irvine, earning his degree in medicine in 2000. He then returned to Northern California to complete his internship and residencies in general and thoracic surgery at Stanford, including Chief Residencies in Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery and Chief Resident in Thoracic Transplant. Throughout his tenure at Stanford, he received numerous awards including the Jon Henry Smith, lll, M.D., “Outstanding Surgical Resident of the Year” Award in 2007 and the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, Norman E. Shumway Award in 2009. Tony is a Hoag Cardiothoracic Surgeon and holds several leadership positions at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute including Co-Director, Hoag Cardiovascular Surgery; Director, Hoag Aortic Center; and Newkirk Family Endowed Chair in Aortic Care. Tony and his wife Jennifer reside in Newport Beach with their children Tyler and Kate.

Burt is a Hoag physician who received his surgical training in the Air Force, at age 32 served as Chief of Surgical Oncology at the largest military hospital in the world at Lackland AFB, performed hyperbaric oxygen therapy medical services at Kelly AFB, attended to the advanced aircraft flight-line pilots at Edwards AFB test pilot school, and flew in jets to assist with a variety of medical duties that included responsibilities beyond surgery. During Operation Desert Storm, Burt served as a military consultant to the Surgeon General of the United States and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. He served 21 years in the Air Force and retired as a colonel, a rank attained by very few physicians. Burt is currently the Executive Medical Director of the Hoag Family Cancer Institute, holds the Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair, and is a Professor of Clinical Surgery in the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He is responsible for the strategic planning and partnership between Hoag and USC developing a world-class cancer program for the Orange County community and provides oversight over the operation of the Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Hoag’s site-specific cancer programs, and the establishment of future cancer treatment sites for Hoag. Burt resides in San Juan Capistrano with his wife Vicki.

Dr. Thomas Velling was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy in 1986 after receiving a Health Professions Scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC). He attended Officer Indoctrination School in Newport, RI, and following graduation from USC in 1989 was commissioned a Lieutenant. Dr. Velling completed a one-year General Surgery internship at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, where he was named “Intern of the Year”. Dr. Velling qualified as a Submarine and Diving Medical Officer and was subsequently assigned to a submarine tender and deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. During his service in the Persian Gulf, Dr. Velling earned qualification as a Surace Warfare Officer. He served in other capacities at Naval Medical Center San Diego until being discharged in 2001. Dr. Velling remained active for two more years in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He started his career with Hoag Hospital in November 2001. Dr. Velling was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal, Navy Battle “E” Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (Gold Star), and Expert Pistol and Rifle Shot Medal. The Hoag Classic is proud to honor Dr. Thomas Velling.