Accepting new patients

Cristian D. Valenzuela, M.D., FACS, FSSO

Accepting new patients

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine

Specialty

  • Cancer
  • Surgery

Clinical focus

  • Skin Cancers
  • Melanoma
  • Sarcoma
  • Peritoneal Surface Malignancy

Locations and contact

I see patients at
Modern building on a clear day with the tram in the background.
Center for Health & Healing, Building 2
503-494-8311
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About me

I am a surgeon who specializes in treating skin cancers in adult patients, including melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma and peritoneal surface malignancy.

I am a surgeon who was born and raised in the New York City area. Driven to help the less fortunate, I pursued my surgical residency at a public hospital in Spanish Harlem.

I also have a strong passion for basic science research, which has led me to work on laboratory projects focused on blood vessels and tissue development. After completing my general surgery residency, I specialized in cancer surgery at Wake Forest University. I later joined the surgical staff at OHSU, where my primary focus includes the treatment of melanoma, sarcoma and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for peritoneal surface malignancies.

Outside of work, I enjoy running, piano, chess and time with my family.

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • M.D., 2011, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
    • B.A., 2007, Cornell University

  • Residency

    • General Surgery, New York Medical College at Metropolitan Hospital Center, 2020
    • General Surgery (Internship), Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Medical Center, 2012

  • Fellowship

    • Complex General Surgical Oncology, Wake Forest University, 2022
    • Laboratory Fellowship (NIH-funded), Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, 2017

  • Certifications

    • American Board of Surgery, General Surgery, 2022
    • American Board of Surgery, Complex General Surgical Oncology, 2023

Memberships and associations:

  • American College of Surgeons
  • Society of Surgical Oncology
  • North Pacific Surgical Association
  • Pacific Coast Surgical Association
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Insurance

Before scheduling an appointment

  1. Check your network. If you have health insurance,  call your company to find out if the OHSU Health location or provider you plan to visit is part of your network.
  2. Ask what you will pay. Your insurance company can tell you what your costs are likely to be.

If you schedule an appointment and your health insurance does not include OHSU Health, you may have to pay more than if you go to a provider in your insurance network. 

Visit our billing and insurance page for more information.

Ratings and reviews

Overall: 4.9 out of 5 (204 Ratings, 86 Reviews)

The patient ratings score is an average of all responses to the question "How likely would you be to recommend this provider to your family and friends (on a scale of 0 to 10)" on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey patient surveys.

  1. Dr Valenzuela is very kind and thoughtful and takes his time to listen to my questions.

  2. He was so very helpful

  3. Dr Valenzuela is extremely professional, knowledgeable and takes the time to explain things clearly.

  4. Dr. Valenzuela is a top oncology surgeon who saved my life. He is friendly, thoughtful, skilled, and respectful. It's a privilege to be treated by him.

  5. Very good

  6. Dr Valezuela was kind and very informative. I am very impressed with the multidisciplinary team approach.

  7. Very knowledgeable and spent considerable time discussing options and answering questions.

  8. Dr. Valenzuela was very thorough with his explanation and procedural follow up of my surgery. He was professional and I felt I was in capable, caring hands.

  9. Dr Valenzuela is wonderful, thoughtful, thorough, and I'm thankful he's my doctor

  10. Dr Valenzuela is very well educated and easy to understand!

  11. He was thorough and answered all the questions and concerns I had.

  12. All round a great experience with my Doctor and the OHSU staff.

  13. very good experience considering what I'm there for

  14. Dr. Valenzuela is very kind, compassionate, and thorough. He made sure I understood everything and answered my questions. I didn't feel rushed. It was nice that he had a scribe so that everything could be appropriately recorded while Dr. Valenzuela focused on explaining things to me.

  15. Very good.

  16. As I told them when I left this experience has been great. Good communication and fast response to questions via my chart.

  17. Top notch across the board

  18. Very caring and made sure we understood what my issues were

  19. I guess you mean Dr Valenzuela, he's tops. He thoroughly explained how my recovery looks to him and the four areas and associated symptoms to watch in case my cancer recurs.

  20. Was Excellent

  21. I'm very happy with Dr. V. I've seen him for 2+ years.

  22. Dr. Valenzuela is always an extremely kind professional. You will not get a better medical expert.

  23. Exceptional

  24. I'm impressed.

  25. Easy to talk to, provided options

  26. Doctor spends the time to go through everything with full explanation and care

  27. Very experienced; explained things well.

  28. He is great in taking time to make sure I understand and answering any questions. Very good bedside manner.

  29. I have no complaints. Was very well cared for by everyone

  30. Dr. Valenzuela was caring and did the surgery exactly as planned and explained.