Dr. Michael Alvarado

Dr. Michael Alvarado is a Professor of Surgery and member of the breast care and melanoma programs.

Academic training

• Received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, his master's degree in chemistry from the University of Arizona and his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School.
• After completing his residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, he completed his surgical oncology fellowship at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida.
• There he conducted research in the Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology on comparative gene expression profiling of stage III colon cancer and sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients undergoing mastectomy.

Professional experience

• Dr. Alvarado plays an integral role in the world-renowned multidisciplinary breast care team at the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center in the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also Director of the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program and is intimately involved in the training of breast cancer surgeons of the future. 
• Dr. Alvarado performs melanoma surgery including sentinel lymph node biopsy at the UCSF Melanoma Center, a multidisciplinary program consisting of melanoma surgeons, dermatologists, medical oncologists, dermatopathologist and head and neck surgeon.

Notable Achievements and Professional Associations 

• Highly respected by his peers, Dr. Alvarado was named to the list of U.S. News "Top Doctors," which denotes the top 10% of physicians within a region practicing a given specialty. Dr. Alvarado is certified by the American Board of Surgery, member of the Society of Surgical Oncology and member of the American College of Surgeons.