


Ata S. Moshiri, MD, MPH, FAAD
I remember vividly the first time I gave a cancer diagnosis to a patient. As a fresh intern at the VA, I had to tell a perfect stranger that his nausea and vomiting were not, in fact, just another bout of pancreatitis brought on by too much drinking — he had a large mass in his pancreas that would likely cut his life short. When I shared the news, he smiled and said, “It’s about time!” It turned out that men in his family had died from pancreatic cancer, and in his eyes, having made it to his sixties, he had beaten expectations. Every time I saw him after that, he was in good spirits, laughing with the nurses. He taught me that people are capable of incredible resilience and to walk alongside them in times of need is truly a profound privilege.

I am a firm believer in multidisciplinary, team-based medicine that puts patients and families first. To me, this means that all of us — surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, palliative care specialists, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers and all other members of the team, including myself — stay in close contact with one another and work toward one united purpose: helping patients achieve their goals for care, whatever they are. I think this is done best when all these players are familiar with each other, working under the same roof and using the same electronic medical record to facilitate communication. Consolidating complicated disease management into one medical home, like SCCA, is very important, and it’s one of the reasons I choose to work here.
Provider background
Specialties and clinical expertise: Dermatology
I am a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist who specializes in treating patients with a variety of skin cancers and melanoma. I am the director of the T-VEC (talimogene laherparepvec) program at SCCA. With a background in cutaneous (skin) oncology and dermatopathology (the study of skin diseases at a microscopic level), I am most interested in the genetic alterations that create and perpetuate cancer. Examining how tumors change under the lens of a microscope can help predict treatment outcomes. I have conducted research and published articles on a variety of different skin cancers. Additionally, I have a special interest in pigmented lesions (moles) and the use of non-invasive skin imaging to diagnose and monitor lesions.
Diseases treated
Research
Clinical trials
We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by SCCA doctors. Many of these trials at SCCA have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your doctor can decide if a study is right for you.
Publications
Many of our SCCA physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this SCCA provider has written.
Your care team




Insurance
SCCA accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.