Nikolai A. Bildzukewicz, MD

Dr. Nikolai A. Bildzukewicz is a board-certified, fellowship trained, minimally invasive surgeon specializing in upper GI surgery with the St. Jude Heritage Medical Group. Since 2022, he has served as the Director of Foregut Surgery at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, having practiced there for close to ten years. He is also the former Program Director for USC’s Foregut/Advanced GI and Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship. He is a founding member of the American Foregut Society, and he is an active member of the Foregut Committee of SAGES.

Originally from Pennsylvania, he obtained his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Upon graduation from medical school, Dr. Bildzukewicz was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy. He then completed his general surgery internship at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. Following his internship, he served several months as a General Medical Officer (GMO) at Naval Hospital Great Lakes, and then underwent training to become a U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon. He spent the next two years on active duty as a flight surgeon, providing medical care to military pilots, aircrew, and sailors both ashore and at sea. In 2005, he returned to Jefferson to complete his general surgery training. In 2012, he completed his fellowship training in minimally invasive, bariatric, and robotic surgery at the University of California San Diego.

His clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal and paraesophageal hernias, and esophageal motility disorders including achalasia. He also specializes in the advanced surgical treatment of esophageal and stomach cancer.

Dr. Bildzukewicz was recently selected by his peers as an outstanding, practicing doctor in Orange County, California. After an extensive nomination and research process, he was selected as a 2023 Physician of Excellence, and the results were published in Orange Coast Magazine in January of 2023.