About Melanie Goldfarb, MD
Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Melanie R. Goldfarb (MD, M.Sc., FACS, FACE) is an endocrine surgeon specializing in minimal access surgery for adrenal tumors, thyroid, parathyroid, and neck ultrasound, thyroid biopsy, and radiofrequency ablation. She is the founding Director of the Center for Endocrine Tumors, a “one-stop-shop” for thyroid/parathyroid ultrasound and biopsy with same-day imaging and results where every patient receives a personalized treatment plan that is a collaboration created together with the patient and physician. Dr. Goldfarb is a leader in her field and has authored over 75 publications and received numerous grants. She is also one of the first physicians on the west coast to offer radio-frequency ablation of thyroid nodules in her office.
Dr. Goldfarb graduated from Brown University and earned her medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in surgical training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Harvard Medical School in Boston, followed by a fellowship in endocrine surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
She is on the editorial board of the medical journal “Thyroid.” She serves on committees for several associations, including the American Thyroid Association, the Society for Surgical Oncology, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, and the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. She is also a member of several other professional associations, including the Endocrine Society, American Society for Clinical Oncology, Western Surgical Association, Pacific Coast Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons, and the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons.
Dr. Goldfarb focuses her personal research on endocrine tumors, thyroid ultrasound, secondary malignancies, cancer survivorship, and adolescent and young adult thyroid cancer.
Medical Service
Surgical SpecialtiesLocations
2121 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
Education
Medical School
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Internship
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard Medical School), Boston, MA
Residency
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard Medical School), Boston, MA
Fellowship
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Languages
- Aetna – HMO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO
- Aetna PPO
- Anthem Blue Cross HMO
- Anthem Blue Cross PPO
- Blue Preferred PPO networks
- Blue Shield of CA HMO
- Blue Shield of CA HMO – Trio
- Blue Shield of CA Medicare Advantage
- Blue Shield of CA PPO
- BlueCross BlueShield MT PPO
- Caremark MHN PPO
- Choice /Humana PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna PPO
- Community Care Network – PPO
- Coventry/First Health PPO
- First Choice PPO
- First Health/Coventry PPO
- Health Net – Covered CA HMO
- Health Net – Federal
- Health Net – Federal Services (Champus)
- Health Net – HMO
- First Health/Coventry PPO
- Health Net – TriCare
- Health Net Medicare Advantage
- Health Net PPO
- Health Smart PPO
- HealthSmart (Interplan) PPO
- Humana – ChoiceCare PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage
- Medicare
- Medicare Advantage PPO
- Multiplan PPO
- Optum
- Oscar EPO
- Premera PPO
- Private HealthCare Systems (PHCS)
- Providence Health Plan
- Providence Health Plan – Medicare Advantage
- Providence Preferred
- Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
- Regence PPO
- SCAN Medicare Advantage
- TriCare
- United Healthcare HMO
- United Healthcare Medicare Advantage
- United HealthCare PPO
- Vivity by Anthem Blue Cross
- Saint John’s Cancer Center
- Providence Saint John’s Health Center
Hospital Affiliation
- Saint John’s Physician Partners
Professional Associations
- American Thyroid Association
- American Association of Endocrine Surgeons
- American Association of Clinical Endocrinology
- Society for Surgical Oncology
- Endocrine Society
- American Society for Clinical Oncology
- Western Surgical Association
- Pacific Coast Surgical Association
- American College of Surgeons
- International Association of Endocrine Surgeons
Board Certifications
- American Board of Surgery, Surgery
- Parathyroid carcinoma in more than 1,000 patients: A population-level analysis.
- Recent advances in the understanding and management of primary hyperparathyroidism
- ASO Author Reflections: Incorporating Adjuvant Radiation into the Treatment Planning for Select Adrenocortical Carcinomas
- Adjuvant Radiation is Associated with Improved Survival for Select Patients with Non-metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma
- Balancing the benefits and harms of thyroid cancer surveillance in survivors of Childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer: Recommendations from the international Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group in collaboration with the PanCareSurFup Consortium
- Am Surg . 2017 Oct 1;83(10):1132-1136. Anatomic Location Is the Primary Determinant of Survival for Paragangliomas
- Effects of socioeconomic status on children with well-differentiated thyroid cancer
- Impact of Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy on Overall Survival in Patients with Nonmetastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma
- Thyroid Cancer-Specific Quality of Life and Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adult Thyroid Cancer Survivors
- Age at Primary Malignancy Determines Survival in Adolescent and Young Adults That Develop a Secondary Thyroid Cancer
- Pediatric Thyroid Microcarcinoma
- Impact of Regional Lymph Node Dissection on Disease Specific Survival in Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma
- AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY DISEASE STATE CLINICAL REVIEW: TIMING OF MULTIPLE ENDOCRINE NEOPLASIA THYROIDECTOMY AND EXTENT OF CENTRAL NECK LYMPHADENECTOMY
- Pediatric papillary thyroid cancer >1 cm: is total thyroidectomy necessary?
- Support needs and survivorship concerns of thyroid cancer patients
Reviews
At Providence, we’re dedicated to providing you quality, personalized health care. We are constantly striving to optimize your experience.
As part of ensuring you have a positive experience with Providence, our online provider directory includes ratings and patient comments for select providers. More about our survey.
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4.7
- 192 Reviews
- 118 Comments
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5
Very satisfying experience!
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. G is fantastic! Warm and caring and extremely astute.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb and her staff are very attentive and kind
Providence Patient-
5
GREAT doctor - friendly, straight forward. Could not ask for a better physician.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarf is an amazing doctor and I had a wonderful experience with her
Providence Patient-
5
She is very empathetic and understanding.
Providence Patient-
5
I really like Dr. Goldfarb. She was my thyroid surgeon.
Providence Patient-
5
Very professional and excellent care.
Providence Patient-
5
I wish your other doctors been as professional as Dr. Goldfarb!
Providence Patient-
4.66
Dr Goldfarb was excellent made me feel comfortable, gave me options and assured I was receiving quality health care
Providence Patient-
5
The doctor was great. She showed me what she saw in the images and explained that it was not needing more than a check up in 18 months
Providence Patient-
5
Was very satisfied with the service and information received
Providence Patient-
5
I had a good experience during my last visit
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent job
Providence Patient-
5
Everything was good, kind, caring and on time
Providence Patient-
4.71
Very good !
Providence Patient-
4.71
Excellent
Providence Patient-
5
EVERYONE on her team couldn't be nicer they ALL made me feel comfortable and safe
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb is an excellent listener and explained my condition in detail. She's great
Providence Patient-
5
Wonderful care, hardly any waiting to see the doctor.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb's staff is always kind and courteous. Of course, Dr. Goldfarb sets the high standards and values. .
Providence Patient-
5
Highly professional and well-experienced doctor.
Providence Patient-
5
Knowledgable and friendly provider
Providence Patient-
4.89
The dr explain well
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. GOldfarb was informative. Calm. Lovely and reassuring. I felt better leaving the consultation than I did arriving. She made me feel confident about the path we were going to take.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb and her team and staff are exceptional and gave me great care.
Providence Patient-
5
Quick and direct. Attentive.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb is a great doctor, she is knowledgeable and thorough with the medical Information as well as compassionate and engaging.
Providence Patient-
5
Great experience this far. Made the change in network and very happy with doctors and all services
Providence Patient-
4.94
Everyone involved was very helpful & nice.It was very pleasant.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb was wonderful, warm and kind. She took the time to explain things, listened to my concerns and answered my questions. Her team was also kind and considerate.
Providence Patient-
5
From check in, to going into exam room, my experience was excellent. Very organized. Facility was state of the art. Very pleased w my visit.
Providence Patient-
4.54
Staff respectful/polite. Dr. Goldfarb seemed very knowledgeable regarding her field of medicine. Easy to talk with.
Providence Patient-
5
She is one of the best I have seen.
Providence Patient-
5
Thoughtful and thorough
Providence Patient-
5
Everyone was very professional.I was taken in to my appointment ahead of schedule and was seen very quickly.The whole experience was the best experience I have ever had. Dr goldfarb was incredible! I felt like I was in great hands. Thank you
Providence Patient-
5
I met Dr. Goldfarb while feeling a bit anxious about my situation and she was exactly the professional, calming presence I needed. She talked me through all our options and I could tell how intelligent and experienced she is. I feel so lucky to have been referred to Dr. Goldfarb and know I'm in good hands.
Providence Patient-
5
Everyone was very attentive and kind.
Providence Patient-
4.94
I liked Melanie Goldfarb, appreciated the time she took to followup on a thyroid ultrasound from Tower, and have confidence In her diagnosis.
Providence Patient-
5
Very Great experience
Providence Patient-
5
Wonderful care, great result
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldman is friendly, very knowledgeable and professional. Her demeanor makes one feel relaxed and cared for.
Providence Patient-
4.37
Dr. Goldfarb is excellent.
Providence Patient-
5
All good
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goddard showed tremendous amount of understanding, compassion, and empathy during my visit.
Providence Patient-
5
My first visit with Dr. Goldfarb and she put me at ease immediately. She was on time, personable, confident and explained everything about my condition. I would highly recommend her.
Providence Patient-
5
Great experience
Providence Patient-
5
My experience was very good, I felt that I was in good hands.
Providence Patient-
5
Thank you for professionalism and kindness
Providence Patient-
5
This was a recheck and it was pleasant and informative and there will be another in a few months
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent care from Dr Goldfarb
Providence Patient-
5
I received great care, thank you
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. GOLDFARB is always friendly and professional. I'm very happy with my procedure and follow up.
Providence Patient-
5
CT scan done at office, very knowledgeable, very reassuring
Providence Patient-
5
The check up was breeze. The staff are very caring. Dr. Goldfarb is wonderful.
Providence Patient-
5
Smart, thorough good bedside manner
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb and the doctor who assisted her were wonderful
Providence Patient-
5
I did have to leave a couple of messages before getting a call back. As a matter of fact, it was after mentioning to my oncologist, who initially referred me, that I hadn't heard back from Dr. Goldfarb's office that I got a return call. Orher than that delay, I have no complaint. The doctor and the staff were great.
Providence Patient-
5
I was very happy with Dr. Goldfarb. She was informative, told me what I needed to know and talked to me about the results of the surgery.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent over all care from doc to helpers A+
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb was a real professional Her In-depth knowledge and expertise allayed all my fears during our visitIt was a pleasure seeing her for this serious health issueI would give her an 11 out of 10 if possible
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb always nice, efficient and a pleasure to talk to.
Providence Patient-
4.43
Thank you for very friendly and very efficient service.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb is an excellent thyroid specialist and a caring doctor.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent
Providence Patient-
5
Very attentive and caring doctor!
Providence Patient-
5
Very pleased with my experience at this facility
Providence Patient-
5
Love Dr. Goldfarb & her staff, they always take excellent care of me.
Providence Patient-
5
The whole team was very kind, courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb eased my fears and seemed very knowledgeable about my problem
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb is excellent - very pleasant, very efficient, very professional.
Providence Patient-
5
I went in super terrified to even be in the building our of nerves, but she stood right next to me and took her time to show my farmland I what was going on, give her professional stance and gave me my options to make sure I was comfortable. I loved every experience !
Providence Patient-
5
Your care provider, was very serious about my condition and made all the test that I needed readily available. And scheduled to help me with my condition in a very early time. She was recommended by another doctor that I'm seeing at this time, and I'm very satisfied with her.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent doctor, staff and care
Providence Patient-
4.94
Everyone seemed to approach individuals with thought and care.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent visit
Providence Patient-
5
I needed a specialist to get a second opinion on an existing medical condition. I had been told conflicting diagnoses and wanted an outside evaluation and opinion. I received excellent information from Dr. Goldfarb and my concerns were resolved.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent and showed me the ultrasound to explain exactly what medical terms applied. Very informtive.
Providence Patient-
5
My experience was very pleasant and eased my health concerns.
Providence Patient-
5
Very informative, and on a timely manner
Providence Patient-
5
Outstanding physician!
Providence Patient-
5
Everything was good, she explained everything well, I think I need to do a follow up
Providence Patient-
4.66
Dr Goldfarb was very patient about my many questions about choosing between RFA and surgery for my benign thyroid nodule. My decision-making would have been less confusing if she had weighed in on a possible preference but I understand why she didn't do so. It's good to know that surgery is an option if the nodule hasn't sufficiently decreased in size after a year or so.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Melanie Goldfarb was extremely helpful
Providence Patient-
5
She is really a good doctor able to answer our questions accordingly
Providence Patient-
5
Very thoughtful and thorough. Professional. Reviews all pertinent family history
Providence Patient-
4.94
She's great.Very happy w her
Providence Patient-
5
From the parking to the visit w/Dr. Goldfarb everything was easy and explained well.
Providence Patient-
5
Everyone was nice polite and caring.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr goldfarb and her team were amazing I was treated and all of my results and treatment were taken care of at the time of my visit. She explained everything. She truly is an amazing doctor. I was lucky to have found her.Thank you so much
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb was great, she is an expert and it shows. She was very clear, direct and kind and compassionate too. Her staff were all great, kind, compassionate and helpful as well.
Providence Patient-
5
Excellent interaction
Providence Patient-
5
A confidence inspiring physician and a really nice person.
Providence Patient-
5
All good Perfect
Providence Patient-
5
Very good experience and follow-up. Thanks
Providence Patient-
5
The entire experience was very good!
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb was extremely engaged in my situation. She was very warm and friendly and relatable. She answered my questions and put my mind at ease.
Providence Patient-
5
I really appreciated that Dr Goldfarb worked me in before she was going to be away.
Providence Patient-
4.92
Good experience. Dr Goldfarb did a biopsy of a thyroid deposit. It all went fine. She was knowledgeable and we received word on the pathology within 15 minutes. Excellent experience from her and the pathology doctor who gathered the test samples
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb was extremely patient and clear with her strategy for my health condition. She provided an alternative to surgery which was what I had hoped for, she is very knowledgeable and approachable. Extremely happy with my first consultation with her.
Providence Patient-
5
Great care and concern. Very on point with diagnosis, very confident on fixing the medical problem.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb and her team were extremely efficient, patient in explaining everything and very pleasant.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb is compassionate understanding straightforward and very definite and clear in her recommendations - you cannot ask for more.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb was very informative and made things easy to understand
Providence Patient-
4.93
You have the best doctors keep up the good work
Providence Patient-
5
Great people
Providence Patient-
5
Very knowledgeable, easy to talk to, gave me hope she could and wanted to help me. I drove 2 hours to see her because I couldn't get that locally
Providence Patient-
5
Everyone was excellent
Providence Patient-
5
Everything about this experience was excellent. Front office, back office, the doctor, ease of scheduling. All of it. It was treated with respect and care.
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb made the procedure very easy and I felt confident I was in good hands
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb and her staff were great
Providence Patient-
5
Great experience
Providence Patient-
5
Dr. Goldfarb is the best!
Providence Patient-
5
Super nice ,easy to talk to. Nice staff
Providence Patient-
5
Dr Goldfarb and staff are beyond amazing! Very very happy! One of the best dr I have ever seen!
Providence Patient