Caitlin C. Houghton, MD

Dr. Houghton is an esteemed member of the Upper GI and General Surgery Division. Dr. Houghton graduated with honors from Wayne State Medical School in Detroit. She then completed her surgical residency at UC Irvine before heading to UC San Diego, where she completed a fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Advanced Endoscopic Surgery. Dr. Houghton focuses on robotic surgery and is responsible for the development of growth of the residency program at USC, serving as the Director of Robotic Residency Training. She has been instrumental in starting the Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) program at USC and Hoag.

As a leader within the robotic foregut community, she frequently trains and proctors surgeons implementing robotic technologies into their practice around the country. She is the co-chair of the Robotics committee and mentor for the American Foregut Society, member and speaker for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and on the board for the Institute of Surgical Excellence. Her expertise is often utilized as a moderator for society meetings, focusing on her research in the clinical outcomes and safety advantages of the robotic approach in foregut surgery.

Her clinical interests include benign and malignant disorders of the esophagus and stomach.
These include the diagnosis and treatment gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal and para-esophageal hernias, esophageal motility disorders, including achalasia, gastroparesis, and esophageal and gastric cancer.