Dr. Melanie H. Friedlander, MD

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Get to know General Surgeon Dr. Melanie H. Friedlander, who serves patients in Torrance and San Pedro, California.

Dr. Friedlander is a specialist in general surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, breast surgery, and thyroid and parathyroid surgery. She is the Co-Director of Breast Surgery and President of the Association of South Bay Surgeons, and leads the Breast Surgery Program at the Hunt Cancer Institute of Torrance Memorial Medical Center, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. She also serves on the Medical Executive Committee for Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance and is the Chief of Surgery at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro.

Some of the many procedures and diseases that Dr. Friedlander treats include: abscess, appendicitis, adrenal, advanced laparoscopic surgery, biopsy, breast surgery, cancer, colon, cyst, gallbladder surgery, gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach, hernia repair, lipoma, mass, melanoma, myopathy, parathyroid, radioguided surgery, spleen, sentinel lymph node mapping, and thyroid.

Her practice focuses on providing the highest quality surgical care for patients with breast cancer and benign problems. She applies that compassion and dedication as well as a minimally invasive approach to thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy, and through robotic and laparoscopic surgery for hernias, adrenal masses, colon problems, and gallbladder disease. 

Enjoying all aspects of general surgery, Dr. Friedlander’s primary areas of focus are breast surgery and advanced laparoscopic surgery. Her greatest joy is helping her patients through a difficult time. She combines her experience as a Clinical Instructor at USC with her personal attention to provide academic expertise and a concierge approach. 

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, she is an active member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons. 

In 1989, Dr. Friedlander graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Chemistry from Middlebury College. She then went on to earn her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 1993. She completed both her internship and residency in general surgery at Montefiore Medical Center, a fellowship in surgical research at Montefiore Medical Center, and a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Licensed to practice medicine in California, she is affiliated with Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro, and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance.

Proud to be designated a “Super Doctor” by her peers in LA, Dr. Friedlander is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge. 

Throughout her career, she has published a variety of scientific studies in well-known medical journals. She has also presented several research projects at national medical conferences.

General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland. A general surgeon performs a wide range of abdominal surgeries for many forms of intestinal and abdominal wall neoplasms, gallbladder disease, gastric and pancreatic disease. They follow the patient through critical care and surgical recovery all the way to outpatient care. 

In honor of her clinical expertise, Dr. Friedlander is the recipient of Patients’ Choice Award (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018), Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018), and Top 10 Doctor – City (2014).

Outside of the office, her hobbies include cycling and cooking. 

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