Dr. Tan is an Associate Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, he moved to the United States after completing medical school at the University of New South Wales, graduating with First Class Honours. During General Surgery Residency at Washington University in St Louis, he spent three years in the Laboratory of Biological Cancer Therapy, studying the immune response to pancreatic cancer. He subsequently completed a Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was the Program Leader of the Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Program at the University of South Alabama before being recruited to Vanderbilt. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery in both General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Tan specializes in management of tumors of the:
- Pancreas (including cysts & chronic pancreatitis)
- Liver (primary & metastatic)
- Stomach
- Duodenum and small intestine (including carcinoid tumors)
- Bile duct and gallbladder
- Retroperitoneum (including sarcomas)

Dr. Tan performs clinical and translational research in pancreatic neoplasms and metastatic colorectal cancer.