I am a surgical oncologist who cares for patients with benign and malignant (cancerous) diseases of the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder, and pancreas. Many of my patients have cancer that has spread (metastasized) from the colon to the liver. I also treat benign pancreatic tumors, which do not necessarily merit immediate removal but should be carefully watched for any changes that warrant surgery.
The cancers that I treat are rare and many forms were once thought to be incurable. But because of innovative research largely done by our institution, as well as close collaborations with radiologists and medical oncologists, I can often offer people a good chance at long-term survival and, in many cases, cure. Our team of seven board-certified surgeons currently performs between 800 and 1,000 cancer-related operations annually on these tumor types.
I became a cancer surgeon in part because I find cancer a complicated and fascinating disease, but also because surgery is an exciting — and constantly evolving — tool for treating it. Now more than a decade into my career, I find that what I value most are the relationships that I have with my patients —working with them, often for many years, to find the best way to fight their disease with their particular needs and lifestyle in mind.
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Since 1996, I have published nearly 150 peer-reviewed journal articles. I am an invited member of the editorial board for Annals of Surgical Oncology and Digestive Surgery, and am a reviewer on dozens of other journals for our specialty. I am also busy as a member of 11 medical societies, including the American Surgical Association , the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association . Additionally, I have spoken at more than 100 conferences for these and other organizations around the world.
For years I have also worked closely with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in helping to shape and write the national guidelines for treating liver and biliary tumors. And in collaboration with Memorial Sloan-Kettering colleagues I have been an editor on three textbooks on liver and pancreatic surgery: Surgical Management of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disorders , and Editions 4 and 5 of Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas .
Outside of work, I am a self-proclaimed family man, spending my free time with my wife and two children. We live in New Jersey.
