I decided to join the Fox Chase Cancer Center team in conquering cancer because I saw first-hand the dramatic difference we can make here. I decided to continue my training in Philadelphia after completing my general surgery residency in New York City, under the tutelage of my father, also a surgeon who spent many years treating cancer. I completed a two-year fellowship in complex surgical oncology at Fox Chase, working closely with various multidisciplinary teams in caring for patients with colorectal, liver, pancreatic and stomach cancers, in addition to melanoma and sarcomas. Being trained by leaders in the field, I had the unique opportunity to hone my skills and expertise, and apply them to my own clinical practice.

I have extensive training in traditional open surgery, as well as laparoscopic and robotic techniques, allowing me to offer individualized care to patients. I have particular interests in the management of sarcomas and colorectal, melanoma and pancreatic cancers. The implementation of minimally-invasive surgical techniques to the management of colorectal cancer is routinely offered at Fox Chase, and similar techniques are used to address pancreatic diseases. I also have a keen interest in the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), following cytoreductive surgery for cancer of the peritoneum, including appendix cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma and pseudomyxoma peritonei. In addition to this, there is a necessity to understand the benefit of, and perform further research, incorporating HIPEC in patients with colorectal and gastric cancers, which our team will explore further.

The benefit of an NCI-designated cancer center is that we are able to offer many innovative strategies in treating all types of cancers. Whether through a national clinical trial or particular surgical technique, we optimize patient care to the individual. I believe the physician-patient relationship is one of the foundations to building a plan to treat cancer, and I offer guidance through each stage of treatment. Medicine has always been a family-oriented field for me; with my father being a surgeon, and mother an anesthesiologist, I take great pride in offering compassion and honesty in formulating individualized treatment plans for every patient and his or her family.