LaparoscopicUmbilicalorVentralHerniaRepair near Bronx, NY

Biography: Dina Podolsky, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She is a board-certified general surgeon who graduated with honors from Rutgers University, where she also received her medical degree, and completed a residency in general surgery at Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Podolsky then completed fellowship training in complex abdominal wall reconstruction and robotic surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she worked closely with one of the world's leading hernia surgeons, Dr. Novitsky. She is a member of several national organizations, including the Americas Hernia Society and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. Dr. Podolsky has received numerous awards for her training and teaching, including the Leo M. Davidoff Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Golden Apple Teaching Award. Dr. Podolsky specializes in all aspects of hernia surgery, including inguinal, ventral, and complex abdominal wall reconstruction, employing minimally invasive techniques with laparoscopic and robotic surgery. She has presented research at major professional associations and continues to be active in research, publishing both academic research and textbook chapters. Dr. Podolsky currently sees patients in midtown Manhattan and Washington Heights.

Biography: Dr. Gary Swain, MD is a General Surgery Specialist who practices in Long Island City, NY. He is 45 years old and has been practicing for 17 years. Dr. Gary Swain, MD is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens.

Biography: Nima Maghami, MD FACS is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in Weill Cornell Medicine's Division of Trauma, Burns, Acute and Critical Care Surgeryand an Assistant Attending Surgeon at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Maghami earned his B.S. degree, magna cum laude, in Physiology and Neurobiology from University of Maryland. Subsequently, he received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin where he obtained the Distinguished Medical Student Research Award for his work on transplantation immune tolerance induction. He then completed his internship and residency training in General Surgery at Albany Medical College, in Albany, NY followed by fellowship training in Surgical Critical Care atNew York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. After obtaining his dual board certifications in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, he joined the faculty at Houston Methodist Hospital as an acute care surgeon and surgical intensivist. Having a strong passion for medical education, Dr. Maghami has mentored numerous medical students and residents over the years. As an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Texas A&M College of Medicine, he had the opportunity to be involved in medical education and curriculum development. Dr. Maghami's efforts in medical education and distinction as a clinician-educator have been recognizedby both students and residents. He won the Best Faculty for Surgery Award by Texas A&M College of Medicine students for two years consecutively, in 2019 and 2020. In addition, he won the prestigious Golden Apple Faculty Teaching Award given by the general surgery residents at the Houston Methodist Hospital in 2020 as well as the Faculty Award for Outstanding Service by the hospital that year. By being a member of various medical organizations and global outreach programs, Dr. Maghami strives to be part of a collaborative team advancing medical care and advocating for patient care nationally and internationally.

Biography: If you need assistance in Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), please call 646-317-6325. Visit Columbia Liver Asian Outreach Office (English | Mandarin) Tomoaki Kato, M.D., is a noted pioneer in multiple-organ transplantation, pediatric and adult liver transplantation. Dr. Kato is Surgical Director of Adult and Pediatric Liver and Intestinal Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is a professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Kato is known for unique and innovative surgeries for adults and children, including a six-organ transplant; a procedure called APOLT (auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation) that resuscitates a failing liver by attaching a partial donor liver, making immunosuppressant drugs unnecessary and the first successful human partial bladder transplantation involving the transplant of two kidneys together with ureters connected to a patch of the donor bladder. In a highly publicized case, he led the first reported removal and re-implantation, or auto-transplantation, of six organs to excise a hard-to-reach abdominal tumor. Previously the director of pediatric liver and gastrointestinal transplant and professor of clinical surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Kato received his medical degree from the Osaka University Medical School in Japan and received his residency training in surgery at Osaka University Hospital and Itami City Hospital in Hyogo, Japan. He completed a clinical fellowship in transplantation at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, in Miami, Florida, where he was subsequently appointed to the surgical faculty in 1997, and promoted to full professor in 2007. He served as a surgeon and senior leader of the liver and transplantation center at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, beginning in 1997, and at University of Miami Hospital (previously Cedars Medical Center), beginning in 2004. Dr. Kato is a member of numerous professional and honorary organizations, and the author or co-author of more than 180 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. Visit The Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at columbiasurgery.org/liver

Biography: Dr. David Lee, MD is a General Surgery Specialist who practices in New York, NY. He is 62 years old and has been practicing for 35 years. Dr. David Lee, MD is affiliated with Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Mount Sinai Queens and Mount Sinai Morningside.

Care Philosophy: My goal, as a colon and rectal surgeon and as a surgical oncologist is to help my patients make informed decisions in their care and understand their disease process and treatment options, both surgical and non-surgical. I hope to help my patients find a better quality of life and to help them through their surgical experience (when necessary). I am lucky to work with a world renowned group of multidisciplinary specialists to help promote a multifaceted treatment plan for my patients, including radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, gastroenterologists, pelvic floor specialists, urologists, and interventional radiologists.

Biography: Jason Hawksworth, MD is a noted pioneer in minimally invasive robotic hepatobiliary and transplant surgery. Dr. Hawksworth is the Surgical Director of Adult Liver Transplantation, Chief of Hepatobiliary Surgery, and the Director of Robotic Liver Surgery Program in the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is an Associate Professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Hawksworth is known for unique and innovative minimally invasive robotic surgeries to remove tumors of the liver, bile duct and pancreas, including robotic major hepatectomy, robotic pancreatectomy, and robotic Whipple. He also specializes in robotic transplantation including robotic kidney transplantation, robotic living donor nephrectomy and robotic living donor hepatectomy. Dr. Hawksworth received his undergraduate degree from The United States Military Academy at West point and his medical degree from Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine. Dr. Hawksworth completed general surgery residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center followed by an abdominal transplant and hepatobiliary surgery fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital. Previously the Chief of Robotic Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Hawksworth established one of the nation's premier robotic hepatobiliary and transplant programs in 2018 at Georgetown. He was recruited to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2023 to lead the liver transplant and hepatobiliary programs and continue to develop innovative techniques in robotic surgery. Dr. Hawksworth is a member of several key organizations including a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, International Laparoscopic Liver Society, and Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. His research interests include clinical transplant and hepatobiliary trials, and he has published over 60 scientific manuscripts and book chapters in leading journals such as Annals of Surgery, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, American Journal of Transplantation and Transplantation. Dr. Hawksworth is a Colonel in the Army reserves and has deployed four times to support combat operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Visit The Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at columbiasurgery.org/liver.

Care Philosophy: We are committed to delivering the best care and an exceptional patient experience. We are devoted to providing services that are patient-centered and compassionate, and care for you as a person.