LaparoscopicUmbilicalorVentralHerniaRepair near Astoria, NY

Biography: Marco B. Zoccali is a minimally invasive surgeon with extensive expertise in the treatment of the broad range of colorectal diseases including IBD, colon and rectal cancers, and benign colorectal diseases. He received his medical degree at the Catholic University in Rome, Italy where he also completed his surgical training. He then came to the USA where he did a Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Surgery Fellowship at the University of Chicago followed by a surgical residency at Weill Cornell Medical Center. He then completed his Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at the University of Chicago. Although committed to managing the entire spectrum of pathologies that can affect the lower intestinal tract, his personal interest lies mostly in minimally invasive approaches to colorectal conditions including the robotic platform and the management of inflammatory bowel diseases. Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Zoccali is also a prolific researcher. He has published more than 50 articles in major surgical journals including The Journal of The American College of Surgeons, The British Journal of Surgery and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and has contributed to several book chapters.

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 Morningside, Mount Sinai Brooklyn and Mount Sinai Queens.

Biography: Dr. Yunyun Lo, MD is a General Surgery Specialist who practices in New York, NY. He is 65 years old and has been practicing for 38 years. Dr. Yunyun Lo, MD is affiliated with Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai Queens and Mount Sinai Brooklyn.

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: Alessandro Fichera, MD, is the Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Alessandro Fichera received his medical degree from Catholic University of Rome, Italy in 1989 as a Magna cum Laude graduate and completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the 2nd University of Rome and then again at the University of Chicago followed by fellowship training in colorectal surgery at Mount Sinai in New York. He accepted an Assistant Professor position the University of Chicago in 2002 and became the Program Director for the Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Training Program. In 2012, Dr. Fichera accepted a position as Professor at the University of Washington. In 2014, Dr. Fichera was named Section Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery and in 2015 he became the Clinical Director for the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Associate Medical Director for Colorectal, Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program as part of the Foundation for Health Care Quality.In November 2017 he moved to University of North Carolina as the Division Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery. In September 2019 he moved to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas where he was the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery, President Elect of the Medical Staff and the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer. He was the NSQIP and ERAS surgeon champion and the co-director of the NAPRC accredited Rectal Cancer Program. He serves on the ASCRS Executive Council and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation National Scientific Advisory Committee

Care Philosophy: I treat each person as a unique individual. I get to know that person and listen to the medical issue(s) that led him/her to see me. I spend time in conversation and examination to gather the information necessary for a diagnosis and treatment. I discuss the management options so that we can jointly select the appropriate treatment. Every question is welcomed. I enjoy learning about each person and sharing the benefit of my expertise. I hold sacred the trust placed in my care.

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.

Biography: Dr. Spiros Hiotis, MD is a Complex General Surgical Oncology Specialist who practices in New York, NY. He is 58 years old. Dr. Spiros Hiotis, MD is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai Queens.

Biography: Dr. S. Sunghyun Yoon is the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice-Chair of Surgical Oncology Research and Education in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). Dr. Yoon is a national and international expert in the treatment of patients with sarcomas and other soft tissue tumors, gastric (stomach) and gastroesophageal cancers, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and melanoma. He also has over 18 years of experience in the treatment of other gastrointestinal and abdominal tumors, hepatobiliary tumors, neuroendocrine/adrenal tumors, lymphomas, and spleen tumors. He has been the principal investigator of several clinical trials examining novel treatment strategies and given numerous invited national and international lectures in relation to these cancers. Several of these trials have investigated the treatment of sarcomas, especially abdominal/retroperitoneal sarcomas, with advanced radiation techniques such as proton beam radiation and aggressive surgical resection to minimize local recurrence. Read More About These Treatments: https://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/retroperitoneal-sarcomas-and-pelvic-sarcomas Dr. Yoon was an early advocate for minimally invasive robotic surgery and has performed over 300 robotic procedures including robotic gastrectomies (stomach removal). He has one of the world's largest experiences in performing prophylactic total gastrectomies for patients with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC syndrome) secondary to germline CDH1 mutation. He pioneered a technique for connection of the small bowel to the esophagus after total gastrectomy that is used by former surgical trainees and colleagues throughout the country due to its extremely low leakage rate. Dr. Yoon graduated from Harvard University and received his M.D. from the University of California at San Diego. He completed his residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship in surgical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before joining the staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2012. Dr. Yoon was an Attending Surgeon in the Division of Gastric and Mixed Tumors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College before joining CUIMC in 2021. Dr. Yoon's main research interests are in cancer stem cells and targeted biological agents in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. His laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute for 18 years and strives to translate new research discoveries into the clinic. Dr. Yoon is also part of multi-institution research groups funded by Stand Up To Cancer and the DeGregorio Family Foundation to discover early diagnostics and new therapies for gastric cancer. His clinical and research efforts have led to over 150 original research articles, book chapters, and reviews. For a complete list of publications, please visit NCBI.