BiliaryTractCancer near Sparta, NJ

Biography: Dr. Louise Ligresti, MD is an Oncology Specialist who practices in Livingston, NJ. She is 60 years old and has been practicing for 34 years. Dr. Louise Ligresti, MD is affiliated with Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Care Philosophy: Meekoo Dhar, MD, is a Hematologist/Medical oncologist who practices at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and SIUH Princes Bay. She specializes in managing breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies, such as ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers. She also treats blood related diseases and benign hematologic conditions such as anemia and clotting disorders. Im very thorough in my evaluation of my patients and take my time with them, she says. I believe in taking care of the whole person and not just the disease. Her treatment approach is grounded in the latest evidence-based medicine and clinical research. She is actively involved in studying the safety and efficacy of medical therapies for breast and ovarian cancers. Dr. Dhar has been passionate about helping others since she was a child. I can't think of a better way to express that passion than taking care of cancer patients, she says. She attended medical school at the University of Kashmir and completed her internal medicine residency and a Hematology-Oncology fellowship at New York Presbyterian, Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. At Northwell Health, Dr. Dhar works as a team with pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, breast surgeons, and gynecologic oncologists to create personalized treatment plans. Residents and fellows, nurse practitioners and medical assistants are also an important part of the care team. We have a nice camaraderie, she says. We dont hesitate to reach out to each other and make it a point to discuss each patients care. Dr. Dhar is an Assistant Professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Program Director of the Hematology and Medical Oncology fellowship program at Staten Island University Hospital. She feels it is her duty to educate the next generation of Hematologists and Oncologists. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Medical Association. She also provides pro bono cancer consultation services to physicians and their patients through the India Association of the Garden State and the Kashmiri Overseas Association. Dr. Dhar finds the long-lasting relationships she develops with patients and their families a fulfilling part of her work. Its very rewarding to make a difference in other peoples lives.

Care Philosophy: For detailed information about Dr. Sekhri and Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates (ACOHA) please visit www.njacoha. com. The practice was founded with a mission of providing the highest level of quality cancer and hematology care in a personalized, integrative approach. We care for adults with a wide range of blood disorders and cancers and treat patients by encompassing a 360 degree integrated approach in a private setting. Accepted Health Plan information is only as accurate as the most current information submitted. Prior to your appointment, it is advisable to verify with a physician office that they are still a participating provider.

Biography: Benjamin Samstein, MD is Chief of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery in the Department of Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University. Dr. Samstein is the Surgical Director of the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program at NYP. Dr. Samstein is a renowned pioneer in minimally invasive liver surgery and state-of-the-art laparoscopic techniques for liver cancer. Dr. Samstein is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Dr. Samstein heads up the multidisciplinary liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery team at NYP/Weill Cornell. His specialties include the most advanced laparoscopic procedures for liver cancer, benign liver tumors and hepatobiliary pancreatic disease. He has been invited to talk about minimally invasive liver surgery throughout the world. He is a member of many surgical societies including a founding member of the International Laparoscopic Liver Society (ILLS), American Society of Transplant Surgery, American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA). He is the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of LiveOnNY and served as the Regional representation to the Liver and Intestine Committee of UNOS from 2014 to 2016. Dr. Samstein is well-published in the field, authoring more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious medical and surgical journals, books and book chapters. Other areas of clinical expertise include hepatic adenoma, hepatic hemangioma, cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal metastasis, live donor nephrectomy, laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy, and pediatric liver and organ transplant. Dr. Samstein received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1992 and earned his MD at the State University of New York at Stonybrook in 1997. He did his internship and residency in general surgery at NYP/Columbia, and completed a research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in 2001. He completed a fellowship in ASTS Multi-organ transplant at NYP/Columbia in 2006. He was Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center from 2006 to 2015. He served as Program Director of the transplant surgery fellowship at Columbia University from 2007 to 2015. He is a reviewer for American Journal of Transplantation, Transplantation, Liver Transplantation, Pediatric Transplantation, Clinical Transplantation among other journals. List of Publications by Dr. Samstein PubMed

Care Philosophy: If I won't do it to my mother, father, sister, or brother, I won't do it to yours

Biography: Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO, is the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Wolchok was most recently Chief of the Immuno-Oncology Service and held The Lloyd J. Old Chair in Clinical Investigation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and remains Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Wolchok is a clinician-scientist exploring innovative immunotherapeutic strategies in laboratory models, and a principal investigator in numerous pivotal clinical trials. Dr. Wolchok helped establish immunotherapy as a standard approach to cancer treatment and was instrumental in the clinical development leading to the approval of ipilimumab and the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab for advanced melanoma. He supervises an NIH R01-funded basic science laboratory which is focused on investigating novel immunotherapeutic agents in pre-clinical laboratory models. The focus of his translational research laboratory is to investigate innovative means to modulate the immune response to cancer as well as to better understand the mechanistic basis for sensitivity and resistance to currently available immunotherapies. Dr. Wolchok received his BA degree from Princeton University, and his MS, PhD and MD degrees from New York University. Dr. Wolchok has received numerous honors for his work including: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award, the Giants of Cancer Care in Melanoma Award, the Berson Alumni Achievement Award in Clinical and Translational Science and the Zelmanovich Young Alumni Achievement Award from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the Alfred Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Research (Univ of Michigan) and has been designated a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). Most recently, he has been awarded the the Distinguished Alumni Award at MSK, the AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research, the ESMO Award for Immuno-Oncology and the David Karnofsky Award from ASCO. Dr. Wolchok has served on the Board of Directors of ASCO and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and currently is the Treasurer of SITC. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and is Chair of the Melanoma Committee for the ECOG-ACRIN NCI cooperative group. He is a full member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and center director for the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy.