I'm a urologic oncologist, I'm a urologist who takes care of urological cancers, such
as bladder, kidney, prostate and testicular cancers.
After medical school, I joined Columbia University and became a researcher and then a fellow
in research at Columbia University and I worked there for four-and-a-half years studying prostate
cancer and bladder cancer and the impact of hormone therapy on prostate cancer. After
that, I joined New York Presbyterian Hospital in Columbia University Medical Center and
did my internship in surgery and then my residency in urology. I finished in 2005, then I moved
to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and I did a urologic oncology
fellowship, where I expanded my training and expertise in treating urologic cancers.
I had been practicing since I finished my fellowship, and I joined here at the James
Cancer Center. I do a few hundred cases a year, 90 percent of them, 95 percent of them
related to urologic cancers.
One thing that I can provide my patients is my experience with different techniques related
to urologic cancers. I was trained to do open surgeries for the very advanced and complicated
patients who are not able to undergo minimally-invasive surgery. At the same time, I have significant
experience in laparoscopic surgery, and a lot of experience in robotic-assisted laparoscopic
surgery, for kidney cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, in addition to testicular
cancer and penile cancer.
My research interests are focused on two avenues. One of them is clinical research. I'm involved
in NCI, the National Cancer Institute, sponsored clinical trials related to urologic cancer
and surgical treatment for urologic cancers. In addition to that, I'm involved in translational
research and quality of life research where we focus on improving the life of our patients
after their treatment and improving the quality of life of the survivors of cancers.
When I think about personalized medicine, I know for sure that you, my patient, have
a unique cancer and you, my patient, is a unique person. We try to tailor the treatment you
need to your cancer and to you as a human being. And for that, we approach every disease and
every patient in a multidisciplinary approach. In other words, I do talk, and a lot of times,
you will be seen by medical oncologists, by radiation oncologists, by the pathologist,
and all of us will meet and discuss, and a lot of times we will discuss the case at length
for days, to make sure that we can design the treatment that you need to make it possible
for us to cure you with the least possible side-effects and changes of your normal life.
I love the fact that I can take care of patients and that's something that will give meaning
to my life. The real reason to choose oncology or cancer treatment is simple. I had a cousin
who was 31 years old who developed blood cancer, leukemia. And I was in medical school at that
time, I was a second year medical student and I ended up taking care of him at one point
of his disease. At one point, he refused to go to hospitals anymore. The medical oncologists,
she was great. She used to come to his house and treat him sometimes, give him antibiotics
and all that stuff, and I became his nurse/mini-doctor for years. He lived for a few years after
his diagnosis, eventually he succumbed to the disease. And that's why I chose cancer.