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Meet your proton therapy care team

Your treatment at the New York Proton Center is entrusted to some of the most experienced doctors and clinicians in the field of proton therapy and in conventional radiation therapies. 

 

Our renowned radiation oncologists provide well-rounded, balanced, and evidence-driven recommendations for the most appropriate and effective approach to your personalized care. They work closely together with our dosimetrists, physicists, and your referring physician to develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.

Your New York Proton Center physician team

Get to know your support team

During treatment, you will meet weekly with one of our radiation oncologists to monitor your response to therapy. Meet the team below.

Charles B. Simone, II, MD, FASTRO, FACRO
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Charles B. Simone, II, MD, FASTRO, FACRO

Chief Medical Officer
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Arpit Chhabra, MD
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Arpit Chhabra, MD

Director of Education
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J. Isabelle Choi, MD, FACRO
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J. Isabelle Choi, MD, FACRO

Director of Research
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Shaakir Hasan, DO
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Shaakir Hasan, DO

Radiation Oncologist
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Partner Physicians

The New York Proton Center physician team works closely with radiation oncologists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System, and Mount Sinai Health System to deliver proton therapy for their patients.

Kaled Alektiar, MD, FASTRO
Radiation Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Alektiar is a radiation oncologist and received his medical degree from Damascus University Faculty of Medicine and completed residencies at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He has expertise in using radiation therapy to treat gynecologic cancers (ovarian, cervical and uterine (endometrial), soft tissue sarcomas, endocrine tumors, melanoma, and bone tumors.

 

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Richard Bakst, MD
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology
Mount Sinai Health System

Dr. Bakst is a board-certified radiation oncologist whose clinical practice is focused on the personalized treatment of patients with head and neck cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma. His goal is to implement radiation therapy only when needed, and to use advances in technology to target radiation to areas at risk while minimizing radiation exposure to nearby normal tissues. He completed his residency at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he served as chief resident. He has published numerous peer-reviewed papers on a broad range of oncological  topics. He serves as a reviewer for a number of cancer journals. His research interests include investigating mechanisms by which cancer invades and spreads along nerves, salivary gland cancers, optimizing the technical delivery of radiation for breast cancer patients to minimize toxicity, and investigating the optimal utilization of radiation for hematological malignancies.

 

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Christopher Barker, MD
Director of Clinical Investigation, Department of Radiation Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Barker is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of skin cancer (including melanoma) and eye cancer with radiation therapy. He is one of a few radiation oncologists in the country who focuses on these diseases. He works closely with a dedicated team of experts who use advanced radiation techniques, including proton therapy, to deliver the best possible care to patients. He has been a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering team since 2006.

 

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Jana L Fox, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Jana Fox is a radiation oncologist in Bronx, New York and is affiliated with Montefiore Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Stony Brook University School of Medicine and specializes in radiation oncology. She also speaks multiple languages, including Spanish.

 

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Madhur K. Garg, MD
Clinical Director, Radiation Oncology
Co-Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Garg is the Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology, Director of Montefiore-Einstein’s Proton Therapy Program and Co-Director of Stereotactic Radiation Therapy Program at Montefiore Medical Center. He earned his medical degree at King George’s Medical College and completed his residency in radiation oncology at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago and Montefiore in New York City. He also completed a specialized fellowship at Wayne State University in Detroit. Dr. Garg is the recipient of the prestigious American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Young Investigator’s Award and the Department of Defense Physician Research Award. Dr. Garg is a principal investigator of several national and international research studies involving novel cancer treatment modalities and is actively involved in quality of life and healthcare disparities issues for cancer patients.

 

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Daniel Gorovets, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Gorovets is a radiation oncologist who specializes in treating genitourinary cancers, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. He also cares for people with brain tumors, lung cancer, and head and neck cancers.  He has expertise in using advanced radiation techniques. His primary research interests involve developing better ways to personalize radiation therapy for people with genitourinary cancers. He aims to do this by integrating various clinical factors, imaging features, and biomarkers. When he meets with patients and their families, he takes as much time as needed to clearly explain their condition and all the treatment options available.

 

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Carla Hajj, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Hajj is a radiation oncologist who has extensive experience caring for people with a variety of cancers especially gastrointestinal cancers and lymphomas. She has significant expertise treating a wide range of tumors using advanced techniques. Her goal is to offer personalized care that is based on science and compassion.  She speaks English, Arabic, and French.

 

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Rafi Kabarriti, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Kabarriti earned his medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and a residency in radiation oncology at Montefiore Medical Center, where he was chief resident. He is the recipient of the 2014 Young Investigator Award given by the Conquer Cancer Foundation and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. In addition, his abstracts have been selected for oral presentations at national and international meetings including the annual meetings of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. He is the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials including investigator-initiated clinical trials as well as the local PI on cooperative and international studies. His research focus is on optimizing radiation therapy for head and neck and gastrointestinal cancers and combining radiation therapy with novel therapeutics and immunotherapy to improve outcomes for these patients.

 

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Stanislav Lazarev, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Mount Sinai Health System

Dr. Lazarev received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Lazarev’s clinical practice is focused on the personalized treatment of CNS and pediatric tumors. He also specializes in proton beam therapy for gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and gynecologic cancers. He has published numerous peer-reviewed papers on a broad range of oncological topics, and presented his work at national conferences. His research interests include identifying and developing radiotherapy de-intensification strategies that will help decrease radiation toxicities and reduce economic, treatment, and psychosocial burden on patients without compromising their oncological outcomes. Dr. Lazarev was born and raised in southern Russia. He is fluent in English, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and proficient in French.

 

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Nancy Lee, MD
Vice Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology
Service Chief, Head & Neck Radiation Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Lee is a radiation oncologist who specializes in using advanced forms of radiation, including proton therapy, to treat head and neck cancer and thyroid cancer. Her goal in using these technologies is to improve her patients’ outcomes while decreasing potential treatment side effects and preserving their quality of life. No matter which treatment option used, she cares for all of her patients as if they were part of her family. This means creating a plan tailored to their unique disease, and doing everything she can to help them get well.

 

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Deborah Marshall, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Mount Sinai Health System

Dr. Marshall is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and in the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). She completed her medical and graduate degrees at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, a transitional year internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and residency in Radiation Oncology at UCSD and ISMMS. Her clinical interest is centered on treating young adults with cancer, as well as patients with breast, gastrointestinal, and gynecologic cancers. Dr. Marshall is also a clinician-investigator.

 

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Keyur J. Mehta, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Keyur Mehta is a radiation oncologist in Bronx, New York and is affiliated with Montefiore Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and completed his residency at Montefiore Medical Center. He specializes in Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Therapeutic Radiology.

 

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Anthony Nehlsen, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Mount Sinai Health System

Dr. Nehlsen is a radiation oncologist and assistant professor affiliated with Mount Sinai Health System. He specializes in the treatment of central nervous system, breast, and genitourinary cancers. Dr. Nehlsen received his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and completed his internship at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and radiation oncology residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

 

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Nitin Ohri, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Ohri is a radiation oncologist who graduated from the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He specializes in treating gastrointestinal cancers (including colorectal and pancreas cancer) and lung cancer.

 

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Annemarie Shepherd, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Shepherd is a radiation oncologist who specializes in caring for people with cancers of the chest, known as thoracic cancers. These include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymoma. She has expertise in stereotactic and proton-beam radiation therapies. She strives to relieve her patients’ uncertainties and guide them through their care. In addition, her passions for technology and research make the rapidly evolving field of radiation oncology a great fit. Her goal is to maximize quality of life for her patients. Her current research and clinical interests involve applying advanced technologies to more precisely target the primary tumor and avoid healthy tissue.

 

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Kunal Sindhu, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Mount Sinai Health System

Kunal Sindhu, MD is a radiation oncologist and assistant professor affiliated with Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Sindhu specializes in the treatment of head and neck and central nervous system cancers. He received his medical degree from the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and completed his internship at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and radiation oncology residency at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine.

 

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Justin Tang, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Justin Tang is an attending radiation oncologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, and specializes in the treatment of gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancers. He graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, and completed his radiation oncology residency at Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Tang received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

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Suzanne L. Wolden, MD
Director of Pediatric Radiation Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Wolden specializes in using advanced forms of radiation, including proton therapy, to treat children and young adults with cancer. She completed her residency at Stanford University in 1998 and has led the pediatric radiation program at Memorial Sloan Kettering since that time. She has extensive experience treating pediatric brain tumors, sarcomas, and neuroblastoma, as well as other rare cancers. Radiation therapy is an extremely powerful tool for these tumors, but young patients are especially sensitive to long-term side effects. She approaches each patient individually, to carefully design a highly customized radiation plan to maximize the benefits of treatment while minimizing side effects.

 

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Josh Yamada, MD
Co-Chief, Multi-Disciplinary Spine Tumor Service
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Yamada is a radiation oncologist with a particular expertise in caring for patients with spine tumors, primary brain tumors, and metastatic brain tumors. He sees nearly 500 patients a year at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. When he first meets with patients, he spends a lot of time discussing the potential benefits and side effects of radiation therapy. His priority is to explain things in a way that his patients can truly understand. He is also involved in cancer clinical trials. His research focuses on using image-guided technologies to treat tumors in all areas of the body, including adult brain and spine tumors and liver tumors.

 

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Yao Yu, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Yu is a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering who specializes in the treatment of patients with brain tumors and cancers of the head and neck. He works closely with surgeons, oncologists, neuro-oncologists to deliver the best possible care for patients. His priority is to develop and use new radiation techniques to improve the safety and efficacy of radiation treatment.

 

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"I would like to thank the nurses and all those who administered the treatment for making the experience seamless and making me feel as comfortable as possible."
– Grateful New York Proton Center patient

How can we help?

Want to find out if proton therapy might be a good fit for you or your patient? Call us at 833-NYPROTON (833-697-7686) or fill out the appropriate form below.