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, assisted by an immensely capable team of proton therapy support specialists. During your treatment, your team will include different types of staff members who will all focus on helping you feel comfortable, informed and safe.
Intake coordinator gathers your medical records and insurance information.
Patient navigator ensures the continuity of your care throughout treatment.
Financial counselor manages all financial and insurance issues.
Nutritionist gives food and nutritional information and advice.
Social worker assists with enhancing social functioning and overall well-being.
Child life specialist attends to the care and well-being of pediatric patients.
Concierge assists with housing, transportation and other needs you may have while you are in the city for treatment.
Dosimetrists help physicians and physicists customize your treatment by digitally developing the specific plan needed.
Medical physicists specialize in applying physics to medical care. They map out the exact shape and intensity of the proton beam to provide the specialized therapy you need. They also oversee quality assurance.
Oncology Nurse attends to you weekly or as needed to provide expert nursing care.
Radiation Oncologist is a specialized physician who works with the physicists and dosimetrists to create and supervise a treatment plan to deliver the most effective, precise therapy for your specific needs. You will meet with the Radiation Oncologist weekly while under treatment.
Radiation therapists work with your entire team to understand your specific care plan. They will deliver your treatment daily and help monitor your condition.
Our radiation oncologists work closely together with our dosimetrists, physicists, and your referring physician to develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs. During treatment, you will meet weekly with one of our radiation oncologists to monitor your response to therapy.
Meet our in-house team:
Dr. Charles B. Simone, II is the Chief Medical Officer of the New York Proton Center. He is an internationally recognized expert in the use of proton therapy to treat thoracic malignancies and for reirradiation, and in the development of clinical trial strategies and innovative research in thoracic radiation oncology and stereotactic body radiation therapy.
Dr. Simone is a National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense funded investigator who performs clinical and translational research investigating the benefits of proton therapy as part of multi-modality therapy for thoracic malignancies.
Prior to coming to New York Proton Center, Dr. Simone was Chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and then the Medical Director of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center.
Dr. Arpit Chhabra is an attending radiation oncologist at the New York Proton Center and specializes in the treatment of cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as well as malignancies of the Base of Skull and Spine. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Chhabra is the Director of Education and lead physician of the International Relations program at the New York Proton Center.
Before coming to the New York Proton Center, Dr. Chhabra was a practicing radiation oncologist with the Central Connecticut Radiation Oncology group specializing in the treatment of all adult malignancies. Dr. Chhabra graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where he dual-majored in Biological Sciences and Economics. He graduated from New York University School of Medicine and completed his Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of Maryland. He subsequently went on to complete an Advanced Radiation Modalities Fellowship at the University of Maryland and Maryland Proton Treatment Center, receiving specialized training in Proton Therapy. Dr. Chhabra has published numerous papers and textbook chapters on the utilization of proton beam therapy, and he has earned awards for outstanding achievement in clinical research.
He is committed to delivering the most effective, personalized, and compassionate cancer care where above all, the patient comes first.
Dr. Isabelle Choi is the Director of Research at the New York Proton Center and the Chief of the Breast Cancer and Gastrointestinal Cancer Services at the center. Her research focus is in improving outcomes, reducing toxicities, and improving the radiotherapy treatment delivery for breast, gastrointestinal, and thoracic malignancies.
Before coming to New York Proton Center, Dr. Choi was appointed the Clinical Director at the California Protons Cancer Therapy Center in San Diego, California, where she also served as the Associate Director of Clinical Research and the Chief of the Breast Cancer, Thoracic Oncology, and Gynecologic Services for the center. She was then appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and served as a clinical lead of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center.
Dr. Choi completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and her medical school degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine. She completed her internship in internal medicine and her residency training in radiation oncology at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, where she served as chief resident.
Among her select national leadership appointments, Dr. Choi is Chair of the Proton Collaborative Group Publications Committee and the President of the Korean American Society of Radiation Oncology.
Dr. Shaakir Hasan is an attending radiation oncologist at New York Proton Center. He subspecializes in proton therapy for genitourinary (GU) and prostate cancers, lymphoma, and pediatric malignancies. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the oncology space and has presented his research at multiple international conferences.
Dr. Hasan completed his undergraduate degree at University of Michigan and received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was awarded membership in the National Scholastic Honor Society. He completed his internship at Crozer Keystone in Philadelphia and his residency training in radiation oncology at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he served as Chief Resident and received the RSNA Roentgen Resident Research Award.
His philosophy of care is to empower patients with the knowledge, confidence, and support required to confront their disease.
Dr. Robert (Bob) Press is an attending radiation oncologist at New York Proton Center. Dr. Press specializes in the treatment of central nervous system malignancies and head and neck cancers.
Dr. Press graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, where he earned a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. He graduated from Emory University School of Medicine and subsequently completed his Radiation Oncology Residency at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. During his training, he was selected to serve as Chief Resident and was named the Andrew W. Pippas Resident in Radiation Oncology, an honor selected by the faculty for a resident who exemplifies professional and compassionate patient care. He has won numerous awards, including the ASCO Conquering Cancer Foundation Merit Award and the RSNA Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award. His research focuses on developing clinical trials that incorporate advanced treatment and imaging technologies to better individualize patient care, optimize tumor control, and reduce treatment toxicities.
Dr. Press believes in working together with each patient, not just to address the medical diagnosis, but to understand the individual’s values and goals in order to facilitate a patient-centered plan of care.
The below radiation oncologists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System, and Mount Sinai Health System work closely with the New York Proton Center to deliver proton therapy for their patients. Your referring oncologist remains involved via regular contact and consultation with your support team at the 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.
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
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.
Dr. Cahlon is a board-certified radiation oncologist whose clinical practice is primarily focused on breast cancer. As part of a multi-disciplinary team of breast cancer experts, he works with colleagues to identify the optimal treatment approach for each patient. He uses the most modern radiation techniques including proton therapy to deliver the most precise form of radiation. As part of the breast cancer team, Dr. Cahlon has great expertise in using all the most modern forms of radiation and tailors the optimal technique to each individual patient.
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 has been in practice between 11-20 years. She specializes in Radiation Oncology. She also speaks multiple languages, including Spanish.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr. Lee is a radiation oncologist with more than 17 years of experience. She 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.
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 has been in practice for 12 years. He completed a residency at Suny Health Science Center. He specializes in Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Therapeutic Radiology.
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.
Sonam Sharma, MD is a practicing Radiation Oncologist in New York, NY. Dr. Sharma graduated from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and has been in practice for 7 years. She currently practices at General Medical Associates of Beth Israel Medical Center and is affiliated with The Mount Sinai Hospital. In addition to English, Dr. Sharma’s practice supports Russian and Spanish.
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.
Dr. Wolden specializes in using advanced forms of radiation, including proton therapy, to treat children and young adults with cancer. She completed 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.
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.
Dr. Yang is a radiation oncologist who specializes in treating tumors of the central nervous system. This includes primary brain tumors, metastatic brain tumors, and spine tumors. He has expertise in treating metastatic tumors in the body. He uses advanced radiation techniques, such as proton therapy, to deliver radiation treatment with a high level of precision while avoiding damage to nearby healthy tissue and without affecting important functions, like vision and hearing. He is leading clinical trials to improve the treatment and outcomes for people with brain tumors and leptomeningeal disease. He is piloting radiation therapy early on in treating cancer that has just begun to spread to other parts of the body. This is called oligometastatic disease. This innovative program is changing the way metastatic cancer is treated. The treatment can potentially change the course of the disease and slow its growth.
Dr. Brian Yeh is a radiation oncologist in New York, New York and is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital. He received his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and has been in practice for 13 years. He did his residency training at UCLA Medical Center. He focuses on brain tumors, head and neck squamous cell cancer, laryngeal cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as well as throat, thyroid and tongue cancers.
