Meet RCCA’s Skilled, Experienced and Dedicated Cancer Physicians

Dr. May Abdo-Matkiwsky specializes in breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. For more than 5 years, she has been treating patients in the Sussex County community. Dr. Abdo-Matkiwsky is actively involved in breast cancer research. She received her medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Kaleem Ahmad specializes in hematology and oncology, and is board certified in both. For more than 20 years, he has been treating patients in the Marmora community. He is actively involved in treating a wide variety of cancers including breast, colon, lung, gastric, esophageal, and lymphoma. He received his medical degree from Dow University of Medical Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.

Dr. Robert Alter specializes in medical oncology and hematology and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 15 years, Dr. Alter has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Alter is actively involved in genitourinary and head and neck cancer research.

Dr. Bhavesh Balar specializes in medical oncology and hematology, and is board certified in both specialties. Dr. Balar has been treating patients in the Freehold/central New Jersey community for more than 7 years. He received his medical degree and graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa.

Dr. Paul Bannen specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from University Of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at University of Texas Health Science Center.

Dr. Frederick Barr specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and he completed his internal medicine residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Seth Howard Berk specializes in hematology and medical oncology and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology. For more than 13 years, he has been treating patients in the Mount Holly community. Dr. Berk is Section Chief of hematology/oncology at Virtua Memorial Hospital, Assistant Chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Co-Chairman of the Internal Medicine Physician Peer Review Committee. He is actively involved in enrolling patients in clinical trials.

Dr. Andrew M. Bernstein specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is board certified in both. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from New York University and his medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was voted into Psi Sigma Alpha Medical Honor Society.

Dr. Biran previously served as Chief Fellow of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, where she also practiced in their internal medicine internship and residency. She received her medical degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. As a fellow at Icahn School of Medicine, Dr. Biran participated in numerous lecture series and training sessions for medical students, residents, and nurse practitioners.

Dr. Maurice J. Cairoli specializes in oncology and breast cancer, and is board certified in internal medicine and oncology. For more than 24 years, he has been treating patients in the Mount Holly community. Dr. Cairoli is part of the Breast Cancer Committee in Virtua Memorial Hospital and has a special interest in breast cancer. He has conducted research with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.

Dr. Jumana Chatiwala specializes in Hematology and Oncology, and is board certified in Internal medicine, Hematology and Oncology. For more than 6 years, Dr. Chatiwala has been treating patients in the New Jersey community.

Dr. Chatiwala received her medical degree from MS university in India.
She completed her residency at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, NJ in Internal medicine and conducted fellowship training at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, NJ in hematology-oncology.

Dr. Aileen L. Chen specializes in medical oncology and hematology, and is board certified in medical oncology and hematology. For more than 7 years, she has been treating patients in the Holmdel and Freehold communities. Dr. Chen is actively involved in clinical trials offered by Meridian Health System and CentraState Medical Center. She received her medical degree from University of California at Irvine.

Dr. Julianne W. Childs specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 20 years, she has been treating patients in the Marmora community. Her research interests are in breast, lung, and colon cancer. She received her medical degree from the University of Health Sciences, Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Hemang Dave specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is board certified in both. For more than 16 years, he has been treating patients in the Atlantic and Cape May County communities. Dr. Dave is actively involved in the treatment and management of all blood and cancer-related conditions. He received his medical degree from B.J. Medical College/Gujrat University in India. He completed his residency at Kings Brook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. in internal medicine.

Dr. Michele Donato specializes in medical oncology/hematology and blood stem cell transplantation, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. For more than 10 years, she has been treating patients in the Hackensack, New Jersey community. Dr. Donato is actively involved in blood stem cell transplantation research. She received her medical degree from McGill University.

Dr. Tatyana Feldman specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and lymphoma, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 10 years, she has been treating patients in the New York/New Jersey community. Dr. Feldman is actively involved in lymphoma research. She received his medical degree from Minsk State Medical School.

Dr. Denis Fitzgerald specializes in breast cancer, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and hemochromatosis, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology. For more than 27 years, he has been treating patients in the greater Monmouth County area with offices in the Red Bank area, presently in Little Silver. He is actively involved in clinical research at Riverview Medical Center. His focus is breast cancer trials and combined modality therapy for lung cancer.

Dr. Glen Gejerman specializes in radiation oncology and brachytherapy, and is board certified in radiation oncology. For more than 15 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. His research interest is brachytherapy. He received his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School.

Dr. Loren Godfrey specializes in radiation oncology and brachytherapy, and is board certified in radiation oncology. For more than 10 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Godfrey is actively involved in brachytherapy research. He received his medical degree from the College of Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center at Brooklyn.

Cancers and their treatments can cause neurologic symptoms, such as seizures, stroke, neuropathy, and cognitive effects—even without directly invading the nervous system. Samuel Goldlust, MD, is a neuro-oncologist who specializes in the treatment of brain tumors and the neurological issues that arise from multimodality cancer therapies.

As Chief Science Officer and Director of Research and Innovation, Dr. Andre Goy is responsible for developing strategies that will bring research and clinical trials to all RCCA locations. Under Dr. Goy’s leadership, patients in local communities throughout New Jersey will be able to access cutting-edge clinical trials focused on novel therapies and biomarker-driven research.

Dr. Deena Mary Atieh Graham specializes in medical oncology and hematology, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology. For more than 6 years, she has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Graham is actively involved in breast cancer research.

Dr. Martin Gutierrez specializes in medical oncology, thoracic and gastrointestinal oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. He treats patients in the New Jersey community and is the Director of the Drug Discovery/Phase I Unit.

Dr. Harry Harper specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and thoracic oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 30 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Harper is actively involved in thoracic oncology research. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Mira Hellmann specializes in Gynecologic Oncology. She treats all subtypes of gynecologic cancers including uterus, cervix, fallopian tube, ovaries, primary peritoneal, vaginal and vulvar cancer. The scope of her surgical expertise includes both traditional open surgery, as well as minimally invasive surgery. She has extensive expertise in complex laparoscopic surgery as well as robotic surgery.

Dr. Carl Henningson specializes in medical oncology and hematology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 10 years, he has been treating patients in the Jersey Shore community. Dr. Henningson’s is actively involved in the education of doctors, nurses and pharmacists in the East and Midwest on new treatments for lung, colon, prostate, and other cancers.

Dr. Ian Horkheimer specializes in hematology and medical oncology and is board certified in both. For more than 7 years, he has been treating patients in the Little Silver community. He received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his residency at Washington University-Barnes/Jewish Hospital.

Dr. Anthony Ingenito specializes in radiation oncology, and is board certified in radiation oncology. For more than 15 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. He received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School.

Dr. Andrew Jennis specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and gastrointestinal oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. He has been treating patients in the New Jersey community for more than two decades. Dr. Jennis is actively involved in gastrointestinal oncology research. He received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Eduard Kagan specializes in radiation oncology and brachytherapy, and is board certified in radiation oncology. For more than 10 years, he has been treating patients in the New York/New Jersey community. His research interest is brachytherapy. He received his medical degree from Michigan State University.

Dr. Charanjeev Kapoor specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Government Medical College in Punjab, India, and completed his internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York.

The scope of her surgical expertise includes both traditional open surgery, as well as minimally invasive surgery. She is a skilled surgeon with advanced robotic capabilities — taking a minimally invasive approach whenever possible. Dr. Klobocista is triple board certified in gynecologic oncology, obstetrics and gynecology and hospice and palliative medicine.

Dr. Jamie Koprvinikar specializes in hematology and medical oncology and is board certified in both. She also holds a board certification in internal medicine.

Dr. Gurpreet Lamba specializes in hematology and oncology, and is board certified in hematology and clinical oncology. Dr. Lamba recently moved to the New Jersey area from Vermont where he was an attending physician in hematology and oncology at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Dr. Lamba was actively involved in clinical and translational research for treatment options and supportive care for patients with leukemia, lymphomas and other hematologic malignancies. Dr. Lamba also participated in numerous national cooperative group and industry trials. He was involved in the design and conduct of Phase I, II and III clinical trials.

Dr. Ken Laughinghouse specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is board certified in medical oncology. For more than 15 years, he has been treating patients in the Little Silver, New Jersey community. He received his medical degree from Yale University. He completed his residency in internal medicine, and subsequently his fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology, at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Dr. Rachel Levenbach specializes in Medical Oncology and Hematology. Dr. Levenbach was born and raised in New Jersey. She received her medical degree from Temple University Medical School. She completed her residency at Temple University Hospital in Internal Medicine and conducted her fellowship training at Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple University Hospital in Medical Oncology and Hematology.

Dr. James W. Lee specializes in oncology and is board certified in internal medicine and oncology. For more than 30 years, he has been treating patients. He joined the practice of Hematology Oncology Associates, SJ in 2004, and has been treating patients in the Mount Holly community since then. He has helped to develop clinical research programs in private practice.

Dr. Lori Ann Leslie specializes in hematology and medical oncology. Her specific clinical and research interests include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

James K. McCloskey II, M.D., works in the Division of Leukemia and the Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Program at John Theurer Cancer Center. Prior to his current position, Dr. McCloskey was a fellow in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Georgetown University Hospital.

Dr. Joseph McLaughlin specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and his fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Dr. Donna Trauth McNamara specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and breast cancer, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. For more than 7 years, she has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. McNamara is actively involved in breast cancer research. She received her medical degree from Loyola University of Chicago.

Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum specializes in hematology/oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology. Dr. Nahum has been treating patients in Monmouth and Ocean counties for more than 20 years. He is a Principal Investigator in 120 clinical trials, and his areas of interest are breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and hematologic malignancies. He received his medical degree from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Dr. Nandini Ignatius specializes in medical oncology and hematology, and is board certified in both specialties.

Dr. Ignatius received her medical degree from Bangalore Medical College in India. She completed her residency in internal medicine at John H Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook county in Chicago, IL. Then, she conducted her fellowship training at University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, in the area of medical oncology and hematology.

Dr. Mark S. Pascal specializes in brain tumors and all other solid tumors, blood clotting problems, and general hematology. He is board certified in medical oncology. For more than 33 years, Dr. Pascal has been treating patients in the Bergen County community. Dr. Pascal is actively involved in neuro-oncology research and has several ongoing trials in brain tumor immunotherapy. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, with honors.

Dr. Mohammad Pazooki specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed his internal medicine residency at Huron Hospital and his fellowship at University of Connecticut.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Pecora has transformed RCCA’s Hackensack division, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, into one of the nation’s top cancer centers, where he currently serves as Chief Innovations Officer and Vice President of Cancer Services.

Dr. Pieczara joins RCCA after several years of practicing in community oncology. She brings her knowledge, experience, and compassion for patients, very often facing the most difficult challenge of their life.

Dr. Tracy Proverbs-Singh specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. She received her medical degree from University of Pittsburgh and completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Dr. Chitra Rajagopal specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. She received her Madras Medical College and completed her internal medicine residency and fellowship at Georgetown University.

Dr. Michael Reale specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Hospital and his fellowship at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Scott D. Rowley specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and stem cell transplantation, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 7 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Rowley is actively involved in stem cell transplantation research. He received his medical degree from The University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Dr. Kimberly Salwitz specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. She received her medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed her internal medicine residency at Montefiore Medical Center and her fellowship training at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Dr. Richard Scher specializes in hematology and oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. For more than 14 years, he has been treating patients in Monmouth County. Dr. Scher practices at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ.

Dr. David Samuel diCapua Siegel specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and multiple myeloma, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. For more than 14 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Siegel is actively involved in multiple myeloma research. He received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine.

Dr. Jeffrey Silberberg is board certified in Medical Oncology and Hematology. He has been treating patients in the Freehold area for over 22 years. Dr. Silberberg has been actively involved in clinical research as an ECOG investigator and in multiple phase 2 trials in conjunction with CINJ.

Dr. Joel Silver specializes in medical oncology and is board certified. He received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency as well as his fellowship at University of Connecticut.

Samuel Singer, M.D. is a neuro-oncologist at the Neurological Oncology Division – The Brain and Spine Institute at John Theurer Cancer Center. In addition to treating patients with primary brain tumors and brain metastases, he is also actively involved in research into novel therapies for these illnesses. Cancers and their treatments are frequently associated with an array of neurologic problems, including stroke, epilepsy, neuropathy and neurologic autoimmune disease, and Dr. Singer specializes in diagnosing and treating these conditions.

Frederick P. Smith, M.D., is a board-certified medical oncologist who completed his oncology training at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center.

Dr. Robert F. Tassan specializes in hematology/oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. For more than 8 years, he has been treating patients in the Bergen County community. He received his medical degree from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Dr. Ami P. Vaidya specializes in gynecologic oncology, and is board certified in gynecologic oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, and pain and palliative care. For more than 11 years, she has been treating patients in northern New Jersey. Dr. Vaidya is actively involved in clinical research and advances in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Dr. Vaidya received her medical degree from Columbia University.

Dr. David Vesole specializes in medical oncology, hematology, and multiple myeloma, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology. For more than 3 years, he has been treating patients in the New Jersey community. Dr. Vesole is actively involved in multiple myeloma research.

Dr. Stanley Waintraub specializes in medical oncology/hematology and breast cancer, and is board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. For more than 30 years, he has been treating patients in the Bergen County community. Dr. Waintraub is actively involved in breast cancer research. He received his medical degree from New York Medical College.

Dr. Stephen G. Wallace specializes in hematology/oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology. For more than 7 years, he has been treating patients in the Mount Holly community. Dr. Wallace’s research is in oncology therapeutics. He received his medical degree from University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Dr. Ethan Wasserman specializes in hematology and medical oncology, and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He is board eligible in hematology. For the past 4 years, he has been treating patients in Mercer and Monmouth counties. He recently joined the Howell division, serving Monmouth and Ocean counties. Dr. Wasserman served as a sub-investigator on multiple trials and is actively involved in multiple clinical research trials on hereditary cancer syndromes.