N.J.’s 2021 Top Cancer Doctors lead charge to help patients thrive and survive after pandemic – Jersey’s Best

America’s progress in the battle against cancer is a combination of good and bad news. 

First, the good news: The national cancer-related death rate fell 2.4% from 2017 to 2018, the last year for which cancer statistics are available, the American Cancer Society reported. That surpassed the record 2.2% drop reported from 2016 to 2017. 

Cancer deaths nationwide fell 31% from their peak in 1991, and New Jersey’s 5-year rate of death from selected cancers also fell 1.8% from 2017 to 2018, the society reported. The reasons? People started taking better care of themselves, such as by quitting smoking, and clinical advances made earlier detection and treatment of some cancers possible. 

Now for the not-so-good news: Because many patients with cancer deferred needed screening and care during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer-related deaths could rise again. The society projected that 15,870 New Jerseyans will lose their lives to cancer in 2021, a slight uptick from the 15,710 deaths estimated statewide for 2020. 

During the beginning of the pandemic, the society recommended that patients postpone routine cancer screenings and other elective procedures to allow hospitals to divert resources to treat influxes of seriously ill COVID-19 patients and to limit patients’ exposure to the coronavirus. Correspondingly, screenings for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers fell 80% to 90% during March and April 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. Screenings for these cancers had increased by June 2020 but were still 29% to 36% below pre-pandemic levels. 

Also, vaccinations for human papillomavirus (HPV) — a sexually transmitted virus that causes some cervical cancers — fell 73% in February through April 2020, compared with before the pandemic. 

The society stressed that its death rate estimates for 2021 are projections, and that the pandemic’s full impact will not be known for years. Preventive screenings are on the rise again, as medical facilities overall have stepped up their already thorough sanitization procedures to ensure patient safety. In addition, “telemedicine” consults allow patients to be examined by phone or video chat whenever possible. 

Still, the grim post-pandemic forecast underscores the need for patients with cancer to not interrupt their treatment, and for people who suspect they may have a serious medical issue to promptly get examined. And if you’re in either position, you’ll never be in a better place than in New Jersey. 

The Garden State is on the cutting edge of cancer research, with its 13 teaching hospitals and a slew of large pharmaceutical companies and smaller biopharmaceutical firms — all converging to unlock the secrets that will help more patients with cancer thrive and survive in the coming years. 

What’s more, some 27,000 physicians are on the front lines of patient care in New Jersey — from the internists and family physicians who often identify the first signs of cancer, to specialists such as dermatologists, gastroenterologists, OB-GYNs and urologists who treat specific cancers. 

Integral to New Jersey’s battle against cancer is its approximately 500 oncologists and hematologists, 150 radiation oncologists, and surgeons who specialize in oncologic procedures. 

The 2021 Top Doctors in Cancer Care section highlights more than 400 of these physicians from those and other specialties. 

The physicians listed in this section have received the Top Doctor designation from Castle Connolly Top Doctors, the nation’s preeminent health care research and information company. Earning this designation implies that the doctor is among the best in his or her specialty. 

Only physicians with current, confirmed board certification in their specialties are eligible for Top Doctor designation. Physicians do not — and cannot — pay to get on the list. 

The designation is determined through a rigorous process conducted by the Castle Connolly Top Doctors’ physician-led research team. Castle Connolly begins the process by surveying thousands of physicians and other health care professionals, asking them to identify outstanding physicians across the full range of applicable specialties. Each survey recipient is given an access code to help ensure that doctors do not nominate themselves. 

The team this year interviewed 1,000 New Jersey-based physicians to determine the state’s Top Cancer Doctors. The process is anonymous and confidential. 

Castle Connolly also solicits input from leading specialists, hospital department chairs, and medical executives at hospitals and integrated health care systems. Additionally, the research team assesses the credentials of every doctor nominated for recognition as a Top Doctor, reviewing his or her medical education, training, hospital appointments, administrative posts, professional achievements, and malpractice and disciplinary history. The team also applies “minimum years in practice” standards to each medical specialty. 

While the research team garners copious information on each candidate, the professional judgment of the Castle Connolly editors, the chief medical and research officer, and the research staff ultimately determine the selection. Physicians selected as Top Doctors are asked to complete a comprehensive professional biography form and provide information on their areas of expertise. This information becomes a key component of selected doctors’ listings in the guides. 

Physicians who receive the Castle Connolly Top Doctor designation also can be removed from the list. Reasons for removal include: retirement, change in practice, lack of availability to patients, malpractice or disciplinary issues, negative physician or patient feedback, professional demeanor or a change in the mix of specialists Castle Connolly presents for a given community. Being removed from the list, however, does not necessarily convey negative information about the physician. 

While this process does not identify every excellent physician in the state, the doctors identified through the Castle Connolly Top Doctor research process clearly are among the best in the state. And as you peruse the following list, you can rest assured that you are never far from a top-level physician who can capably guide you through your treatment journey. 

Atlantic County

Naim Nazha, Medical Oncology

Stephen Dudick, Plastic Surgery

Adam Saad, Plastic Surgery

Matthew Finnegan, Surgery

Bergen County

Gregory Gallina, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Peter Kaye, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Farshad Mansouri, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Anna Serur, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Steven Waxenbaum, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Ronald White, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Alan Andrews, Dermatology

Robin Ashinoff, Dermatology

Jonathan Blume, Dermatology

Sharon Fried, Dermatology

Camila Janniger, Dermatology

Martha Maso, Dermatology

Michael Molinaro, Dermatology

Stephen Nychay, Dermatology

Paul Possick, Dermatology

Jeffrey Rapaport, Dermatology

Martin Reichel, Dermatology

Jaclyn Calem-Grunat, Diagnostic Radiology

Regina Chu, Diagnostic Radiology

Mindy Goldfischer, Diagnostic Radiology

Joshua Gross, Diagnostic Radiology

Mark Shapiro, Diagnostic Radiology

Aditi Chhada, Gastroenterology

Walter Klein, Gastroenterology

Richard Lin, Gastroenterology

Michael Meininger, Gastroenterology

Philip Micale, Gastroenterology

Jonathan Resnick, Gastroenterology

Barry Zingler, Gastroenterology

Lisa Tank, Geriatric Medicine

Sharyn Lewin, Gynecologic Oncology

Ami Vaidya, Gynecologic Oncology

Marie Welshinger, Gynecologic Oncology

Scott Rowley, Hematology

Jose Contreras, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Richard Rosenbluth, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Rani Sebti, Infectious Disease

Ephraim Casper, Medical Oncology

Michele Donato, Medical Oncology

Tatyana Feldman, Medical Oncology

Andre Goy, Medical Oncology

Harry Harper, Medical Oncology

Maxwell Janosky, Medical Oncology

Andrew Jennis, Medical Oncology

Minaxi Jhawer, Medical Oncology

Jill Morrison, Medical Oncology

Mark Pascal, Medical Oncology

Andrew Pecora, Medical Oncology

Yadyra Rivera, Medical Oncology

Michael Schleider, Medical Oncology

Neelam Todi, Medical Oncology

Stanley Waintraub, Medical Oncology

Richard Anderson, Neurological Surgery

Duncan Carpenter, Neurological Surgery

Arno Fried, Neurological Surgery

Frank Moore, Neurological Surgery

Alfred Steinberger, Neurological Surgery

Omar Syed, Neurological Surgery

Kevin Yao, Neurological Surgery

David Freilich, Ophthalmology

Francis Patterson, Orthopaedic Surgery

Sherif Hassan, Otolaryngology

Masayuki Inouye, Otolaryngology

Arie Rosen, Otolaryngology

Christopher Shaari, Otolaryngology

Samyadev Datta, Pain Medicine

Kenneth Park, Pain Medicine

Robert Silverman, Pain Medicine

Pritish Bhattacharyya, Pathology

Drew Olsen, Pathology

Miguel Sanchez, Pathology

Burton Appel, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Steven Diamond, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Alfred Gillio, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Michael Harris, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Don Respler, Pediatric Otolaryngology

Gary Breslow, Plastic Surgery

Stephanie Cohen, Plastic Surgery

John Cozzone, Plastic Surgery

Shwetambara Parakh, Plastic Surgery

Richard Winters, Plastic Surgery

Luis Zapiach, Plastic Surgery

Jeffrey Barasch, Pulmonary Disease

Glenn Brauntuch, Pulmonary Disease

Joseph Grizzanti, Pulmonary Disease

Selwyn Levine, Pulmonary Disease

Clifford Simon, Pulmonary Disease

Chad DeYoung, Radiation Oncology

David Dubin, Radiation Oncology

Anthony Ingenito, Radiation Oncology

Boris Mueller, Radiation Oncology

Benjamin Rosenbluth, Radiation Oncology

Michael Wesson, Radiation Oncology

Inna Berin, Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility

Philip Lesorgen, Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility

Thomas Ahlborn, Surgery

Steven Brower, Surgery

Marson Davidson, Surgery

Martin Karpeh, Surgery

Laura Klein, Surgery

Sung Kwon, Surgery

Joseph Licata, Surgery

Donald McCain, Surgery

Leslie Montgomery, Surgery

John Poole, Surgery

Barry Sussman, Surgery

Gary Kline, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Robert Korst, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Nabil Rizk, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Nazly Shariati, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Ignatios Zairis, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Saurabh Agarwal, Urology

Mutahar Ahmed, Urology

Thomas Chun, Urology

Wayne DeTorres, Urology

Michael Esposito, Urology

Howard Frey, Urology

Martin Goldstein, Urology

Steven Katz, Urology

Vincent Lanteri, Urology

Gregory Lovallo, Urology

Eric Margolis, Urology

Ravi Munver, Urology

Raul Parra, Urology

Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad, Urology

Michael Stifelman, Urology

Burlington County

Stephen Pilipshen, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Naomi Lawrence, Dermatology

Birgit Toome, Dermatology

Christopher Deitch, Gastroenterology

Adam Elfant, Gastroenterology

Steven Peikin, Gastroenterology

Maurice Cairoli, Hematology

Martin Topiel, Infectious Disease

Seth Berk, Medical Oncology

James Lee, Medical Oncology

Stephen Wallace, Medical Oncology

Deborah Butzbach, Radiation Oncology

Adam Perzin, Urology

Camden County

Steven McClane, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Catherine Piccoli, Diagnostic Radiology

Thomas Cavalieri, Geriatric Medicine

James Aikins, Gynecologic Oncology

Meredith Crisp Duffy, Gynecologic Oncology

David Warshal, Gynecologic Oncology

Andres Ferber, Hematology

Kevin Callahan, Medical Oncology

Christina Clay, Medical Oncology

Priya Gor, Medical Oncology

Generosa Grana, Medical Oncology

Richard Greenberg, Medical Oncology

Alexandre Hageboutros, Medical Oncology

Gamil Hanna, Medical Oncology

Pallav Mehta, Medical Oncology

Robert Somer, Medical Oncology

Faith Young, Medical Oncology

Tae Won Kim, Orthopaedic Surgery

Nadir Ahmad, Otolaryngology

Nicholas Evageliou, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Matthew Moront, Pediatric Surgery

Jerrold Friedman, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

A Leilani Fahey, Plastic Surgery

Anthony Dragun, Radiation Oncology

Catherine Kim, Radiation Oncology

Umur Atabek, Surgery

Michele Fantazzio, Surgery

Diane Gillum, Surgery

Frank Koniges, Surgery

Francis Spitz, Surgery

Jeffrey Tomaszewski, Urology

Cape May County

Kaleem Ahmad, Medical Oncology

David Cho, Radiation Oncology

Cumberland County

Jill Mortensen, Family Medicine

David Shields, Gastroenterology

Shailja Roy, Hematology

Essex County

Richard Moskowitz, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Adrian Connolly, Dermatology

Jeanine Downie, Dermatology

Amy Freeman, Dermatology

Marc Glashofer, Dermatology

Robert Schwartz, Dermatology

Linda Sanders, Diagnostic Radiology

Patrick Anderson, Gynecologic Oncology

Bernadette Cracchiolo, Gynecologic Oncology

Thad Denehy, Gynecologic Oncology

Mark Einstein, Gynecologic Oncology

Indu Sabnani, Hematology

Wendy Edwards, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

John Conti, Medical Oncology

Stuart Leitner, Medical Oncology

Delia Radovich, Medical Oncology

Charles Sagorin, Medical Oncology

Said Saleh, Medical Oncology

Michael Scoppetuolo, Medical Oncology

Henry Moyle, Neurological Surgery

Stephen Crane, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Paul Langer, Ophthalmology

Roger Turbin, Ophthalmology

Joseph Benevenia, Orthopaedic Surgery

Andrew Kaufman, Pain Medicine

Seena Aisner, Pathology

Debra Heller, Pathology

Michael Stubblefield, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Mark Granick, Plastic Surgery

Edward Lee, Plastic Surgery

Paul LoVerme, Plastic Surgery

Glen Gejerman, Radiation Oncology

Alison Grann, Radiation Oncology

Raquel Wagman, Radiation Oncology

Serena Chen, Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility

Robert Barbalinardo, Surgery

M. Michele Blackwood, Surgery

Nancy Elliott, Surgery

Marcie Hertz, Surgery

Vivek Maheshwari, Surgery

Bruce Goldenberg, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Subroto Paul, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Justin Sambol, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Rahuldev Bhalla, Urology

Robert Caruso, Urology

Salvatore Lombardo, Urology

Robert Weiss, Urology

Gloucester County

William Cody, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Kehua Li, Dermatology

Michael DiMarino, Gastroenterology

Aarati Malliah, Gastroenterology

Jorge Prieto, Gastroenterology

Eduardo Fernandez, Medical Oncology

Carl Minniti, Medical Oncology

Erev Tubb, Medical Oncology

Stephen Zrada, Medical Oncology

Denise Scaringe-Dietrich, Pain Medicine

Thomas Steffe, Plastic Surgery

Alexis Harvey, Radiation Oncology

Tamara LaCouture, Radiation Oncology

David Lowther, Radiation Oncology

Christopher Derivaux, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Charles Shieh, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Hudson County

Joseph Kozel, Internal Medicine

Kenneth Garay, Otolaryngology

Aylon Glaser, Otolaryngology

Ronald Sultan, Surgery

Hunterdon County

Carter Abel, Dermatology

Christopher Cassetty, Dermatology

Michael Sisack, Dermatology

Mercer County

Robyn Notterman, Dermatology

Robert Meirowitz, Gastroenterology

David Schaebler, Medical Oncology

John Sierocki, Medical Oncology

Peter Yi, Medical Oncology

Marc Drimmer, Plastic Surgery

Gary Tuma, Plastic Surgery

Eric Wimmers, Plastic Surgery

Michael McKenna, Radiation Oncology

Rachel Dultz, Surgery

Barry Rossman, Urology

Alexander Vukasin, Urology

Ajay Choudhri, Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Middlesex County

Theodore Eisenstat, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Santiago Centurion, Dermatology

Brian Keegan, Dermatology

John Vine, Dermatology

David Wrone, Dermatology

Murray Becker, Diagnostic Radiology

George Karp, Hematology

Andrew Evens, Hematology

Roger Strair, Hematology

Bruno Fang, Medical Oncology

Michael Nissenblatt, Medical Oncology

Joseph Aisner, Medical Oncology

Howard Hochster, Medical Oncology

Biren Saraiya, Medical Oncology

Gregory Shypula, Medical Oncology

Deborah Toppmeyer, Medical Oncology

Gregory Przybylski, Neurological Surgery

P Ashley Wackym, Otolaryngology

William Grubb, Pain Medicine

Nicola Barnard, Pathology

Richard Drachtman, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Margaret Masterson, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Richard Agag, Plastic Surgery

Robert Herbstman, Plastic Surgery

Steven Shoen, Plastic Surgery

Philip Wey, Plastic Surgery

John Baumann, Radiation Oncology

Robert Cardinale, Radiation Oncology

Ronald Ennis, Radiation Oncology

Bruce Haffty, Radiation Oncology

Mark Macher, Radiation Oncology

Edward Soffen, Radiation Oncology

Lisa Hopkins, Surgery

Susan McManus, Surgery

David August, Surgery

Adam Berger, Surgery

Kumar Dasmahapatra, Surgery

Lawrence Jordan, Surgery

Stanley Trooskin, Surgery

Michael Censullo, Vascular and Interventional Radiology

John Nosher, Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Monmouth County

Michael Arvanitis, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Thomas Lake, Colon & Rectal Surgery

Kenneth Grossman, Dermatology

Jason Miller, Dermatology

David Picascia, Dermatology

Stephen McManus, Diagnostic Radiology

Penny Turtel, Gastroenterology

Thomas Hackett, Gynecologic Oncology

Denis Fitzgerald, Medical Oncology

William Maggio, Neurological Surgery

Ty Olson, Neurological Surgery

Kenneth Newkirk, Otolaryngology

Darsit Shah, Otolaryngology

Arvind Prabhat, Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery

Frank Scaccia, Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery

Stephen Chidyllo, Plastic Surgery

Andrew Elkwood, Plastic Surgery

Caroline Glicksman, Plastic Surgery

Peter Hetzler, Plastic Surgery

Michael Nagy, Plastic Surgery

Tushar Patel, Plastic Surgery

Michael Rose, Plastic Surgery

John Gibbs, Surgery

Denise Johnson Miller, Surgery

Ronald Matteotti, Surgery

Morris County

Bernard Maria, Child Neurology

Laila Almeida, Dermatology

Lauren Cooper, Dermatology

Eric Huang, Dermatology

Brian Machler, Dermatology

John Dalena, Gastroenterology

Isaac Galandauer, Gastroenterology

Darlene Gibbon, Gynecologic Oncology

Daniel Tobias, Gynecologic Oncology

Muhammed Abbasi, Hematology

Kenneth Adler, Medical Oncology

Martin Frank, Medical Oncology

Sarada Gurubhagavatula, Medical Oncology

Steven Papish, Medical Oncology

John Knightly, Neurological Surgery

Catherine Mazzola, Neurological Surgery

Louis Noce, Neurological Surgery

James Milite, Ophthalmology

Andrew Willis, Orthopaedic Surgery

James Wittig, Orthopaedic Surgery

Marcello Sammarone, Pain Medicine

Steven Halpern, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Francisco Colon, Plastic Surgery

Renee Comizio, Plastic Surgery

Brian Glatt, Plastic Surgery

Hakan Kutlu, Plastic Surgery

Farhad Rafizadeh, Plastic Surgery

Isaac Starker, Plastic Surgery

James Wong, Radiation Oncology

Mitchel Carter, Surgery

Eric Whitman, Surgery

Federico Steiner, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Ayal Kaynan, Urology

Sean Calhoun, Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Ocean County

Lynne Einbinder, Cardiovascular Disease

Apurv Agrawal, Medical Oncology

Girish Amin, Medical Oncology

Jayne Pavlak-Schenk, Medical Oncology

Russell Ashinoff, Plastic Surgery

Christopher Godek, Plastic Surgery

Passaic County

Jonathan Gold, Dermatology

Mary Ann Bonilla, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Paul Figlia, Plastic Surgery

Timothy O’Donnell, Pulmonary Disease

Gene Rosenberg, Urology

Somerset County

Richard Eisenberg, Dermatology

Amy Pappert, Dermatology

Jeannete Greer, Diagnostic Radiology

Roger Yang, Diagnostic Radiology

Charles Accurso, Gastroenterology

Alan Gingold, Gastroenterology

Ellen Ronnen, Medical Oncology

James Salwitz, Medical Oncology

Audrey Hamilton, Medical Oncology

Kathleen Toomey, Medical Oncology

Joel Braver, Radiation Oncology

Henry Tsai, Radiation Oncology

Paul Bergh, Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility

James Gervasoni, Surgery

Anthony Catanese, Urology

Sussex County

May Abdo-Matkiwsky, Medical Oncology

Jumana Chatiwala, Medical Oncology

Union County

Farshad Abir, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Bertram Chinn, Colon and Rectal Surgery

Monib Zirvi, Dermatology

Sue Jane Grosso-Rivas, Diagnostic Radiology

Michael Rokhsar, Diagnostic Radiology

Adam Barrison, Gastroenterology

Tamir Ben-Menachem, Gastroenterology

Amber Khan, Gastroenterology

Pradeep Mahal, Gastroenterology

Nana Tchabo, Gynecologic Oncology

Gerardo Capo, Medical Oncology

Michelle Cholankeril, Medical Oncology

Bonni Guerin, Medical Oncology

Barry Levinson, Medical Oncology

Dennis Lowenthal, Medical Oncology

Lisa Mills, Medical Oncology

Robert Aiken, Neurology

Neil Horner, Neuroradiology

Heidi Hullinger, Orthopaedic Surgery

William Drake, Otolaryngology

Richard Scharf, Otolaryngology

Paul Carniol, Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery

Eric Chang, Plastic Surgery

James Gardner, Plastic Surgery

Peter Hyans, Plastic Surgery

Reza Momeni, Plastic Surgery

Robert Sussman, Pulmonary Disease

Rodolfo Colaco, Surgery

Julia DiGioia, Surgery

Marc Mandel, Surgery

Margaret Sacco, Surgery

Rebecca Yang, Surgery

Andrew Bernstein, Urology

Bernard Lehrhoff, Urology

Mark Miller, Urology

Kenneth Ring, Urology

Domenico Savatta, Urology

Barry Seidman, Urology

To find a Top Doctor in any specialty, click here.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.