BiliaryTractCancer near Cortlandt Manor, NY

Care Philosophy: I have treated patients with cancer for 32 years in private practice and have been the chief of oncology and director oncology at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, NY. I founded the first Cancer Survivorship Program in the region outside of MSKCC. I am interested in how lifestyles and other disorders such as diabetes influence cancer risk and outcomes. I am also interested in cancer genetics and how patients can be proactive in optimizing their quality of life before, during and after treatment.

Biography: Michelle Boyar, MD, is board certified in medical oncology and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Boyar has a clinical interest in palliative care practices in oncology, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers, as well as general oncology. She treats patients with oncologic conditions, such as bladder, prostate, bowel, colon-rectal, esophageal, gallbladder, bile duct, gastric, kidney, and pancreatic cancers. Dr. Boyar strives to form close relationships with her patients and serves her community by offering comprehensive care and connecting them to local resources. Dr. Boyar completed her medical degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and remained at the university to serve her internship and residency at Southwestern Medical Center. She then completed her fellowship in hematology and oncology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Biography: Dr. S. Sunghyun Yoon is the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice-Chair of Surgical Oncology Research and Education in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). Dr. Yoon is a national and international expert in the treatment of patients with sarcomas and other soft tissue tumors, gastric (stomach) and gastroesophageal cancers, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and melanoma. He also has over 18 years of experience in the treatment of other gastrointestinal and abdominal tumors, hepatobiliary tumors, neuroendocrine/adrenal tumors, lymphomas, and spleen tumors. He has been the principal investigator of several clinical trials examining novel treatment strategies and given numerous invited national and international lectures in relation to these cancers. Several of these trials have investigated the treatment of sarcomas, especially abdominal/retroperitoneal sarcomas, with advanced radiation techniques such as proton beam radiation and aggressive surgical resection to minimize local recurrence. Read More About These Treatments: https://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/retroperitoneal-sarcomas-and-pelvic-sarcomas Dr. Yoon was an early advocate for minimally invasive robotic surgery and has performed over 300 robotic procedures including robotic gastrectomies (stomach removal). He has one of the world's largest experiences in performing prophylactic total gastrectomies for patients with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC syndrome) secondary to germline CDH1 mutation. He pioneered a technique for connection of the small bowel to the esophagus after total gastrectomy that is used by former surgical trainees and colleagues throughout the country due to its extremely low leakage rate. Dr. Yoon graduated from Harvard University and received his M.D. from the University of California at San Diego. He completed his residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship in surgical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before joining the staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2012. Dr. Yoon was an Attending Surgeon in the Division of Gastric and Mixed Tumors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College before joining CUIMC in 2021. Dr. Yoon's main research interests are in cancer stem cells and targeted biological agents in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. His laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute for 18 years and strives to translate new research discoveries into the clinic. Dr. Yoon is also part of multi-institution research groups funded by Stand Up To Cancer and the DeGregorio Family Foundation to discover early diagnostics and new therapies for gastric cancer. His clinical and research efforts have led to over 150 original research articles, book chapters, and reviews. For a complete list of publications, please visit NCBI.

Biography: J. Gregory Mears, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. After receiving a B.S. at Trinity College, Dr. Mears obtained an M.D. at The College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. He undertook his Internal Medicine residency at Boston University Medical Center and his Hematology-Medical Oncology fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center.Dr. Mears' early career was research based and involved studies of the molecular genetics of disorders of hemoglobin as well as chronic myelogenous leukemia. For the past 25 years Dr. Mears has maintained a clinical practice caring for people with blood disorders with an emphasis on leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and multiple myeloma. Dr. Mears has a strong clinical interest in women with breast cancer and is the Medical Director of the OctoberWoman Foundation.Additionally, Dr. Mears is pursuing clinical research in the fields of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as breast cancer. He is also actively engaged in the teaching of medical students, residents and fellows.