RenalTransplant near Jersey City, NJ

Care Philosophy: We are committed to delivering the best care and an exceptional patient experience. We are devoted to providing services that are patient-centered and compassionate, and care for you as a person.

Biography: I am originally from Detroit, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan for my undergraduate studies in Neuroscience. I completed clinical research at Columbia University before going back to Detroit for medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine. I then completed my residency in Urology at Emory University School of Medicine where I served as chief resident. I then was hired as Assistant Professor of Urology at Emory University where I practiced general urology with a focus on robotic surgery related to malignant and benign pathologies of the kidney as well as minimally invasive management of benign prostatic conditions. I am committed to equitable care for all and am actively involved in community outreach and community education on urology. I anticipate continued scholarship and advocacy for historically underrepresented patients and advocacy at associations including the American Urologic Association.

Biography: Tomoaki Kato, MD, is a noted pioneer in multiple-organ transplantation, pediatric and adult liver transplantation. Dr. Kato is Surgical Director of Adult and Pediatric Liver and Intestinal Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is a professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Kato is known for unique and innovative surgeries for adults and children, including a six-organ transplant; a procedure called APOLT (auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation) that resuscitates a failing liver by attaching a partial donor liver, making immunosuppressant drugs unnecessary and the first successful human partial bladder transplantation involving the transplant of two kidneys together with ureters connected to a patch of the donor bladder. In a highly publicized case, he led the first reported removal and re-implantation, or auto-transplantation, of six organs to excise a hard-to-reach abdominal tumor. Previously the director of pediatric liver and gastrointestinal transplant and professor of clinical surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Kato received his medical degree from the Osaka University Medical School in Japan and received his residency training in surgery at Osaka University Hospital and Itami City Hospital in Hyogo, Japan. He completed a clinical fellowship in transplantation at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, in Miami, Florida, where he was subsequently appointed to the surgical faculty in 1997, and promoted to full professor in 2007. He served as a surgeon and senior leader of the liver and transplantation center at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, beginning in 1997, and at University of Miami Hospital (previously Cedars Medical Center), beginning in 2004. Dr. Kato is a member of numerous professional and honorary organizations, and the author or co-author of more than 180 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.ResourcesFor more information, visit the Center for Liver Disease and TransplantationIf you need assistance in Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), please call 646-317-6325 or, visit the Columbia Liver Asian Outreach Office (English | Mandarin

Biography: Pieter Jan Sebastian Smit, MD, is a surgeon, specializing in general surgery, trauma surgery, and surgical critical care at NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Brooklyn, affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. He is an assistant professor of clinical surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Smit performs both elective and emergency surgeries and cares for patients in the surgical intensive care unit. His clinical interests include abdominal wall reconstruction, minimally invasive emergency surgery, and damage control surgery and resuscitation. Dr. Smit is also involved in resident education through Weill Cornell Medical College. After graduating from Albany Medical College, Dr. Smit completed his general surgery residency and surgical critical care fellowship training at Orlando Regional Medical Center and Boston Medical Center, respectively. Before coming to NewYork-Presbyterian, Dr. Smit was a surgeon at NYU Langone Health in Brooklyn, where he served in several leadership committees. Dr. Smit has presented his research at annual medical meetings of the American College of Surgeons is a member of multiple national surgical and trauma organizations.

Biography: Dr. Brett Opell specializes in treating patients with prostate and bladder cancer, voiding problems, kidney stones, sexual dysfunction and patients seeking vasectomy. He subspecializes in minimally invasive surgery and excels in the management of stone disease and minimally invasive prostate procedures for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Dr. Opell completed his medical training at Jefferson Medical College after finishing his undergraduate studies at Lafayette College. He completed a residency at Georgetown University and brought his practice to Union County where he joined New Jersey Urology (NJU). Dr. Opell is board certified by The American Board of Urology and has served as Director of Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center's Prostate Cancer Program since 2008. Dr. Opell's philosophy is to always take the time and listen to his patient's. He treat's his patient's as if they were his own family. By listening he feels that he is able to provide both compassionate and thorough care for all urologic ailments. He believes that major medical decisions should be a shared decision between the physician and the patient.

Care Philosophy: I strive to achieve the best outcomes through a collaborative effort with my patients and aim to ensure that all my patients understand their condition and treatment options.

Biography: Jason Hawksworth, MD is a noted pioneer in minimally invasive robotic hepatobiliary and transplant surgery. Dr. Hawksworth is the Surgical Director of Adult Liver Transplantation, Chief of Hepatobiliary Surgery, and the Director of Robotic Liver Surgery Program in the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is an Associate Professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Hawksworth is known for unique and innovative minimally invasive robotic surgeries to remove tumors of the liver, bile duct and pancreas, including robotic major hepatectomy, robotic pancreatectomy, and robotic Whipple. He also specializes in robotic transplantation including robotic kidney transplantation, robotic living donor nephrectomy and robotic living donor hepatectomy. Dr. Hawksworth received his undergraduate degree from The United States Military Academy at West point and his medical degree from Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine. Dr. Hawksworth completed general surgery residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center followed by an abdominal transplant and hepatobiliary surgery fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital. Previously the Chief of Robotic Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Hawksworth established one of the nation's premier robotic hepatobiliary and transplant programs in 2018 at Georgetown. He was recruited to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2023 to lead the liver transplant and hepatobiliary programs and continue to develop innovative techniques in robotic surgery. Dr. Hawksworth is a member of several key organizations including a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, International Laparoscopic Liver Society, and Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. His research interests include clinical transplant and hepatobiliary trials, and he has published over 60 scientific manuscripts and book chapters in leading journals such as Annals of Surgery, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, American Journal of Transplantation and Transplantation. Dr. Hawksworth is a Colonel in the Army reserves and has deployed four times to support combat operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Visit The Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at columbiasurgery.org/liver.

Biography: Dr. Angela Kadenhe-Chiweshe completed her M.D. degree at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. She entered a categorical general surgery residency at the University of Rochester where her interest in pediatric surgery was solidified. In 2001 she joined the Pediatric Tumor Biology Laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow under the tutelage of Drs. Jessica Kandel and Darrell Yamashiro. During this time she studied the effects of anti-angiogenic therapy in experimental models of pediatric solid tumors. This work led to key discoveries of how these tumors respond to anti-angiogenic therapy and served as important preclinical data for the Phase II studies for Avastin® (bevacizumab). She also concurrently completed a clinical fellowship in Extra-Corporal Membrane Oxygenation with Dr. Charles Stolar. She went on to complete her general surgery training at Columbia University in 2007, and followed with a clinical fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at the Morgan Stanley Children's' Hospital of New York Presbyterian, in 2009. Dr. Chiweshe joined the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, as Assistant Professor of Surgery in July 2009 until her departure in June 2018, when she briefly joined the Faculty of the Department of Surgery at Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Chiweshe's clinical interests include all aspects of general and thoracic pediatric surgery: in particular, neonatal anomalies, intestinal rehabilitation, hepatobiliary disease, pediatric cancer and vascular anomalies. Dr. Chiweshe's academic interests lie in the field of clinical and translational research. She served as co-PI of the Pediatric Tumor Biology Lab at Columbia, working alongside her mentor Dr. Yamashiro to elucidate the response of the tumor microenvironment of experimental models of pediatric solid tumors to NOTCH inhibition and high dose radiation. She has received grant funding from various sources, throughout her career, including NIH, Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and other institutional and philanthropic sources. Dr. Kadenhe-Chiweshe is a highly respected mentor and teacher, and has served as a role model to many students, residents, and fellows.Dr. Chiweshe is a Fellow of American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, Children's Oncology Group, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been recognized by Castle Connolly as one of "America's Top Doctors".

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: Dix P. Poppas, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.P. is Chief of Pediatric Urology at the Phyllis & David Komansky Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is the Richard Rodgers Professor of Pediatric Urology in the James Buchanan Brady Department of Urology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Poppas has been a tenured professor with Weill Cornell Medicine as of April 2006 and holds joint appointments as Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well. His practice is limited to pediatric urology with special interest in genital reconstruction, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, intersex disorders and minimally invasive procedures for treating vesicoureteral reflux. Dr. Poppas has extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery and pediatric laparoscopy. He was chosen as one of the "Top One Hundred Minimally Invasive Surgeons in New York" and was the only pediatric urologist to be selected.His practice is limited to pediatric urology with special interest in genital reconstruction, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, surgical aspects of disorders of sexual development and minimally invasive procedures for treating vesicoureteral reflux. Dr. Poppas has extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery and pediatric laparoscopy. He was chosen as one of the "Top One Hundred Minimally Invasive Surgeons in New York" and was the only pediatric urologist to be selected and is listed as one of New York's Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America. He completed his residency in urology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical School (1990-1994) and his fellowship in Pediatric Urology at Boston Children's Hospital-Harvard Medical School (1994-1996) He serves as co-director of the Laboratory for Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery where his efforts are focused on developing advanced laparoscopic and Robotic surgical techniques for tissue reconstruction using novel tissue sealants to replace sutures and staples during surgery, as well as investigating the mechanisms and potential treatments for inhibiting and reversing fibrosis in the obstructed kidney using antibodies and gene therapy strategies. Dr. Poppas is a diplomate of The American Board of Urology, Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has been awarded The E. Darracott Vaughan Young Investigator Award by the National Kidney Foundation, The Edwin Beer Award of The New York Academy of Medicine, and was selected as an American Foundation for Urologic Disease/National Kidney Foundation Research Scholar. For more information: Minimal Access Surgery CenterTestimonials"Dr. Poppas was a pleasure! He performed a surgery on my son, diagnosed the problem (post urethral valves) and corrected it. After the surgery, my son began to feel better day by day. We felt at ease with Dr. Poppas every step of the way. He was patient, explained things in detail, and gave us the time we deserved. He followed up with us and will continue to follow my sons progress over the course of a few months. We were in the best of hands!! Highly recommend!!" - Annie D. via Google"I am truly grateful to Dr. Poppas. We couldn't have asked for a better outcome to the surgery our baby daughter needed. Every step of the way he was careful, measured, thorough, conscientious and above all, caring. I can tell he cares about his patients and he took care of our daughter as he would his own. All of this together with his experience and talent makes him the best in the world at what he does. I feel blessed to have our daughter in his care." - Baum Nao C. via Google"Dr Poppas was just so sincere and just provided so much hope in such a awful situation. I knew that whatever happened while under his care, was the best approach and with her well being being a top priority." -Anonymous on October 21, 2019 via Vitals"We were so impressed by Dr. Poppas! He is very knowledgeable and yet sincere. He knows how to explain what is going on, and is very compassionate. He really had so much patience and did the best he could in every way. He is among the best doctors around!! 5 stars!" - Claudine A. via Google"Made the process with our son easy as possible. Very kind and personable."- Melissa B. via Google"Dr. Poppas was a surgeon for our child 10 years ago. We will be following up soon and cant wait to see him. His surgical excellence is second to none and his staff are amaxing as well. Whatever procedure you're considering, no need to hesitate in his capable care." - Anonymous on August 22, 2017 via Vitals"Our child was treated with dignity, respect and excellence throughout care with him. The outcome was better than expected and my child healed perfectly." - Angela B. via GoogleEDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDH.S. Diploma 1976J.R. Tucker High School, Richmond, V.A.1972-1976Longwood College, Farmville, VA.1978-1980B.S. Biology (Honors) 1982Minor ChemistryVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA 1980-1982Paramedic Degree 1984,Medical College of Virginia 1983-1984M.D. 1988, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA., 1984-1988Non degree program Health Care Executive Management Program, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaCertificate of completion 2002Non degree program, Advanced Executive Management Program, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaCertificate of completion 2003Non degree program The Wharton Executive Management Program for Academic Surgery Leaders. Leonard Davis Institute of Health Care Economics, The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaCertificate of completion 2005PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS AND EMPLOYMENTIntern in General SurgeryEastern Virginia Graduate School of MedicineNorfolk, VA 7/88 to 6/89Resident in General SurgeryEastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, Norfolk, VA 7/89 to 6/90Assistant Urologist (Resident) New York Hospital, New York, NY 7/90 to 6/93Urologist(Chief Resident)New York Hospital, New York, NY 7/93 to 6/94Fellow-in-Pediatric Urology (Surgery)Children#146;s Hospital-Harvard Medical School 7/94 to 6/96Academic positions (teaching and research)Visiting Fellow in UrologyCornell University Medical Center, New York 7/94 to 6/96Assistant Professor of UrologyCornell University Medical Center, New York 7/96 to 11/01The Richard Rodgers Family Assistant Professor of Pediatric UrologyWeill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 1/97 to 11/01Assistant Professor of Urology in Surgery (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10/97 to 6/04Assistant Professor of Urology in Pediatrics (Department of Pediatrics)Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 4/99 to 11/01Associate Professor of UrologyWeill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 12/01 to presentAssociate Professor of Urology in Pediatrics (Department of Pediatrics)Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 12/01 to presentThe Richard Rodgers Family Associate Professor of Pediatric UrologyWeill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 12/01 to presentAssociate Professor of Urology in Surgery (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 7/04 to presentAssociate Professor of Urology in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology)Weill Medical College of Cornell UniversityNew York, NY 7/04 to presentHospital PositionsAssistant Attending UrologistNew York Presbyterian Hospital 7/96 to 11/01Associate Attending UrologistNew York Presbyterian Hospital 12/01 to presentAttending in SurgeryThe New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens 1/02 to presentEmployment (other than positions listed above)Clinical Consultant Promethean Surgical Devices, LLC, Woburn, MA. 6/00 to presentPROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS (medical and scientific societies)Member Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society 1988 to presentMember American Urologic Association 1990 to presentFellow American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery 1989 to 2001Fellow American College of Surgeons 1998 to presentMember Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society 1990 to presentMember The New York Section American Urological Association 1996 to presentMember Society for Pediatric Urology 1996 to presentMember The Hellenic Medical Society of New York 1996 to presentMember Society for Fetal Urology 1997 to presentMember The New York Clinical Society 1998 to presentFellow American Academy of Pediatrics 1998 to presentDiplomat American Board of Urology 1999 to present