Renowned Breast Surgical Oncologist Joins NYU Langone Health As Director of Women's Health for Suffolk County
Melissa D. Fana, MD, a leading breast surgical oncologist, has joined NYU Langone Health as Director of Women's Health for Suffolk County and Chief of Service for Breast Surgery at Long Island Community Hospital, effective December 1. She sees patients at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Long Island Breast Surgery Associates.
"Dr. Fana brings not only surgical expertise, but remarkable dedication to our growing team of world-class surgeons in Suffolk County," said Andrew Rubin, Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Ambulatory Care at NYU Langone. "These attributes will be a tremendous asset as she develops a comprehensive women's health program in Suffolk County over the next several years."
"NYU Langone already offers unrivaled local access to the best providers and treatment through its award-winning care network, and I'm committed to building upon our successes in my new role," said Fana. "We will continue bridging cancer care, women's health, and academic health care through a nationally recognized, top-quality institution in a way that hasn't been done before in this region."
Fana, who specializes in breast cancer management, creates personalized care plans using the latest treatment options and breast conservation surgical techniques to remove cancer and prevent remission.
Before joining NYU Langone, Fana was Director of Breast Services at Mather Hospital, in Port Jefferson, New York, and Chief of Breast Surgery at South Shore Hospital, in Bay Shore, New York, where she oversaw quality initiatives. She also previously worked at Plainview Hospital, enhancing their breast surgical program, Brookhaven Hospital Memorial Medical Center, and Brookhaven Breast Health Services.
After receiving an undergraduate degree from SUNY at Stony Brook University in 2000, Fana earned her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2008. She completed her residency at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center at the Hofstra University School of Medicine where she was Chief General Surgery resident. She then went on to complete a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Beaumont Health System in Royal Oak, MI, and Rose Cancer Resource Center.
Fana has published and presented on topics including breast conservation therapy for patients over the age of 80, surgical site infection reduction, and visualization for breast reconstructive surgery.
Cancer Center Appoints New Associate Director for Office of Community Outreach and Engagement
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Primo Nery "Lucky" Lara, Jr., MD, has appointed Laura Fejerman, PhD, to serve as Associate Director of the cancer center's Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE), effective July 1, 2023.
Fejerman transitions into the role held by Moon Chen, Jr., PhD, MPH, a pioneer in cultivating cancer health equity, who helped launch the COE in 2018. Chen has a long history of leading National Cancer Institute programs focused on mitigating cancer health disparities in various racial/ethnic populations.
"Fejerman will do an outstanding job in her new role as she leverages her background in public health epidemiology," said Chen. "She will bring passion and commitment to the diverse population we serve and the individuals who are often underserved due to cultural barriers and unique cancer risk factors."
Fejerman plans to focus on health equity in the diverse populations UC Davis Health serves. Meanwhile, Chen will assume a new position as the Senior Adviser to the cancer center Director, with a focus on community outreach and engagement, as well as population sciences. He will also lead the cancer center's innovative cancer screening initiatives with particular emphasis on the inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities and other underenrolled asymptomatic populations. Chen will also continue addressing health disparities that disproportionately affect Asian Americans.
Through community-engaged research, shared decision-making and mutual learning, the COE works with diverse stakeholders to address the cancer burden within diverse populations throughout inland Northern California.
"Thanks to Dr. Chen's leadership, the Office of COE has made tremendous progress creating a future free of disparities in cancer outcomes for all and we appreciate the transition he will oversee in the coming months," said Lara. "Dr. Fejerman brings cutting-edge research into genetic factors contributing to cancer, especially in the Latino population, and we know she will continue to build on the successes established by Dr. Chen."
Lara charged Fejerman with expanding bidirectional conversations with the community to allow scientists an opportunity to receive feedback about their cancer research from diverse stakeholders.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to work toward achieving health equity and improving patient access through the very large and diverse population we serve," said Fejerman. "I have learned a great deal from Dr. Chen and look forward to capitalizing on the trailblazing progress he has made to date, leading a team devoted to cultivating equity in cancer prevention and control."
Fejerman joined UC Davis Health in 2020, after expanding her skills as a breast cancer genetic epidemiologist and postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. She earned her doctorate in biological anthropology and master's in human biology at the University of Oxford, England. She completed her undergraduate degree in social anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Originally from Buenos Aires, Fejerman left Argentina in 1998 to study in England and arrived in the United States in 2003.
Grant Awarded to Enhance the Efficacy of Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
The DeGregorio Family Foundation with support from the Torrey Coast Foundation Gastro Esophageal Investigator Network Initiative (GEMINI) has awarded $250,000 to Joseph M. Caster, MD, PhD, and Chandrikha Chandrasekharan, MD, both from The University of Iowa, to enhance the efficacy of chemo and radiation on locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma. Esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal adenocarcinoma, has been growing exponentially over the last 5 decades, especially in the United States. Depending on results, this grant funding could increase up to $1 million.
Cancers of the esophagus are treated with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. While chemo and radiation improve cure rates, they cause long-term side effects and half of all patients still die of their cancer. The goal of this research is to try to improve the treatment of esophageal adenocarcinoma using drugs which increase cure rates while also decreasing the side effects of chemo and radiation.
They have identified several promising drugs which accomplish these goals, including high-dose vitamin C and avasopasem, a new type of drug called a superoxide dismutase mimic. They recently found that giving high-dose vitamin C and avasopasem at the same time increases the cancer-killing effects of chemo and radiation more than either drug alone in cancer cells grown in the laboratory. They believe that this new drug combination is especially promising for patients with esophageal cancer.
Caster and Chandrasekharan will ultimately try to prove this by giving high-dose vitamin C and avasopasem along with chemo and radiation in a clinical trial for patients with esophageal cancer. They will also perform experiments in their laboratory to better understand how this combination works and why it affects tumors differently than normal cells.
"This award will provide us with an opportunity to assess a novel approach to redox manipulation, which has the potential to improve both cure rates and long-term quality of life for gastroesophageal cancer patients," said Caster.
In 2020, gastric and esophageal cancers combined killed over 1.3 million people worldwide. Patients continue to face poor prognoses following gastric and esophageal cancer diagnoses due to their chemo-resistant behavior and ability to metastasize.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation, founded in 2006 after a 10th member of the DeGregorio family died of stomach cancer, has raised almost $8 million to fund innovative research focused on curing gastric and esophageal cancers. "This grant to Drs. Caster and Chandrasekharan to improve treatment for esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is increasing so rapidly in the United States, could make a difference is many lives," concluded Lynn DeGregorio, President and Founder.
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Establishes Geriatric Oncology Center of Excellence at Jefferson Health
Jefferson Health's Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) launched the Geriatric Oncology Center of Excellence to address the needs of a growing patient population through innovative research and care delivery methods via a multidisciplinary approach. The center identifies and removes barriers for older patients with cancer to optimize health outcomes and improve quality of life while establishing a model for best practices to serve these patients.
Cancer is largely a disease of aging; 70 percent of cancer diagnoses occur in people aged 65 and older. As this population continues to grow-the number of people aged 65 and older is expected to double in the United States by 2030-cancer incidence will continue to rise.
Older patients have unique needs. Cancer biology may present differently in older adults, who are more likely to experience comorbid conditions such as cognitive impairment, frailty, and depression, and may be prescribed multiple medications to treat various health conditions. Physiological changes associated with aging can affect how well cancer treatments work. The standard of care does not often apply when treating older patients, and they can be over or undertreated for their disease.
The Geriatric Oncology Center of Excellence will guide older patients and their families while they navigate the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. The comprehensive program will help patients meet their treatment goals through personalized care plans while creating a bench-to-bedside research program, eliminating the gaps in care delivery across the current medical system and expanding the age-friendly workforce. The center will serve patients across the entire Jefferson enterprise. Patients throughout the region will be able to see experts in person in Center City Philadelphia or via telehealth.
Jefferson is a national leader in the field of geriatric oncology. SKCC Director Andrew Chapman, DO, who is the only Director of a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center specializing in geriatric oncology, established the Jefferson Senior Adult Oncology (SAO) Center in 2010 as one of the first of its kind in the nation.
The SAO center, which is led by Chapman and Kristine Swartz, MD, Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care and the Program Director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of experts including oncologists, geriatricians, pharmacists, social workers, and dietitians working together to develop personalized treatment plans based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment that evaluates each patient's health status and overall needs.
"The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center is committed to addressing the cancer burden within the communities that we serve. It is not enough that we offer high-quality care and leading-edge treatments; we need to ensure equitable access to care because far too many people are unable to have their health needs met," said Chapman. "In less than 10 years, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 and older, and now is the time to prepare for the incoming 'silver oncologic tsunami.' Older adults with cancer are often overlooked, and it is imperative that we develop equitable and affordable health care models, enhance age-friendly services, and increase access to care plans tailored to these individuals."
The Geriatric Oncology Center of Excellence will now build upon SKCC's clinical and research expertise in the field of aging and cancer. Specifically, this new center, which the SAO will fold into, will address the entire cancer continuum through five primary pillars. Insights gained in one pillar will directly inform advances in another:
1. basic science research that will explore the aging-associated molecular changes that contribute to cancer susceptibility, progression, and metastasis;
2. translational research that will turn the discoveries uncovered by the basic science arm into novel therapies and clinical trials for a population that has been historically underrepresented in clinical trials;
3. population health research that will provide a better understanding of the underlying drivers of cancer disparities;
4. clinical care delivery, which will improve the access, quality, and delivery of specialized cancer care that focuses on factors impacting older adults; and
5. training and education that will provide significant opportunities to increase the number of specialists and caregivers capable of caring for older adults with cancer.
To address the effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment in older individuals, each pillar will have an eye toward survivorship research, which has been primarily aimed at cancer diagnoses in younger patients.
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