Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J., July 23, 2019 – Several physicians from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have been named among ‘New Jersey’s Top Doctors in Cancer Care’ by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., which publishes resource guides on top healthcare professionals across the nation. The listing appeared recently in Jersey’s Best magazine. A physician-led research team assembled by Castle Connolly collected peer surveys that highlighted various career aspects. Training, board certification, clinical skills, years in practice, leadership posts and other criteria were analyzed.

“As New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, in partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, has a responsibility to help reduce the cancer burden in our state.  Our multidisciplinary team of oncology specialists is dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art, comprehensive care including proton therapy and complex surgical procedures, as well as translating on-site research into clinical trials and novel therapies. We are humbled that our peers recognize our commitment,” said Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, who is also senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health.

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey physicians on this year’s list are also faculty members at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a number of them also care for patients at various RWJBarnabas Health facilities across the state. Those named to the 2019 list are:

  • Robert Aiken, MD, Director, Neuro-oncology Program; specialty: brain cancer, clinical trials, neurologic complications of cancer
  • Joseph Aisner, MD, Co-Director, Lung Cancer/Thoracic Oncology Program; specialty: lung cancer
  • David A. August, MD, Associate Director, Faculty Affairs and Surgical Oncologist; specialty: gastrointestinal malignancies
  • M. Michele Blackwood, MD, FACS, Chief; Breast Surgery, Rutgers Cancer Institute; Medical Director and Northern Regional Director, Breast Services, (RWJBarnabas Health); specialty: breast cancer and complex breast malignancies
  • Joel K. Braver, MD, radiation oncologist; specialty: prostate, breast and lung cancers
  • Richard Drachtman, MD, Section Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; specialty: pediatric cancers and blood disorders
  • Mark H. Einstein, MD, MS, Gynecologic Oncologist (Rutgers Cancer Institute) and Chair, Obstetrics/Gynecology and Women’s Health (Rutgers New Jersey Medical School); specialty: cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, human papillomavirus, and clinical trials
  • Ronald D. Ennis, MD, Medical Director, Clinical Network for Radiation Oncology; specialty: prostate cancer, gynecologic cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, brachytherapy
  • Andrew M. Evens, DO, MSc, FACP, Associate Director, Clinical Services and Director, Lymphoma Program (Rutgers Cancer Institute); Medical Director, Oncology Service Line (RWJBarnabas Health); specialty: Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, bone marrow transplantation
  • Bruce G. Haffty, MD, Chair, Radiation Oncology; specialty: breast cancer
  • Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, Associate Director, Clinical Research and Director, Gastrointestinal Oncology (Rutgers Cancer Institute); Director, Oncology Research (RWJBarnabas Health); specialty: clinical trials, gastrointestinal cancers
  • Margaret Masterson, MD, Medical Director, LITE Program; pediatric hematology and oncology
  • Michael G. McKenna, MD, radiation oncologist; specialty: prostate IMRT, breast cancer, and head and neck cancers
  • Biren Saraiya, MD, Medical Oncologist; specialty: urologic cancers, palliative care
  • Roger Strair, MD, PhD, Chief, Hematologic Malignancies and Blood and Marrow Transplantation; specialty: leukemia and lymphoma
  • Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, and Director Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center and the LIFE Center; specialty: breast cancer
  • Robert E. Weiss, MD, Urologic Oncologist; specialty: urologic cancers

A full listing can be found at: https://www.jerseysbest.com/magazine/ (pages 56 – 62).

About Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

As New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, along with its partner RWJBarnabas Health, offers the most advanced cancer treatment options including bone marrow transplantation, proton therapy, CAR T-cell therapy and complex robotic surgery.  Along with clinical trials and novel therapeutics such as precision medicine and immunotherapy – many of which are not widely available – patients have access to these cutting-edge therapies at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital in Newark, as well as through RWJBarnabas Health facilities.

Along with world-class treatment, which is often fueled by on-site research conducted in Rutgers Cancer Institute laboratories, patients and their families also can seek cancer preventative services and education resources throughout the Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health footprint statewide. To make a tax-deductible gift to support the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, call 848-932-8013 or visit www.cinj.org/giving.

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