Find a Physician by Specialty

Konstantina Svokos, DO, is a neurosurgeon who specializes in pediatric neurosurgery. She has done both clinical and molecular research throughout her training and her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.

Dr. Svokos is fluent in English, Greek and Spanish. She is a member of the Society for Neuro Oncology, the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Ariel Birnbaum, MD, is a medical oncologist at Rhode Island Hospital. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio, completed his residency training at the University of Minnesota hospitals, and completed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His clinical interests include combined modality treatment for lung cancer and end of life care. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical oncology and a participant in the Brown University Oncology Group.

Lauren Massingham, MD is with the division of genetics at Hasbro Children’s Hospital; she is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Massingham is board certified in pediatrics and clinical genetics. Her clinical interests include all aspects of pediatric genetics, with specific focus on pediatric genetics and cancer genetics. Her research interests include gene expression profiling of Turner syndrome and Down syndrome. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Genetics Teleconference Feingold Center. 

Dr. Massingham received her medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, VT. She completed a residency in pediatrics at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA as well as a residency in medical genetics at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. 

Chanika Phornphutkul, MD, is the director of human genetics at Rhode Island and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and is an associate professor of pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She provides genetic risk assessment as well as counseling for patients with a family history of genetic disorders. She is board certified in pediatric endocrinology and biochemical genetics.

Dr. Phornphutkul received her medical degree from the Chiang Mai University School of Medicine in Thailand, and completed her residency at Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. She completed a fellowship at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Her clinical and research interests focus on biochemical genetics (metabolic disorders), the application of genomic information in clinical medicine and newborn screening.

View the Brown University biography page for Chanika Phornphutkul, MD

Khaldoun Almhanna, MD, MPH, is a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute, specializing in hematology and oncology. Dr. Almhanna earned his medical degree from Damascus University in Syria and a master of public health degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. His research interests include esophageal cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is fluent in English, Arabic and French.

Christopher Gerard Azzoli, MD, has joined the Lifespan Cancer Institute as director of thoracic oncology.  A native Rhode Islander, Dr. Azzoli received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, followed by residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his fellowship in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York then served there as faculty from 2002 - 2012.  He served as faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston from 2012 - 2018.

Dr. Azzoli is a former Chairman of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee, and was recently named a Fellow of ASCO.  He specializes in the care of patients with lung cancer, thymoma, and mesothelioma.

Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, is an oncologist who specializes in women's cancers. He is the director of women's cancers at Lifespan Cancer Institute and director of medical oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. He is also a professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His research interests are in novel treatments of women’s cancers and issues related to survivorship, particularly as they relate to sexual health after cancer for both men and women.

He is a prolific researcher and writer, and he has authored hundreds of publications, including peer-reviewed articles, books and book chapters. He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, SWOG cancer research network, and the National Consortium of Breast Cancers, of which he has served as both vice president and president. 

Ariel Birnbaum, MD, is a medical oncologist at Rhode Island Hospital. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio, completed his residency training at the University of Minnesota hospitals, and completed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His clinical interests include combined modality treatment for lung cancer and end of life care. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical oncology and a participant in the Brown University Oncology Group.

Rimini A. Breakstone, MD is a medical oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers. She received her medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University and completed her residency and fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Breakstone is board certified in hematology, oncology and internal medicine.

Prior to joining the Lifespan Cancer Institute, she was an instructor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and served on the Unit Based Clinical Leadership Committee focused on inpatient quality improvement measures. Dr. Breakstone is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Medical Association. Her research interests include malignancies of esophagus, stomach, biliary system, pancreas, colon and rectum.

James N. Butera, MD, is a board-certified hematologist/oncologist who treats patients with blood disorders including bleeding and clotting problems, leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. He sees patients at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital and the Lifespan Ambulatory Care Center in East Greenwich. He is a clinical associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Dr. Butera’s research findings have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and he is the site principal investigator at Lifespan for several chemotherapy studies. Among other honors, Dr. Butera has received the Brown University Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award multiple times and been named one of Rhode Island Monthly magazine’s Top Docs for several years.

Benedito A Carneiro, MD, is a medical oncologist with research interests in developmental therapeutics, solid organ malignancies and genitourinary cancers. As director of Cancer Drug Development for the Lifespan Cancer Institute of Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital, and associate director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Dr. Carneiro leads clinical trials with novel treatments for cancers of the kidney, bladder, prostate, lung, pancreas, colon and other solid tumors.  His research explores innovative immunotherapy and genomic-driven treatment strategies.

His work has been published in several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is a member of many professional societies and scientific committees, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Cancer Research. Dr. Carneiro speaks English and Portuguese. 

Pamela C. Egan, MD, is a hematologist at Rhode Island Hospital. Her interests include the treatment of acute leukemia, palliative care in hematologic malignancies, and physician advocacy education. She earned her medical degree from SUNY Upstate School of Medicine in Syracuse, New York, and completed her residency and fellowship at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Egan is a member of the American Society of Hematology and The American College of Physicians.

Mary Ann Fenton, MD, FACP is an oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute and a clinical associate professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her specialty area is the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Hina Khan, MD, is a medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers, and an assistant professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She practices at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals, and is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology. 

Dr. Khan's work has been published in several peer-reviewed medical journals and books. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Randall Ingham, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist with the Lifespan Cancer Institute and is board certified in hematology oncology and internal medicine. Dr. Ingham is an assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He has been a research associate for the vaccine development group at ID Biomedical Corporation/GlaxoSmithKline biologics in Massachusetts. Dr. Ingham is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.

Humera Khurshid, MD, is the director of the Lifespan Cancer Institute’s Thoracic Multidisciplinary Clinic, where she sees patients and collaborates with a team of specialists to coordinate patient care for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients. She is a medical oncologist with a special interest in geriatric oncology and the care of older lung cancer patients. She is also an assistant professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Mary L. Lopresti, DO, is an oncologist who specializes in breast and gynecological cancers at Rhode Island Hospital and Lifespan Cancer Institute. She serves as assistant professor of hematology oncology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and is also an assistant program director of the Brown University hematology oncology fellowship program.

Dr. Lopresti is currently involved in breast cancer research studies at Brown University and Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals. Her  work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, books and book chapters. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Thomas A. Ollila, MD, is an hematologist/oncologist at Lifespan Cancer Institute. He earned his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine, and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology/oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Ollila´s research interests include translational and clinical outcomes in lymphoma as well as addressing opioid use in cancer patients and survivors. In 2018, he was given the Conquer Cancer Foundation Merit Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society, the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Adam Olszewski, MD is a board-certified clinical hematologist/oncologist and researcher with the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Olszewski is also an assistant professor of clinical medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He previously served as a cancer committee chair member and clinical oncologist/hematologist at the Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. Dr. Olszewski was also a physician director of outpatient infusion services at Kent County Hospital. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.

Alexander G. Raufi, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals, where he specializes in gastrointestinal oncology. Dr. Raufi received his medical degree from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California Irvine. He performed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian. His research interests include the development of novel immunotherapy combinations in gastrointestinal malignancies. Dr. Raufi is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

Angela Taber, MD, is a palliative care specialist and medical oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam, and Newport hospitals. She has a special interest in issues involving patient quality of life, improving doctor-patient communication, and palliative care for patients with lung cancer. She is board certified in palliative care, and is an active participant in the Brown University Oncology Group, where she is involved in the development of clinical research protocols.

Taber earned her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and completed her residency and hematology-oncology fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and has been honored nationally for outstanding compassion and cancer care by the American Cancer Society. She is also the American Cancer Society’s designee to the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council for the state of Rhode Island.

Sabrina M. Witherby, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist at Lifespan Cancer Institute. She is an assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She specializes in breast cancer and hematology and has particular interest in geriatric oncology, supportive care in oncology and medical education.

Dr. Witherby was named one of Rhode Island Monthly’s Top Docs in 2017 and awarded the Beckwith Family Teaching Award from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in 2013. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine. 

Dana Levy Guyer, MD, is a palliative care physician at Lifespan Cancer Institute and Rhode Island Hospital. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as her fellowship in palliative care and hospice, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine, internal medicine, and pediatric medicine, and is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Edward Martin, MD is a board-certified specialist in hospice and palliative medicine. He is a professor of medicine (clinical), at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, as well as director of its Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program and section chief of palliative medicine.

Dr. Martin earned his medical degree at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, followed by a residency at University of Rochester Associated Hospitals, Strong Memorial Hospital, in Rochester, New York. He received a master of public health degree from the Brown University School of Public Health.

Dr. Martin is certified in hospice and palliative medicine as well as internal medicine, geriatrics, and addiction medicine. He is chief medical officer of Hope Hospice and Palliative Care Rhode Island.

Dr. Martin is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, among other professional societies. The Alpert Medical School has recognized Dr. Martin with several teaching awards; in 2015, he received the Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. His research focuses on end-of-life care and decision-making.

Angela Taber, MD, is a palliative care specialist and medical oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island, The Miriam, and Newport hospitals. She has a special interest in issues involving patient quality of life, improving doctor-patient communication, and palliative care for patients with lung cancer. She is board certified in palliative care, and is an active participant in the Brown University Oncology Group, where she is involved in the development of clinical research protocols.

Taber earned her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and completed her residency and hematology-oncology fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and has been honored nationally for outstanding compassion and cancer care by the American Cancer Society. She is also the American Cancer Society’s designee to the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council for the state of Rhode Island.

Christina A. Bandera, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist and director of the Center for Gynecologic Cancers at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative, and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at The Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Bandera received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, and her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her postgraduate training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and held fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Bandera is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and gynecologic oncology. She served as director of robotic surgery at Women & Infants Hospital, and is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the American Association for Gynecologic Laparoscopy.

Dr. Bandera’s clinical expertise includes the medical and surgical treatment of gynecologic cancers arising from the uterus, ovary, cervix, vagina and vulva, as well as the treatment of molar pregnancies and conditions resulting in abnormal pap smears. She has a special interest in cancer prevention and minimally invasive cancer surgery, including robotic surgery.

Rachel E. Beard, MD, is fellowship trained in surgical oncology and in surgery of the liver, pancreas, and biliary tract. She is an assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her research focuses on minimally invasive approaches to liver and pancreas surgery, and immunotherapy for the treatment of widespread malignancies.

William G. Cioffi, MD, FACS, is the surgeon-in-chief at the Miriam and Rhode Island hospitals. He is also the J. Murray Beardsley Professor and chairman of the department of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Previously he was the chief of the burn study branch at the Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont.

He serves on various hospital, university and national committees dedicated to improving patient care for critically ill surgical patients. He is the past president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the International Surgical Group, the Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society, the Society of University Surgeons and the North American Burn Society. Cioffi is currently the treasurer of the American College of Surgeons and the International Society of Burn Injuries and secretary of the American Burn Association. He is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons and serves on multiple other committees for the college and is a member of the The Halsted Society, American Surgical Association, Association for Academic Surgery, and Southern Surgical Association. Cioffi has also served on the editorial boards of such journals as Shock, Journal of Trauma, and Surgery and the American Journal of Surgery.

A board-certified general surgeon with added qualifications in surgical critical care, Cioffi’s clinical expertise and research interests are in the areas of pancreatic, oncologic, colorectal and trauma surgery. He has authored or co-authored more than 460 articles, book chapters and abstracts and continues to lecture nationally and internationally in his field.

Dr. Cotton is an endocrine surgeon who specializes in the surgical management of both benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and endocrine pancreas. Originally from Texas, Dr. Cotton graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University. He went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He then completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. He subsequently became the Norman W. Thompson Fellow of Endocrine Surgery at the University of Michigan where he completed his endocrine surgery fellowship.

Dr. Cotton’s practice is primarily dedicated to taking care of patients with thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal disease. He has expertise in thyroid ultrasound and ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA biopsies which are frequently performed in the office. He performs standard endocrine operations as well as minimally invasive parathyroidectomy and laparoscopic adrenalectomy.

Dr. Cotton’s research interests include parathyroid disease, papillary thyroid cancer, and thyroid ultrasound. He additionally participates in the education of both medical students and surgical residents at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Christine Emmick, MD is a board-certified general surgeon who cares for a wide array of surgical diseases. She received her medical degree from the Albany Medical College and completed her surgical residency at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital.

Dr. Emmick has a special interest in the treatment of both benign and malignant breast disease and is a member of the Lifespan Cancer Institute's multidisciplinary breast clinic team at The Miriam Hospital. She is an assistant clinical professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a member of the American College of Surgeons.

More about the Lifespan Cancer Institute »

Tarra Evans, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist in the Center for Gynecologic Cancer at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative. She is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Evans is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and has expertise in the surgical and medical treatment of precancers and cancers of the ovary, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva, with a special interest in surgeries to alleviate cancer-related symptoms. She is fellowship trained in addressing complex cancer-related symptoms and completed the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Dragan Golijanin, MD, is a director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute and director of Genitourinary Oncology at The Miriam Hospital. He also serves as an associate professor of surgery (urology) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His areas of expertise include prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer and testicular cancer. Golijanin is board certified in urology. He is the 2019 recipient of the Alan Podis MD Teaching Award. 

Golijanin earned his medical degree at the University of Belgrade. He completed residencies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, University Clinical Center in Belgrade and Hadassah Medical Center. He completed fellowships in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University and Hadassah Medical Center. He was the first to publish on near-infrared real-time imaging in open laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

Learn more about Dr. Golijanin’s research on www.Brown.edu »

Bradford Gray, MD, FACS, is a board-certified general surgeon affiliated with Newport Hospital. Dr. Gray received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and completed his resident training at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Gray has interest and expertise across a broad range of surgical services, including management of benign and malignant breast conditions; thyroid surgery; endoscopic procedures; management of malignant skin conditions, including melanoma; and advanced laparoscopic surgery, including hernia repair, colon surgery and foregut surgery.

Adam Klipfel, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon with expertise in colon cancer and surgical oncology. He received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and completed a residency at New York Methodist Hospital. Dr. Klipfel gained further experience through a colorectal fellowship and an anorectal physiology fellowship at University of Southern California-affiliated hospitals. He has expertise in robotic surgery for benign and malignant disease. He is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and is program coordinator of the Colorectal Surgery Fellowship program. Dr. Klipfel is the current president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Rectal and Colon Surgeons as well as a member of Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract and the New England Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, among others.

Peter J. Mazzaglia, MD, is associate professor of surgery in the division of endocrine surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. Mazzaglia completed his residency in internal medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and practiced internal medicine for three years in Portland, Maine prior to beginning his surgical training.

After his surgical residency at Maine Medical Center, Mazzaglia completed an additional year of endocrine surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where he specialized in surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pancreas. As part of this fellowship, he gained expertise in the field of surgeon-performed ultrasound. He has been certified by the American College of Surgeons as an ultrasound instructor. Thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound, as well as ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA biopsy, is now an integral part of his practice. Unique to his fellowship training at the time was also specialized instruction in the performance of retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy. When he came to Providence in 2006, he was the first surgeon in New England to routinely use this approach for adrenalectomy.

Research Highlights

• The Changing Presentation of Hyperparathyroidism Over Three Decades. Mazzaglia P J, Berber E, Siperstein A E, Milas K M.  Archives of Surgery. 2008 Mar;143(3):260-6. 
   
• Limited Value of adrenal biopsy in the evaluation of adrenal incidentaloma: A Decade of Experience.  Mazzaglia PJ, Monchik JM.  Archives of Surgery. 2009 May;144(5):465-70. 
   
• Surgeon-performed ultrasound in patients referred for thyroid disease improves patient care by minimizing performance of unnecessary procedures, and optimizing surgical treatment. Mazzaglia PJ. WorldJournal of Surgery. 2010 Jun;34(6):1164-70. 
   
• Level VI lymph node dissection does not decrease radioiodine uptake in patients undergoing radioiodine ablation for differentiated thyroid cancer. Yoo D, Ajmal S, Gowda S, Machan J, MonchikM, Mazzaglia PJ. World J Surg. 2012 Jun;36(6):1255-61. 
   
• The Benign Thyroid Nodule: What is the appropriate follow-up strategy? Ajmal S, Rapoport S, Ramirez Battle H, Mazzaglia P. epubJournal of the American College of Surgeons. 2015 Jan. 

Steven Milman, MD, is a board-certified general and thoracic surgeon and a clinical assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, followed by a residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Milman completed a fellowship at Rush University Medical Center.

His clinical interests include endobronchial therapy and esophageal stenting for palliation of intrathoracic malignancies.

Thomas Miner, MD, is chief of surgical oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. He is an associate professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and an expert in gastric cancer surgery.

Dr. Miner's research interests include the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for cancers with diffuse involvement of the abdominal cavity.

Thomas Ng, MD, is a thoracic surgeon at Rhode Island Hospital and is an associate professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Ng received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and his medical degree from Queen’s University School of Medicine in Kingston, Canada. He completed his residency in general surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, a fellowship in critical care medicine at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in thoracic surgery at the University of Ottawa. Ng is active in a number of societies, including the American College of Surgeons, Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, New England Surgical Society, Rhode Island Medical Society, Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, Society of Surgical Oncology and Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Leslie Roth, MD, FACS, FASCRS is co-director of the Program for Pelvic Floor Disorders in the Center for Women’s Gastrointestinal Medicine at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative and a colorectal surgeon at University Surgical Associates.

Dr. Roth is the Rosalyn and Joseph Sinclair Clinical Professor of Pelvic Floor Disorders and an assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and her medical degree from the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine, New York State/American Program, in Ramat Aviv, Israel and New York.

She completed her residency at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She is a graduate of the colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Dr. Roth is board certified in both general and colorectal surgery. She is also a fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Dr. Roth's areas of clinical interest and expertise include colon and rectal cancer surgery, colonoscopy, laparoscopic/minimally invasive surgery, benign anorectal conditions, fecal incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders.

Steven Schechter, MD, is the interim chief of colorectal surgery for Lifespan and a board-certified colorectal surgeon with special expertise in laparoscopic, minimally invasive surgery, fecal incontinence, pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, and colon cancer.

His research interests include rectal cancer treatment, and the link between anal cancer and human papilloma virus in women.

Dr. Schechter is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and the New England Surgical Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and a member of the International Society of Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery.

Dr. Schechter is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and recipient of several awards for his teaching at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he is a clinical associate professor.

Julia Tassinari, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon and the associate director of the Lifespan Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic at Newport Hospital.  Dr. Tassinari received her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and completed her internship and residency at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Among her interests and expertise are minimally invasive surgery, including hernia repair, colon and foregut surgery; breast surgery; and skin and soft tissue surgery.

Charu Taneja, MD, is an affiliated surgical oncologist in the High-Risk Breast Program at the Women's Medicine Collaborative. She is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She received her medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi in New Delhi, India. Taneja completed a residency in surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry at New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the surgical oncology fellowship at Boston University.

Taneja is board certified in surgery. She has published many original research articles in the field of oncology and breast surgery.

Richard Terek, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and musculoskeletal oncologist who specializes in reconstructive surgery and musculoskeletal oncology for adult and pediatric patients. He is an expert in the treatment of patients with bone and soft tissue tumors. He is actively engaged in medical education and is an NIH-funded investigator whose research is focused on understanding how bone cancer grows and spreads to other parts of the body, with the ultimate goal of developing new targeted therapies. He is professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Dr. Terek received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and was an American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Fellow in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York.

Dr. Terek is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. He is past president of the Rhode Island Orthopedic Society and president-elect of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.

Learn more about the Orthopedics Institute »

James Valente, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon affiliated with Newport Hospital. He received his medical degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed his residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. He spent 25 years caring for members of the U.S. military and their families, most recently as head of general surgery at Naval Health Care of New England. He has expertise across a broad range of general surgical services, including management of breast, thyroid and diseases of the intestinal tract; hernia repair; endoscopic procedures; management of skin and subcutaneous lesions; and advanced laparoscopic surgery, including gallbladder, colon surgery and surgery for acid reflux.

Richard Wein, MD is an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon at the Lifespan Cancer Institute. He earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He completed his otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center and subsequently completed his fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Dr. Wein specializes in surgical management and reconstruction for patients requiring care for tumors of the head and neck.

Doreen Wiggins, MD, MHL, FACOG, FACS, is an affiliated physician at the Women's Medicine Collaborative. She is director of the Cancer Survivorship Medicine program and is an assistant clinical professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rhode Island and her medical degree from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She pursued further medical training at Women & Infants Hospital and completed a Society for Surgical Oncology Breast Disease fellowship, and an intensive course in cancer risk assessment at the City of Hope in Los Angeles, California. Wiggins earned a master’s degree in healthcare leadership from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Wiggins is a fellow of both the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Surgeons. She is the founder of Center for Obstetrics & Gynecology in Providence. Her areas of expertise are breast cancer surgery, gynecologic surgery, female cancer genetics, female sexuality and cancer survivorship.

Dragan Golijanin, MD, is a director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute and director of Genitourinary Oncology at The Miriam Hospital. He also serves as an associate professor of surgery (urology) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His areas of expertise include prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer and testicular cancer. Golijanin is board certified in urology. He is the 2019 recipient of the Alan Podis MD Teaching Award. 

Golijanin earned his medical degree at the University of Belgrade. He completed residencies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, University Clinical Center in Belgrade and Hadassah Medical Center. He completed fellowships in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University and Hadassah Medical Center. He was the first to publish on near-infrared real-time imaging in open laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

Learn more about Dr. Golijanin’s research on www.Brown.edu »

Gyan Pareek, MD, FACS is a director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute and director of the Kidney Stone Center at The Miriam Hospital. He is also a professor of surgery (urology) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Vice President of Operations at Brown Urology, Inc.  His areas of expertise include kidney stones, prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Dr. Pareek is board certified in urology. Dr. Pareek is the 2019 recipient of the Riesman Family Excellence in Teaching Award.

Pareek earned his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. He also completed his laparoscopy and endourology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin. In 2006, Dr. Pareek was part of a team at The Miriam Hospital that performed the first robotic prostatectomy in southern New England.  He has held a number of leadership roles at the New England American Urological Association and the Rhode Island Urological Association.

Learn more about Dr. Pareek's research on www.Brown.edu »