NYP/Columbia Welcomes New Faculty

In 2018, we welcomed several internationally renowned physicians to the Department of Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. These men and women are leaders in their respective fields. They have a track record of innovation and their collaborative multidisciplinary team approach allows them to provide the very highest level of patient care. While these surgeons spearhead the newest treatments and techniques, they are also very compassionate communicators.

PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGERY

Damien LaPar, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Congenital and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
Komansky Weill-Cornell Program

Dr. LaPar has joined the Congenital Heart Center and has expertise in neonatal cardiac surgery, aortic valve reconstruction (Ozaki technique) and replacement, pediatric circulatory assist devices and minimally-invasive cardiac surgery, vascular ring repair and video-assisted thorascopic surgery for patent ductus arteriosus—abnormal blood flow between two of the major arteries connected to the heart. His research interests include stem cell and myocardial regenerative therapies.

Location:

Morgan Stanley Childrens’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia
3959 Broadway, Fl. 2, Room 2-276, NY, NY

Telephone:

212.305.5975

VASCULAR SURGERY

Virendra (V) Patel, MD, MPHDr. Virendra (V) Patel, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Surgery
Chief of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Interventions
Co-Director of Aortic Center

A surgeon and a scientist, Dr. Patel is an expert in the full range of vascular disorders that can lead to stroke, renal issues, intestinal problems, and peripheral arterial disease. He serves on many committees dedicated to the research and education of vascular surgery. His practice focuses primarily on complex aortic conditions, a niche that very few surgeons specialize in, and he can easily perform both advanced endovascular and complex open repairs, offering the best possible treatment to each patient. Dr. Patel addresses a variety of aneurysms, and other vascular diseases, using new technologies.

Location: 

NYP/Columbia, 161 Fort Washington Ave, 5th FL., Room 532, NY, NY

Telephone: 

212.342.3255

Francis Porreca, MD, FACS, RPVI

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Section of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Interventions

Dr. Porreca joins the Vascular section of NYP/Columbia’s Department of Surgery from Montefiore Medical Center, where he was previously Director of Vascular Surgery and Medical Director of the Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center, as well as Director of the Vascular Laboratory.

 

Michael Vitti, MDMichael Vitti, MD RPVI

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Section of Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Interventions

Dr. Vitti also joins the section of Vascular Surgery from Montefiore, where he was Director of the Vein Center. He offers expertise in the full scope of vascular and vein care for conditions including abdominal aortic aneurysms, peripheral vascular disease, varicose veins, and more.

Location:

3219 E. Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY and NYP/Lawrence Hospital, Bronxville, NY

Telephone:

718.792.8115

THORACIC SURGERY

B. Payne Stanifer, MD, MPHB. Payne Stanifer, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Section of Thoracic Surgery

Dr. Stanifer specializes in all aspects of thoracic surgery including lung and esophageal cancer, thymic tumors, tracheal resection and reconstruction, and surgery and surgery for tracheomalacia (collapse of the airway), as well as chest wall deformities, diaphragmatic diseases, benign esophageal disease, surgery for emphysema, and lung transplant. He performs both minimally-invasive and complex open surgery. He has a special interest in complex video-assisted lobectomy and segmentectomy and is currently developing the Women’s Lung and Health Center especially focused on non-smoking women with lung cancer and those with metastatic cancers.

Location: 

NYP/Columbia, 161 Fort Washington Avenue, 3rd Fl., NY, NY

Telephone: 

212.305.3408

PLASTIC SURGERY

Lloyd Hoffman, MD

Professor of Surgery

Dr. Hoffman has extensive experience in both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. At this point in his career, he is focusing on cosmetic surgery as well as skin cancer reconstruction of the face. While serving in academic and clinical leadership positions at NYP for almost three decades, Dr. Hoffman has focused intensively on teaching residents and students and also volunteers in the Middle East, performing surgery on children who have been victims of terrorism.

Location: 

ColumbiaDoctors Midtown, 51 West 51st Street, NY, NY

Telephone: 

212.326.5546

BREAST SURGERY

Roshni Rao, MDRoshni Rao, MD, FACS

Associate Professor of Surgery
Chief, Breast Surgery Program

Dr. Rao is Chief of the Clinical Breast Cancer Program at NYP/Columbia and Vivian L. Milstein Associate Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She specializes in the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer. Her groundbreaking research includes the positive effects of exercise for breast cancer patients preparing for surgery, and the impact of ethnicity on the risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer—tumors that test negative for or estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and the HER2-neu gene.

Lisa Wiechmann, MDLisa Wiechmann, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Breast Surgery Program

Dr. Wiechmann is a breast surgeon honored by the Breast Cancer Alliance, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation and the Society of Surgical Oncology. A Castle Connolly Top Doctor, she specializes in triple-negative breast cancer (ER, PR, and HER2 negative), the genetic and familial predisposition to breast cancer, and disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes. She speaks English, Spanish, and Italian.

Locations: 

NYP/Columbia, 161 Fort Washington Avenue, 10th FL. NY, NY and 51 W. 51st St., NY, NY

Telephone:  

212.305.9676

GENERAL SURGERY

John-Paul Bellistri, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Division of Bariatric Surgery

Dr. Bellistri is a specialist in general surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and bariatric surgery. He focuses on benign and malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. With an MS in biotechnology, he has conducted dedicated research in esophageal cancer prevention.

Location: 

NYP/Lawrence Hospital, 1 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, NY 10708

Telephone:  

914.787.4000

Yuri W Novitsky, MDYuri W. Novitsky, MD

Professor of Surgery
Director, Comprehensive Hernia Center 

Dr. Novitsky is internationally known for his expertise in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery as well as complex hernia repairs. He has pioneered techniques for minimally invasive ventral hernia repair and open abdominal wall reconstructions. A procedure called Transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR), which he first described in 2006, has been adopted worldwide. He has received over $2 million in research grants from SAGES, the National Institutes of Health and other funders.

Location: 

NYP/Columbia, 161 Fort Washington Avenue, 5th FL. NY, NY
ColumbiaDoctors Midtown 51 West 51st Street, NY, NY

Telephone:

212.305.5947