Northwell Cancer Institute appoints oncology experts to lead new programs

The Island Now
Catherine Alfano (Photos provided by Northwell Health)

The Northwell Health Cancer Institute has recruited four nationally-known experts to strengthen its cancer care management, research and oncology surgery.

Catherine Alfano will serve at the Cancer Institute’s new vice president of cancer care management and research; Stacey Sanchez will assume the role of chief nursing officer; Dr. Joseph Herman, will become vice chair of clinical informatics for radiation medicine and director of clinical research integration for the cancer institute; and Dr. Martin Karpeh Jr., has been named director of surgical oncology for Northwell’s eastern region and chair of the department of surgery at Huntington Hospital.

“We are laying the groundwork to create a survivorship program, bolster oncology nursing practice and initiatives, enhance the integration of clinical cancer research and advance surgical oncology,” said Dr. Richard Barakat, physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute and senior vice president of cancer services at Northwell Health. “We are proud to welcome leaders who are united by their passion and pursuit of excellence.”

Dr. Alfano, who joins the Cancer Institute on June 1, will lead and develop an integrated, high-quality cancer survivorship program for Northwell. It will focus on patients’ long-term health and well-being from initial diagnosis to monitoring patients and coordinating comprehensive care with a goal of optimizing outcomes.

She was previously vice president of survivorship at the American Cancer Society, in which she drove the vision to research, programming and policy efforts nationwide to improve the lives of cancer survivors.

Recognized as an international leader in cancer rehabilitation and survivorship, Alfano was previously deputy director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology and master’s degree in psychology from the University of Memphis, Tenn.

She completed her post-doctoral research fellowship from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., National Cancer Institute-funded Biobehavioral Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program, and a clinical fellowship in psycho-oncology also at the University of Washington.

Sanchez will oversee operational performance, fiscal strategy and the consistency of nursing practice throughout all the oncology sites at Northwell, beginning June 15. With nearly 30 years of experience, she has demonstrated success in designing, planning and implementing complex solutions focused on patient and employee satisfaction while ensuring nursing care is delivered in a scientific framework at the highest level. She comes to Northwell after working as director of pediatric and critical care services, and interim director of acute care services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

In these roles, she was responsible for an overall $450 million operating budget and more than 1,800 employees. Previously, Sanchez held clinical and administrative leadership roles in nursing, maternal child services and pediatrics at New York and New Jersey hospitals. Dr. Sanchez earned her doctor of nursing practice from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J. and master of business administration from Molloy College in Rockville Centre.

Herman’s leadership will be critical to advancing Northwell’s clinical and translational cancer research and his expertise will fortify our strong radiation medicine program once he assumes his role on July 1.

He joins Northwell after serving as professor and division head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – a role he has held since 2016. He specializes in the treatment of pancreatic and hepatobiliary malignancies, and previously initiated and co-directed the Pancreatic Multidisciplinary Clinic at Johns Hopkins University. He currently serves as principal investigator for several institutional gastrointestinal protocols and is a co-investigator (radiation oncology lead) for the Alliance borderline resectable cancer trial, which is evaluating the role of stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Herman has published over 250 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapter and is a frequent presenter at cancer medical meetings. He received his medical degree and masters in epidemiology and preventive medicine from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. He also holds a master’s in health care management from the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business in Baltimore.

 

Karpeh specializes in the surgical management of gastrointestinal cancers. Overseeing surgical oncology for Northwell’s Eastern Region on Long Island, he will direct programs at Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and Peconic Bay Medical Center.

Karpeh joined Northwell at the end of April to help colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Karpeh comes to the health system from Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey where he was surgeon-in-chief from 2014-2019.

He also was the founding chair of surgery at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall.

Karpeh has held surgical oncology leadership positions at Beth Israel Medical Center/Continuum Health Partners of New York; chief of surgical oncology at Stony Brook University and cancer center director at Stony Brook University Medical Center. In addition, he was an attending surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 11 years.

Karpeh has held prominent roles in nearly 20 professional societies, including immediate past president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.  He has published over 110 peer-reviewed scientific papers, books and book chapters, and presented at over 100 medical meetings.

Karpeh earned his doctor of medicine from Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University; and completed his residency in general surgery from University Pennsylvania and his fellowship in surgical oncology from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Joseph Herman
Stacey Sanchez

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