Pain and Palliative Medicine Team

Each patient is treated by an interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other allied health staff.

Following a consultation, a care plan is created. This can include physical, psychological, social and spiritual interventions. The Institute also works with a patient’s family members, friends, and loved ones to assist in monitoring, managing, and communicating the patient’s pain.

We work closely within our network of preferred providers who all subscribe to the same philosophy.

The primary goal of the Institute is to promote the highest quality of life possible for patients. Compassionate, personalized care is focused on the relief of a full range of physical and psychological symptoms.

Clinical Expertise: Cancer pain and palliative care

Board Certification: Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Family Practice

Medical Education: Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Residency: Warren Hospital, Family Practice

Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Pain and Palliative Care

Language spoken: English, Spanish

What is your care philosophy?
During times of challenging illness, to provide comprehensive, empathetic and compassionate care for patients and their families.

What inspired you to become a doctor?
The desire to give back what I learned from serious illness and to fulfill my life’s calling.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
The beauty of palliative care is we meet patients and their families on their terms, providing holistic care with a mind, body and spiritual emphasis, during times of serious illness and in cooperation with their entire treatment team.

Clinical Expertise: Chronic pain

Board Certification: Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, current MBA candidate

Medical Education: University of Istanbul, Cerrahapasa Medical School, Combined English Program

Surgical Internship: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Residencies:
Florence Nightingale Hospital, Cardiovascular Center, Istanbul, Anesthesiology
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Anesthesiology

Fellowships:
Mayo Clinic, Anesthesiology
Columbia University, Presbyterian Hospital, Pain

Other: Certificate in Business Administration, American Society of Anesthesiology

Language spoken: English, Turkish, Spanish (conversational)

What is your care philosophy?
I am a people person and learnt very early in my career, to be there for the patient. Personally, the promise that I give to my patients is to perform my best for their well-being. This includes active involvement of the patient in his/her own healing, by adopting life-changing interventions such as dietary, exercise modifications and workplace/home rehabilitation.

What inspired you to become a doctor?
My brother who is an orthopedic surgeon.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
Experience and exposure of the practitioner are considered the most important outcome predictors for our field. To date, my team has managed more than 15,000 cases in 11 years and has touched countless lives in Northern New Jersey and neighboring NY communities.

Clinical Expertise: Acute post-operative pain, pre-operative pain assessments, CRPS, spinal cord stimulation, and interventional back pain

Board Certification: Anesthesiology and Pain Management

Medical Education: Rutgers School of Medicine

Residency: Mayo Clinic, Anesthesiology

Fellowship: Mayo Clinic, Pain Management

Language spoken: English, Bengali

What is your care philosophy? Partner with the patient to optimize their care plan.

What inspired you to become a doctor? I’m a people person.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
Our goal is to optimize quality of life and function. These endpoints result in the best satisfaction from patients and the most realistic and reasonable approaches for each individual.

Board Certification: Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Clinical expertise: Cancer pain and palliative care

Medical Education:  Aga Khan University

Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Language spoken: English, Urdu

What is your care philosophy? High-quality symptom management and comprehensive care for the patient and family

What inspired you to become a doctor? The ability to heal and serve people while providing compassionate care

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
It is a specialty focused on patient and family centered treatment goals especially for those patients facing life limiting and serious illness with special attention on quality of life. No matter what patient or diagnosis in palliative care there is always something more we can do.

Board Certification: Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Clinical Expertise: Palliative Care

Medical Education: SUNY Downstate

Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital/Hospital of Saint Raphael

Fellowship: N/A

Language Spoken: English, Korean

What is your care philosophy? Whole person-centered care through value-based, shared decision-making.

What inspired you to become a doctor? My mentors at Yale who modeled excellence in patient care.

What do you tell patients and teaching families considering palliative/pain care services?
Palliative care benefits persons and their families living with, and while getting treatment for, serious illnesses. Palliative care promotes quality of life and well-being through comprehensive symptom management and close collaborative communication with patients, families and care team.

Administrative Expertise: Palliative Care

Education: Master Administrative Science

Certification: Hospice & Palliative Care Administrator

Language spoken: English

What is your care philosophy?
Meet the patient and family where they are; help them navigate through the health care delivery system based on their cultural needs and goals.

What inspired you to become involved in Palliative Medicine?
An amazing team (Physician and APN) who showed me the value of real, patient-centered care. 

What do you tell patients and teaching families considering palliative/pain care services?
Palliative care offers an extra layer of support, working with the current medical team to support quality of life, while journeying through a serious illness.