Message from the Director

Howard L. Kaufman, MD

The mission of Surgical Oncology is to bring together the immense resources of Columbia University Medical Center, the Mailman School of Public Health, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to provide world-class patient care to patients with all types of cancer. This is accomplished by a team of dedicated surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists who work in a multi-disciplinary manner—interacting with experts in basic science, clinical and research nursing, pharmacy, and social work.

The Surgical Oncology program maintains a strong translational research focus on basic and clinical investigation, with leading laboratories in:

• tumor immunology,
• angiogenesis, and
• molecular genetics.

Another major component of Surgical Oncology is the education of medical and graduate students, house officers, and fellows—training tomorrow's leaders in the surgical management of cancer.

Our institution offers state-of-the-art programs in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nearly all cancers in newly renovated in-patient and out-patient facilities. I invite you to look through our web site, which gives some information on the active clinical and research programs available to our patients and students. A more comprehensive listing of clinical protocols can be found through the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our hope is to bring the best possible care to our patients today while supporting research efforts that will lead to the eradication of cancer tomorrow.