Multidisciplinary Cancer Screening: Evidence, Workflows, and Emerging Updates

Dr. Brian Housman is the Director of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the New York Medical College at Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Housman completed his residency in General Surgery at New York – Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist and his fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Housman’s practice includes all aspects of Thoracic Surgery with extensive training in Minimally Invasive approaches, including Robotic Surgery, Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS), and Laparoscopic Surgery. He has a particular clinical interest in the treatment of Esophageal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Reflux Disease (GERD), Benign Esophageal Disease, Mediastinal Masses and Chest Wall Reconstruction including the minimally invasive correction of Pectus Excavatum.
He recently published “The VATS Lobectomy Book,” a leading text on Minimally Invasive Lung Cancer Surgery, and has extensive research in the treatment of esophageal cancer and minimally invasive thoracic surgical techniques. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Lisa Paul, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at New York Medical College and serves as Director of Adult Cystic Fibrosis and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Regional Director
of Lung Cancer Screening for the WMCHealth Network. A board-certified pulmonologist and critical care physician, Dr. Paul leads multidisciplinary initiatives that advance lung cancer screening, smoking cessation, Cystic Fibrosis and care for patients with complex respiratory diseases. She is actively involved in multicenter clinical trials in cystic fibrosis and asthma and has contributed to quality improvement, program development, and regional implementation of evidence-based pulmonary care. Dr. Paul’s professional interests include implementation of science, healthcare quality improvement, pulmonary diagnostics, and population-based strategies to improve early detection of lung cancer and respiratory disease.

Bilal Farooqi, MD, is the medical director of Hematology/Oncology at Good Samaritan Hospital. Triple board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology, he has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Graduate Medical Education and the Journal of Oncology Practice, and has presented at national conferences such as the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

His research experience includes working at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where he was a research fellow of the American Cancer Society, Florida Division. His research on breast cancer at Navicent Health in Macon, Georgia, won first place at the annual meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Ilyse Blazar recently joined the faculty at Westchester Medical Center within the Division of Breast Surgery. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience, cum laude, from Tulane University, followed by a Masters of Science in Medical Sciences from Boston University, where her thesis investigated the differential effects of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors on glioblastoma multiforme. She received a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, where she was selected as the Class of 2020 Commencement Speaker and served as Student Government President.

Dr. Blazar completed her internship at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center before joining Westchester Medical Center for her General Surgery residency. During her time at WMC, she was nominated by NYMC students and subsequently inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society for her role as a resident teacher and mentor. She has research experience and interests in Breast Surgical Oncology, Robotic Mastectomy, High Risk Genetics, and Molecular Oncology.

Katharine Maglione, MD, graduated from Princeton University in 2005, with a Bachelor of the Arts, as a psychology major. Dr. Maglione was a nationally recruited athlete, and played varsity ice hockey at Princeton for four years. She achieved her medical degree from SUNY Upstate College of Medicine, graduating cum laude and as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society. Dr. Maglione completed her diagnostic radiology residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital from 2011-2015, where she served as chief resident 2014-2015. She completed her breast imaging fellowship at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) 2015-2016.

From 2016-2021, Dr. Maglione was as an attending physician and Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Mount Sinai Hospital, in the division of Breast Imaging, where she served as co-chair of the Mammography Quality Committee, and Site Chief and Lead Interpreting Physician of Mount Sinai Morningside. In January 2022, Dr. Maglione joined Westchester Medical Center, as Director of Breast Imaging.

Dr. Maglione has published articles in multiple peer-reviewed journals, and presented at national conferences, including the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA). Her research interests include tomosynthesis, tomosynthentically-guided breast biopsies and breast MRI. Dr. Maglione is dedicated to teaching trainees, she has given many lectures at various institutions across the nation focused on breast imaging. Dr. Maglione serves as the moderator of the breast imaging section for the New York Roentgen Society Core Exam Review Course, which has been attended by hundreds of residents in preparation for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Core Exam.

Vaishali Purohit, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon with fellowship training in breast surgery. She treats the full spectrum of breast diseases, including benign breast disease such as breast pain, high-risk counseling, and malignant breast disease.

Dr. Purohit obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry-biology with summa cum laude from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania through the early acceptance program with Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She continued her education at Drexel University College of Medicine. After medical school, Dr. Purohit started a general surgery residency at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia and completed general surgery training at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She also completed a dedicated year of research focusing on wound healing.

Dr. Purohit then completed a fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh. While there, she received advanced training on the management of breast diseases and specialized surgical techniques, including breast biopsies, hidden scar techniques, breast conserving surgery using seed localization, nipple-sparing and skin sparing mastectomy, oncoplastic closures, and nerve sparing techniques.

Edward Lebovics, M.D. is the Sarah C. Upham Professor of Gastroenterology and the Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Diseases at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College since 1997. He is a past President of the Medical Executive Committee at WMC has served on the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate at NYMC. He directed the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program from 1997 to 2017. His achievements have been recognized by a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and by election to Fellowship at the American College of Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He has been regularly listed amongst “Top Doctors” by New York Magazine and various other publications. Dr. Lebovics has conducted many clinical trials, authored numerous articles and delivered many invited lectures. Medical students and residents have recognized his commitment to teaching through Excellence in Teaching Awards. His primary passion is caring for his patients.

Rajkumar Jeganathan, MD, is board-certified in general surgery and colon and rectal surgery. Dr. Jeganathan has received advanced training in the areas of colorectal cancer, robotic and laparoscopic surgery including, ERUS (Endo-Rectal Ultra Sonography) and TAMIS (Trans-Anal Minimally Invasive Surgery).

Dr. Jeganathan joins Bon Secours Medical Group from Olean General Hospital in Olean, NY, where he acted as the Assistant Chief of Surgery since 2018. He received his medical degree from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Madurai Medical College, in Chennai, India. He performed his trauma and orthopedics residency at The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Kilpauk Medical College, also in Chennai, India. During his general surgery residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Queens, he acted as Administrative Chief Resident and was named the Best Surgical Resident of the Year (2013). Dr. Jeganathan performed his colon and rectal surgery fellowship at Jefferson Health-Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Jeganathan is an active member of American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. He has also been a Clinical Assistant Professor of General and Colorectal Surgery at the University of Buffalo since 2015.

John Phillips, MD, is the eighth Chair of the Department of Urology since its founding in 1926, following the exceptionally influential 25 year tenure of his predecessor, Dr. Mohammad Choudhury. Dr. Phillips is honored to lead the Department of Urology at Westchester Medical Center, which has long served as a tertiary and quaternary referral center for complex urologic care across the Hudson Valley and surrounding regions. Under this leadership, the department continues to advance its mission of delivering outstanding clinical care while maintaining a deep commitment to education, research, and innovation.

Dr. Phillips’ academic and clinical focus is urologic oncology, an interest first cultivated during his medical training at the Yale School of Medicine. He completed his residency in urology at Yale, followed by fellowship training in urologic oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda.

His subsequent service as a Senior Staff Surgeon at the NIH Clinical Center and as Program Director of the Urology Residency at the National Naval Medical Center helped shape a leadership philosophy centered on rigor, accountability, and mentorship-values that remain foundational to the department today. That commitment to education has continued throughout his career, including roles as Vice Chair for Urologic Graduate Medical Education at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and as Program Director of Urology at New York Medical College beginning in 2007. The Department of Urology at Westchester Medical Center reflects this educational legacy, having trained generations of residents and fellows and achieving a 100% urology board pass rate for the past 25 years. The department remains a destination for trainees seeking comprehensive exposure to both high-volume general urology and advanced subspecialty care.

Clinically, the department has been a regional leader in the adoption of advanced surgical technologies. Dr. Phillips was among the earliest urologists in New York to perform robotic surgery and has performed Da Vinci nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy since 2003. Today, Westchester Medical Center offers a full spectrum of contemporary urologic care, including complex oncologic surgery, minimally invasive and robotic approaches, and multidisciplinary management of advanced disease, serving as a referral hub for the Hudson Valley.

Looking forward, the Department of Urology at Westchester Medical Center is committed to continued growth and innovation. The department is focused on developing and delivering novel therapies for urologic malignancies that preserve function, minimize morbidity, and achieve durable oncologic outcomes. With a strong foundation in education, clinical excellence, and collaborative care, Westchester Medical Center is well positioned to remain a true leader in urology for the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Andrew Katims, MD