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Date Published: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Date Updated: Friday, June 30, 2023

Clinical Leadership Additions Build Hematology and Oncology Programs at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College

Mark D. Hurwitz, MD Appointed Director/Chair of Radiation Medicine; Daniel C. Cho, MD Named Chief of Hematology and Oncology

news item

VALHALLA N.Y. (December 1, 2021) – Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College (NYMC) jointly announce the appointment of two clinical leaders: Mark D. Hurwitz, MD, and Daniel C. Cho, MD, who will further develop the oncology and hematology programs at both institutions.

 
Dr. Mark Hurwitz 


Dr. Hurwitz is currently the Director of Radiation Medicine at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) and the Chair of the School of Medicine (SOM) Department of Radiation Medicine at NYMC. He is widely recognized for his expertise in the fields of genitourinary oncology and thermal medicine.


Dr. Hurwitz arrived at Westchester Medical Center and NYMC from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, Dr. Hurwitz was the Enterpriset Quality and Safety Officer for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health and Professor and Vice Chair for Quality, Safety and Performance Excellence for the Department of Radiation Oncology, as well as the Director of Thermal Medicine and Medical Residency Program Director.  Dr. Hurwitz previously served as Director of Regional Program Development for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School.


Dr. Hurwitz played a central role in the development of the first national radiation oncology patient safety organization and, on national and international levels, has directed efforts on advancing the translation of biology and technology into clinical practice.  He has led several trials for National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored cooperative research groups including Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), Radiation Therapy Group (RTOG), and NRG Oncology. Dr. Hurwitz is also author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal publications, books and chapters.


Board-certified in radiation oncology, Dr. Hurwitz earned his medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and served as resident and chief resident in radiation oncology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.


Dr. Cho is currently the Chief of Oncology and Hematology at Westchester Medical Center and Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine for Clinical and Translational Research at NYMC.  He will also serve as the Associate Director for Clinical Research for the Cancer Center at Westchester Medical Center and is charged with growing the Cancer Clinical Trials Office and enhancing the clinical trials infrastructure.  He is an established clinical and translational investigator with expertise in early phase trials, immunotherapy, and renal cell carcinoma.  He has been funded by the NIH/NCI to conduct laboratory, translational, and clinical research and has published over 120 manuscripts and meeting abstracts.

Before his appointments at Westchester Medical Center and NYMC, Dr. Cho was at NYU Langone Medical Center where he established and led the Phase I/Developmental Therapeutics Program and was an Associate Professor of Medicine of NYU Medical School.

 
 Dr. Daniel C. Cho


Dr. Cho earned a simultaneous BS and MS in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University followed by a medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine, as well as fellowship in hematology and oncology, at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School.

 

Drs. Hurwitz and Cho join a well-established team of cancer and blood disease experts at WMCHealth and NYMC, including Mitchell Cairo, MD, Director of the Westchester Medical Center Cancer Center, Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at WMCHealth's Maria Fareri Children's Hospital and Associate Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, at NYMC.  Drs. Hurwitz and Cho will collaborate with Dr. Cairo and other physicians to expand and enhance oncology and hematology care services offered at Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital.


"The fields of oncology and hematology are evolving rapidly with the introduction of new technologies and therapies for the treatment of cancer and blood disorders," said Renee Garrick, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, WMCHealth and New York Medical College Vice Dean of the NYMC. "Drs. Hurwitz and Cho have been at the forefront of this evolution and are recognized for their expertise in both academic and clinical medicine. We are looking forward to their stewardship as they work in concert with our multidisciplinary team of subspecialists on behalf of our patients in the Cancer Institute at Westchester Medical Center."


About Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
Westchester Medical Center is the premier provider of advanced medical care in New York's Hudson Valley region. The flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, this 415-bed academic hospital located in Valhalla, New York, provides local residents with acute care services – Level I trauma and burn care, organ transplants, Comprehensive Stroke Center and more - found nowhere else in the region.  Westchester Medical Center is the primary referral facility for other hospitals in the Hudson Valley and serves as a lifeline for more than 2.4 million people. To learn more about Westchester Medical Center and the vital services it provides to residents of the Hudson Valley and beyond, visit WestchesterMedicalCenter.org or follow Westchester Medical Center at Facebook.com/WestchesterMedicalCenter or Twitter.com/WestchesterMed.


About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The network has Level 1, Level 2, and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.


About New York Medical College
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 1,500 students and 330 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,600 faculty members and 23,200 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, a School of Dental Medicine and a School of Nursing. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners.


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CONTACTS:
Jennifer Riekert, MBA Andrew LaGuardia
Vice President of Communications
Senior Director, Network Strategic

and Strategic Initiatives Communications
New York Medical College WMCHealth

914.594.4552 914.493.6532
Jennifer_Riekert@NYMC.edu
Andrew.LaGuardia@WMCHealth.org