Radiation Oncology Residency Program

PGY-5

Zahra Ghiassi, MD, PhD

I was born in Iran, grew up in Canada, and received my undergraduate degree in biology and biochemistry from New York University. I completed my MD/PhD at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where I studied mechanisms of hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis. I then completed my internship year at Mount Sinai Hospital, before joining the Radiation Oncology Residency Program.

PGY-4

Marcher R. Thompson, MD (Chief)

I was born in Trinidad and Tobago but moved to Roswell, GA at the age of 9.  I received my undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University and completed my medical training at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. Prior to graduation I spent a research year in Dr. Simon Powell's lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering exploring the mechanism of defects in double strand break repair with homologous recombination.  I then completed a transitional year internship at Emory University Hospital. My clinical and research interests include thoracic oncology and translational medicine.  I otherwise enjoy spending time with my fiancé and our two miniature dachshunds.

Stanislav (Stas) Lazarev, MD (Chief)

I grew up in the south of Russia where I studied foreign languages at a linguistic university. At the age of 21, I moved to California where in 2009 I graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in biochemistry and molecular biology. I received my medical degree at University of Vermont College of Medicine in 2014, and then returned to the Bay Area to complete a medicine internship at Highland Hospital in Oakland. In 2015 I joined the Radiation Oncology Residency Program at Mount Sinai. My clinical and research interests lie in the field of pediatric tumors, head and neck malignancies, and prostate cancer. Outside of medicine, I enjoy learning foreign languages, playing the piano, traveling abroad, and playing soccer.

Heather McGee, MD, PhD (Chief)

I was raised in Davis, California and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where I studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  After graduation, I moved to England and received a M. Phil in Immunology at the University of Cambridge.  I returned to the US to complete my MD/PhD in Immunobiology at Yale University, where I studied the role of the cytokine Interleukin-22 in wound healing and tissue repair.  I was an intern in general surgery at UCSF.  During residency, I served on the planning committee for the ASTRO/SITC/NCI Science Workshop on “Incorporating Radiation Oncology into Immunotherapy.” Additionally, I was a member of the first annual SITC “Sparkathon” for Young Investigators in Immunotherapy.  I am currently studying changes in the TCR repertoire and immune exhaustion phenotype after SBRT for HCC, and plan to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.  In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my fiancé, doing yoga, running and traveling.

PGY-3

Lucas Resende Salgado, MD, MPA

I am originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and grew up in New York. I received my undergraduate degree from CUNY Hunter College. After college I attended medical school at NYU School of Medicine where I was enrolled in an MD/MPA in health care management double degree program with NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. I completed my medical internship at Lenox Hill Hospital before coming to Mount Sinai for residency. My research interests include patient satisfaction and salivary gland cancers.  In my spare time I enjoy playing soccer, hiking and cooking.

Oren Factor, MD

I grew up on Long Island, NY. I then went to Cornell University where I studied biological sciences for my undergraduate degree before attending Stony Brook School of Medicine. I completed my transitional year at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY. My research interests include novel radiation approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer.  In my free time I enjoy going to the beach with my fiancée and friends, watching the Mets, Jets, and Islanders, and playing tennis.

PGY-2

William Smith, MD

I grew up in the Hudson Valley in New York State and attended the University of Richmond where I received my undergraduate degree in mathematics. Following college, I completed my medical education the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During that time discovered an interest in radiation oncology and after completing an internal medicine internship at Greenwich Hospital returned to Mount Sinai for my residency training. Since beginning residency I have begun to develop a research interest in the management of head and neck malignancies. My personal interests outside of work include ice hockey, cooking, and spending time with my dog. 

Jalal Ahmed Khan, MD, PhD

I am from New York City. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. I joined the MSTP program at Mount Sinai in 2008 and focused my dissertation on the niche-stem cell dynamic during fetal development. I did a preliminary medicine intern year at North Shore-Long Island Jewish medical center before returning to Mount Sinai for Radiation Oncology Residency.  I continue to be active in the lab and I am pursuing a career as a physician scientist.

2018 – 2019 Incoming Residents

Anthony Nehlsen, MD 

I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in New Jersey. I completed my undergraduate studies at Penn State University and attended medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine. Before starting at Mount Sinai Radiation Oncology, I completed my transitional year internship at Crozer Chester Medical Center. I have completed research on brachytherapy in choroidal metastases, the management brain metastases in ALK and EGFR mutated NSCLC, and pancreatic cancer.  In my free time, I enjoy cooking, dining out at new restaurants, taking part in athletics, and keeping up with my favorite sports teams.

Kunal Sindhu, MD

I am originally from Syracuse, New York, but grew up in California. I completed my internship at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City and I am a graduate of the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. Prior to medical school, I worked as a middle school science teacher in Newark, New Jersey and as a management consultant in New York. In my free time I enjoy playing basketball, reading, and running. 

Andrew Smith, MD

I grew up near Albany, NY and received my undergraduate degree in History from Dartmouth College. I attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where I graduated with distinction in clinical research for evaluating the use of brachytherapy in the treatment of brain metastases at New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell. I completed my internship at Lenox Hill Hospital before joining the Radiation Oncology Program at Mount Sinai.  My research interests include radiomics and public policy.  Outside of medicine, I enjoy hiking, cooking, and being a Boston sports fan in NYC.

2017
Nisha Ohri, MD – Robert Wood Johnson, New Bruswick, NJ
Ryan Rhome, MD – Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN

2016
Miriam Knoll, MD – John Teuer Cancer Center, Hackensack, NJ
S. Yaseen Zia, MD – Optim Oncology, Oklahoma City, OK

2015
Todd J. Carpenter, MD – Clinton Medical Center / Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ
Jerry Liu, MD – Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, NY

2014
Florence Wright, MD – Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica, NY

2013
Michael Buckstein, MD, PhD – Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Eric Ko, MD, PhD – UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA

2012
David Andolino, MD – Advanced Radiation Oncology Associates, St. Lukes University, Easton, PA
Kevin Forsythe, MD – Oregon Urology Institute, Springfield, OR
Isaiah Friedman, MD – Flushing Radiation Oncology, Flushing, NY

2011
Seth Blacksburg, MD – Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Kurt Snyder, MD – CancerCare of Maine Radiation Oncology, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME

2010
No graduates

2009
Ryan Burri, MD – New York Presbyterian, New York, NY (has relocated to Florida Radiation Oncology Group, Jacksonville, FL)
Amy Solan, MD – Nassau Radiologic Group, PC, Lake Success, NY

2008
Christopher Peters, MD – Northeast Radiation Oncology Center, Scranton, PA
Grace Fan, MD – St. Luke’s Hospital, Bethlehem, PA

2007
Alice Ho, MD – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Kathy Lo, MD – Professional Radiation Oncology Services at St. Francis Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY

2006
No graduates

2005
Karen Loeb-Borofsky, MD – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Basking Ridge, NJ
Michael J. Smith, MD – Winchester Hospital, Winchester, MA (currently Assistant Professor, New York Presbyterian, New York, NY)

2004
Jamie Cesaretti, MD – Formerly Associate Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, (has relocated to Florida Radiation Oncology Group, Jacksonville, FL)
Marisa Kollmeier, MD – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

We seek applicants who are interested in radiation oncology. While we do not require prior experience in the field, we do look favorably on research and clinical rotations that indicate interest in radiation oncology.

We select fellows through the Medicine Subspecialty Match, which is part of the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). You must submit your application through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS), along with all supporting documents. We only consider applicants who are registered with the NRMP and only consider applications through ERAS. We require, in addition to the application form, the following materials:

• Up-to-date curriculum vitae
• Three letters of reference – at least one must be from a practicing radiation oncologist
• Dean’s letter
• Medical school transcript
• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 (if available) scores
• A personal statement

We accept and review applicants from students of all accredited medical and osteopathic schools, located within the United States and abroad.

Please note that while we do not have a minimum USMLE score, applicants who match with our program frequently score above 200. We require only Step 1 at the time of application. Do not send additional information to ERAS or directly to us; we only review the above-mentioned documents.

We interview approximately 30 candidates a year and hold interviews in November, December, and January before the year when you would attend. Interviews take a full day (8 am to 4 pm) and include one-on-one meetings with various faculty members and lunch with our current residents. We interview approximately 30 candidates a year and accept two or three PGY-2 positions a year.