Rhonda Rosenberg, MD

James McKiernan, MD, is the John K. Lattimer Professor of Urology and CEO of ColumbiaDoctors. He is also Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. McKiernan graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in biology and received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his training in urology and general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, followed by a urologic surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. McKiernan's clinical practice is focused on urologic oncology and particularly on surgical therapy in high-risk patients with bladder and kidney cancers. Dr. McKiernan evaluates and treats over 1,000 patients with bladder cancer every year. His research, funded by NIH and biotechnology industry grants, focuses on developing novel therapeutics for bladder cancer treatment as well as comparative effectiveness research in urologic oncology. In the management of kidney and bladder cancer, he has special expertise in organ preservation and reconstructive surgery to maximize quality of life. Dr. McKiernan's research has been published in Cancer, Cancer Research, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, and Urology. He has authored and co-authored more than 220 scientific articles and book chapters on urologic cancer and related issues. For the past 10 years, he has directed a research team at Columbia University Medical Center investigating quality outcomes and effectiveness in urologic cancer surgery. He has served as the Vice Chairman for the AJCC TNM Staging Task Force, Co-Chair of the AUA Guidelines Panel on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, as well as on the American Board of Urology and Society of Urologic Oncology Examination Committees. In addition, Dr. McKiernan is the principal investigator of the NIH-funded clinical trials program of experimental therapeutics in bladder cancer at Columbia University/NYPH, which is investigating new agents for bladder preservation in patients whose cancer has recurred after standard therapy. In collaboration with researchers at Columbia's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, his team continues to develop new therapeutic strategies for managing bladder cancer.

Vladimir Mushailov, MD, is a transplant nephrologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. His clinical and academic interests include the evaluation of living kidney donors and multiorgan transplantation, with a focus on simultaneous heart-kidney (sHK) transplantation. Dr. Mushailov earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology, graduating cum laude from Yeshiva University. He received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 2016, followed by residency training in Internal Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. He then served as a hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center before completing his nephrology fellowship at Tufts and a subsequent transplant nephrology fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center in 2023. Since 2023, Dr. Mushailov has served as the course preceptor for the fourth-year medical student nephrology elective at Columbia, mentoring students and fostering academic interest in nephrology and transplantation. He plays a key role in the evaluation of potential living kidney donors by overseeing iohexol plasma clearance testing—a highly accurate method of measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This test allows for precise assessment of donor kidney function and supports safe donor selection. He also has a particular interest in simultaneous heart-kidney (sHK) transplantation, where he collaborates closely with the heart transplant team to evaluate candidates for sHK transplants and “safety net” kidney transplants. His work also focuses on strategies to preserve renal function in heart transplant recipients.

Dr. Fahim Pyarali is an Assistant Professor of Medicine & Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University. His primary area of expertise is Interventional Pulmonology, in which he performs minimally invasive procedures for patients with complex respiratory problems, including lung nodules, airway obstruction, and fluid around the lung (pleural effusions). He performs his procedures using the most cutting-edge technologies, including robotic bronchoscopy, thoracoscopy, endobronchial valve placements, as well as multimodal approaches for airway constriction, including bronchoscopic laser treatments, dilations, and endobronchial stent placements. Dr. Pyarali has earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He received a Masters of Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health, and completed his Interventional Pulmonology training at Harvard Medical School. His primary research interests include peripheral navigation bronchoscopy and complex airway diseases. He has won several awards for his research from national societies, and is also passionate about educating the next generation of students and trainees.