Hartnett, Joseph, William

Martin Karpeh, MD, is the director of surgical oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute for Northwell facilities across eastern Long Island. He is based at Huntington Hospital, where he is chair of surgery.Dr. Karpeh specializes in gastrointestinal tumors, including stomach and esophageal cancer, and cancers of the gastroesophageal junction-the area where the esophagus and stomach join. In the 1990s, he helped introduce minimally invasive laparoscopic staging techniques that now guide treatment decisions, helping doctors determine whether patients receive chemotherapy before surgery for gastroesophageal junction cancer. He also treats soft tissue sarcomas and skin cancers, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma.Passionate about helping others from a young age, Dr. Karpeh was inspired to go into medicine by his parents-his father was a physician, his mother a pharmacist. "I couldn't imagine doing anything else," he says.After a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Karpeh spent more than a decade there as an attending. He then spent 20 years leading surgical oncology programs at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian Health.At the Cancer Institute, a well-integrated team approach to care ensures Dr. Karpeh's patients receive the best possible treatment. "We draw on specialists from all the hospitals affiliated with the health system at our multidisciplinary tumor boards," he says.Dr. Karpeh has spent decades working in clinical trial development and frequently refers patients to national and international clinical studies. He is involved in translational research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to identify treatment targets in stomach and esophageal cancers, and has published more than 100 journal articles on stomach and gastroesophageal junction cancer.A member of the International Gastric Cancer Association, the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Surgical Association, Dr. Karpeh is also the former president of the New York Surgical Society, New York Cancer Society and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons. Additionally, he has been named a Castle Connelly Top Doctor and New York Magazine Top Doctor over many years.His patients drive his dedication to the field. "You have to take the time to ask questions and carefully listen to your patients to understand exactly what their unique needs are," he says.

Robert Kerr, MD, PhD is a top neurosurgeon and spinal surgeon, and is the section chief of neurosurgery at Huntington Hospital. He specializes in brain tumors, concussion, minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery, spine surgery and trigeminal neuralgia pain.He completed his medical degree at Queens University in Ontario and his residency at the University of Alberta School of Medicine/Dentistry. He also did a fellowship at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and received a PhD in cancer immunotherapy.With his academic and clinical expertise, Dr. Kerr was recruited to lead the neurosurgery efforts in Huntington. Our treatments are world-class, he says. Patients should never feel like theyre missing out by not being near the citythe best we offer is truly the best there is.Hes currently the only neurosurgeon at Northwell with the ability to perform a Brain Path-assisted trans sulcal approach, a highly advanced minimally invasive neurosurgical technique which Dr. Kerr helped develop. In addition, hes conducted more single-step cranioplasties than any other surgeon in all of New York State. Dr. Kerr is also heavily focused on cancers that can travel to the brain and spinal column. His current research involves looking at ways to screen for specific subtypes of breast cancer that have a strong correlation with spreading to the brain.All of Dr. Kerrs work is made possible with a team. The best care is not done in isolation, he says. He runs a multidisciplinary tumor board which includes genetic counseling, pathologists, oncologists and more.Having lost his mother to cancer when he was very young, Dr. Kerr understands the far-reaching effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. The disease is only part of what theyre going through, he says. It has implications for their children, spouses, businesses, aspirations. He makes it a point to invite to appointments any family members a patient may want involved in their care.Dr. Kerr is also implementing playback health at Huntington Hospital, allowing a doctor to share personalized videos that include a patients care instructions, recovery expectations, medical options and more. So much information comes at a patient before they leave the hospital, Dr. Kerr says. With this, they can go home, click the app and see me and my team. That constant reassurance is just as important to Dr. Kerr as the treatment itself.