Surgery Residency Faculty

James Nitzkorski, MD, FACS, FSSO
Program Director, General Surgery Residency

Dr. James Nitzkorski serves as the Program Director for the General Surgery Residency Program.  He is an attending Surgical Oncologist specializing in Gastrointestinal Cancer, Melanoma, complex and rare tumors.  Dr. Nitzkorski is the co-chair of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease Management Team (DMT) across Nuvance Health.  Dr. Nitzkorski is a passionately dedicated to outstanding clinical care, research, and education.  Dr. Nitzkorski has served as the principal investigator for several cooperative group trials at Vassar Brothers, and is a researcher in the areas of GI malignancies and malignant melanoma.

Dr. Nitzkorski was raised in the Hudson Valley.  He earned his medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.  He completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and has been on staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center since 2011.

Program Leadership

James Nitzkorski, MD
Program Director
Surgical Oncology

Pranat Kumar, MD
Associate Program Director
General Surgery
Colorectal Surgery

Elvita Genelus-Dominique, MD
Associate Program Director
Trauma Surgery

General Surgery

John Choi, MD
Chair, General Surgery Surgery
Colorectal Surgery

Lee Farber, DO
General Surgery
MIS / Complex Hernia Surgery

Sanjay Thomas, MD
General Surgery
Program Director, Transitional Year Residency

Pranat Kumar, MD
Associate Program Director
Colorectal Surgery

Sarah S Sims, MD
Endocrine Surgery

LK Lau MD
Colorectal Surgery

Brian Binetti, MD
Bariatric Surgery

Gregory Zale, MD
General Surgery
Hand Surgery

Shawn Liechty, MD
Bariatric Surgery

Adam Petchers, MD
Bariatric Surgery

Trauma / Critical Care / Acute Care Surgery

Fausto Vinces, DO
Chief, Trauma & Surgical Critical Care

Sean Lee, DO
Trauma Surgery

Elvita Genelus-Dominique, MD
Associate Program Director
Trauma Surgery

Mitchell Gorman DO
Trauma Surgery

Erika Flashburg DO DO
Trauma Surgery

Zubair Zoha, MBBS
Trauma Surgery

Setu Dalal, MD
Trauma Surgery

Vadim Meytes DO
Trauma Surgery

Surgical Oncology

Daniel Labow, MD
Surgical Oncology
System Chair of Surgical Services

James Nitzkorski, MD
Program Director
Surgical Oncology

Ryan Swan, MD
Core Faculty
Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Surgery

Michael Minarich, MD
Core Faculty
Surgical Oncology

Haitham Al Shetawi, MD, DMD
Head & Neck Surgery
Reconstructive Surgery

Alex Afshar, MD
Head & Neck Surgery
Reconstructive Surgery

Breast Surgery

Susan K. Boolbol, MD
Chief, Breast Surgery

Gabi Barmettler MD
Breast Surgery

Claudia Lago MD
Breast Surgery

Lisa D. Curcio, MD
Breast Surgery
Northern Dutchess Hospital

Thoracic Surgery

Byron Patton, MD
Chief, Thoracic Surgery

Huan Huan “Joanne” Sun, MD
Thoracic Surgery

Vascular Surgery

Andreas Spirig, MD
Chief, Vascular Surgery

Erion Qaja, DO
Vascular Surgery

Felecia Jinwala, MD
Vascular Surgery