Departments

We are committed to providing patient-focused, evidence-based care to all of our patients, pairing clinical expertise with the latest advances in technology. We offer a comprehensive range of imaging services, and tailor each exam to meet each patient’s specific needs. Our board-certified doctors are national and international leaders in diagnostic imaging and advanced image-guided therapies, and they are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of care in patient safety, quality, and satisfaction. We employ a multidisciplinary approach to care, and collaborate with physicians from all medical specialties to make the most accurate diagnosis and determine the best treatment options. Yale patients have access to highly advanced imaging equipment, including an intraoperative MRI/IR/OR suite, and 3D tomosynthesis. Our radiologists conduct advanced research in MRI, MRS, PET, interventional oncology, and image processing. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Abdominal imaging Breast imaging Cardiovascular imaging Emergency and trauma radiology Neuroradiology Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging (including PET/CT) Pediatric radiology Thoracic imaging Vascular/interventional radiology Rapid, in-house subspecialist imaging interpretations Overnight coverage by three in-house attending radiologists at Yale New Haven Hospital Leader in 3D tomosynthesis mammography imaging and research Leader in screening breast ultrasound Comprehensive multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program with ultra-low-dose CT scanning Cardiac CoreValue planning service, providing a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation option for patients with severe aortic stenosis MRI for pacemaker patients Ultrasound contrast and elastography imaging Dedicated peripheral vascular ultrasound Integrated musculoskeletal ultrasound device Subspecialized pediatric interventional radiology expertise Recognized expertise in management of primary and secondary liver cancer Molecular imaging for recurrent prostate cancer and the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease Advanced tumor imaging for optimizing best treatment outcomes DaTscan, a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s Disease Portable neuro Intensive Care Unit (ICU) computed tomography (CT) scanning Interventional radiology with state-of-the-art minimally invasive image-guided therapy, including targeted and precision cancer treatments, back pain treatment, and biliary stone laser treatment, among others

Yale Cancer Center is Connecticut's only cancer center designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute—and one of only 57 in the nation. The significance of this designation has profound implications for those who choose Smilow Cancer Hospital as the place where they will be cared for and receive treatment for their cancer. National Cancer Institute cancer centers are national leaders in cancer research, prevention, detection, and treatment. This provides patients at Smilow Cancer Hospital with novel treatment options and expert care.

Children’s safety is our top priority. Our dedicated radiologists are trained in pediatric radiology and provide compassionate and personalized care to each of our patients. We use advanced imaging techniques and work closely with pediatric providers to determine the best way to diagnose a specific problem. We maintain the highest standards of care and patient safety. For exams that require radiation, special attention is given to minimize the radiation dose during a child’s exam without affecting image quality. We offer the latest in technology and equipment, and utilize a variety of imaging techniques, such as fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-rays to accurately detect and diagnose disease.

The Cancer-Infectious Diseases (Cancer-ID) Program is an integrated multidisciplinary clinic that will provide supportive consultative services to people with HIV and cancer. Dedicated HIV/ID specialists from Yale Medicine will work closely with the patient’s oncology care team to manage care for patients with HIV undergoing cancer treatment. A team of providers, including surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists, will provide consultative services for people with HIV with hematologic malignancies, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck, thoracic, dermatologic, and breast cancers, as well as those with Kaposi Sarcoma, liver, gynecologic, and neuro-oncologic malignancies. Access to a wide variety of support services and clinical trials is also available. People with HIV have higher rates of cancer incidence compared to uninfected individuals. In addition, they have worse outcomes after a diagnosis of cancer. Because the majority of cancer clinical trials do not include patients with HIV among their study population, there is little evidence-based guidance with regard to cancer care for these patients. What’s more, the patient experience may additionally suffer because this patient population includes an underserved and understudied group who are often impacted by health inequities and health disparities. With the advent of immune-based therapies and personalized approaches to cancer care, the lack of data within the HIV population to guide treatment decision-making further impacts health disparities among this underserved population. The Cancer-Infectious Diseases, or Cancer-ID program, was established in July 2022 to provide consultative care to patients with HIV who are also diagnosed with cancer. Brinda Emu, MD, serves as the director of the Cancer-ID program. She and Mark Lustberg, MD, are HIV specialists with a specific interest in cancer care and will see patients on a consultative basis. The Cancer-ID program will be located within the Yale Center for Infectious Disease, which is directed by Lydia Aoun-Barakat, MD. The program additionally has the support of Yale Cancer Center leadership. It is led by Jill Lacy, MD, and a large network of consultative affiliated oncology faculty members across all oncology disease areas, who serve as liaisons and ambassadors within the Yale Cancer Center to ensure appropriate and timely care to patients with both HIV and cancer, including access to clinical care and ancillary services. There are three main goals of the Cancer-ID program: Provide consultative care to patients with both HIV and cancer to facilitate and manage both HIV infection and cancer care throughout and beyond cancer treatment Improve the patient experience while receiving cancer care Identify and engage patients in research activities and clinical trials when appropriate The program additionally hopes to build expertise in the clinical care of cancer among people with HIV, provide ou

The Oligometastatic Cancer Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital consists of a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized physicians and clinicians who are experts in providing care for patients with oligometastatic cancer. Oligometastatic cancer is a concept in oncology that describes a state of cancer progression in which the cancer has spread, but only to a few specific areas. Unlike widespread metastatic disease, where cancer has spread extensively to distant organs, oligometastasis involves a more localized and contained pattern of metastatic spread. Effectively, oligometastatic cancer represents a middle ground between localized cancer (cancer of one area) and widespread metastatic cancer. The clinical significance of identifying patients with oligometastatic cancer lies in its potential for more targeted and aggressive treatment approaches. Unlike widespread metastatic disease, where the primary goal may be palliative or to control symptoms, oligometastatic cancer offers patients an opportunity for interventions that can lead to a cure. This identification has been facilitated by advancements in imaging technologies, particularly the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans. These sophisticated imaging techniques enable our clinicians to detect and visualize small numbers of metastatic sites that might be overlooked by conventional imaging methods. Here at Smilow Cancer Hospital, our multidisciplinary teams treat oligometastatic disease using the following treatment types: Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) The concept of oligometastatic cancer has gained increasing attention in the field of oncology, leading to clinical trials and extensive research aimed at refining its definition, understanding its behavior, and determining optimal treatment strategies. It is important to note that all cancer types are different and do not show an oligometastatic pattern, and the relevance of this concept varies across different tumor types. The management of oligometastatic cancer requires a personalized and multidisciplinary approach, considering factors such as the primary tumor type, the location of metastases, overall patient health, and treatment goals. Our team of clinicians collaborates directly with patients to identify the presence of oligometastatic disease, establish a tailored treatment plan, and enhance outcomes for patients in this unique stage of cancer progression. For gastrointestinal oncology-related appointments, view the profile of Kiran Turaga, MD, MPH . For gynecologic oncology-related appointments, visit the profile of Elena Ratner, MD, MBA .

Covering every aspect of health care for adults, Internal Medicine is the largest department in the Yale School of Medicine, and the largest clinical service at Yale New Haven Hospital. We provide comprehensive and specialized services in all areas in a variety of outpatient settings as well as the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Health Care System campus in West Haven. Our culture of collaboration and research gives patients access to expert opinions from nearly 1,000 doctors, as well as opportunities to get tomorrow’s health care today through more than 100 clinical trials. Most importantly, we attend to our diverse community of patients with compassionate, thorough care. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Allergy & clinical immunology Cardiovascular medicine Digestive diseases Endocrinology General internal medicine Geriatrics Hematology Infectious diseases Medical oncology Occupational health & environmental medicine Nephrology Pulmonology, critical care & sleep medicine Rheumatology International reputation for work in understanding function, independence, and quality of life in older persons Key research breakthroughs of the past decade that include the development of a protective Lyme bacillus disease vaccine, exploration of the underlying causes of allergic disease, and the discovery of novel inherited immunological diseases Largest interventional cardiology program in Connecticut Major referral center for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as other metabolic conditions Nationally ranked program in kidney diseases and the largest kidney transplant program in New England, with multidisciplinary care clinics One of the largest peripheral vascular programs in the country, with leadership and participation in multiple new percutaneous device trials Once of only a few motility centers in Connecticut to provide all motility procedures and services Unique medical forensic exams for individuals with claims of torture who are seeking asylum in the U.S.

Nuclear medicine is a specialized field within radiology that uses small amounts of radioactive substances during imaging procedures to help doctors detect abnormalities and diseases at their earliest stages, allowing for the best clinical outcomes for our patients. The field of nuclear medicine contains important studies for identifying, evaluating, and treating a full spectrum of diseases within the body, including most types of cancers, neurological disorders, thyroid diseases, and gastrointestinal conditions.We provide studies to evaluate kidney function, kidney obstruction, portal hypertension, gastrointestinal bleed localization, lung scans for pulmonary embolism, and tumor diagnosis and staging, as well as seizure focus localization in the brain using PET/CT scans. Our services include the use of DaTscan (Ioflupane) to evaluate Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, and amyloid brain scans for suspected Alzheimer’s disease. We offer Ra-223 therapy to alleviate bone pain—we were the first center in Connecticut to provide this treatment.

At Yale Medicine, our medical oncology specialists put our patients first. We know that starting cancer treatment as soon as possible is important. That’s why we offer rapid access to appointments and relevant testing, so you can begin your journey to recovery. Your care is personally led by a compassionate physician who works closely with a team of specialists, tailoring your treatment to meet your specific needs. About Us Medical oncology services are available at Smilow Cancer Hospital and at several regional locations across the state of Connecticut. Our physicians specialize in treating many different types of cancer using their expertise to guide your care for the best possible outcome. Throughout your treatment, you will receive personalized support from an intake specialist and a nurse coordinator, who will offer clear communication and comprehensive assistance every step of the way. Understanding that cancer affects more than just your physical health, we extend our support to include your psychological well-being, offering compassion and understanding to help you navigate the emotional challenges of your diagnosis. Click here for more information about our cancer care services.

The Sarcoma Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital consists of a multidisciplinary team of physicians who diagnose, treat, and provide expert care for patients with both soft tissue sarcomas and sarcomas of the bone, or osteosarcoma. Our team includes orthopedic physicians, dermatologists, diagnostic radiologists, medical oncologists, pediatric oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists, all with specific expertise in the treatment and care of patients with sarcoma. For diagnosis, our physicians employ state-of-the-art methods including CT scanning, which is excellent at seeing both bone and soft tissues; MRI, which has the ability to “view” the tissue in and around bone with exquisite detail; PET scanning that is able to look at the cancer’s biological activity at the cellular level; bone scans that use a very small amount of radioactive material to check for cancer cells within the bone; and X-ray. Bone scans can also be performed to check for cancer cells in the bone. Surgery Surgery is often a key treatment for patients with sarcomas of the bone. Upon consultation to determine a treatment plan designed to meet the individual needs of the patient, the following types of surgery may be considered: Wide local excision: Removal of the cancer and some healthy tissue around it. Limb-sparing surgery: Removal of the tumor in an arm or leg without amputation, preserving the use and appearance of the limb. The tumor is removed—and tissue and bone that are removed may be replaced with a graft using tissue and bone taken from another part of the patient’s body, or with an implant. Most patients with osteosarcoma can be treated with this type of surgery. Amputation: In some instances, it is not possible to remove the entire tumor in limb-sparing surgery, and therefore amputation may be considered to remove part or all of an arm or leg. The patient may be fitted with a prosthesis after amputation. Radiation Some patients who are undergoing surgery may have radiation therapy first to shrink a tumor to improve the success of the surgery. Radiation therapy is also often used after surgery to try to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells. Therapeutic Options Following successful surgery to remove the sarcoma, patients are also given chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. For soft tissue sarcomas, chemotherapy may be used before or after surgery and radiation. There are several approved chemotherapy options for patients and their oncologists to consider. Additionally, clinical trials offering the latest treatment combinations and new therapies are available for our patients through Yale Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute. Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center are also members of the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration (SARC). SARC is a collaboration of distinguished research institutions throughout the country that work together to design and evaluate clinica

Each year, nearly 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a type of gastrointestinal cancer. Many of these cancers are too complex or difficult to be treated with just one type of treatment. The Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center provides patients with gastrointestinal cancers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of complex disease. As experts in the treatment of cancers of the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, colon, bile ducts, rectum, and anus, we collaborate with diagnostic and interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists, and pathologists to provide the most up-to-date and effective treatments available. Our advanced diagnostic imaging services, including Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), MRI/MRCP (ERCP in conjunction with MRI), high-resolution CT scans, Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and EUS-guided fine needle aspiration, allow for patients to be comprehensively evaluated at the onset of their diagnosis. Surgical Oncology Surgery is commonly used to effectively manage certain types of gastrointestinal cancers, including malignant and premalignant tumors in the stomach, liver, bile ducts, pancreas, small intestine, and colorectum. Our team of surgeons incorporate a variety of state-of-the-art surgical techniques into procedures when necessary. These include: Laparoscopic and robotic surgery for stomach, small bowel, and colorectal tumors, as well as for primary and metastatic liver tumors and biliary tumors Cytoreduction and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy Pancreatectomy (Whipple procedure, distal pancreatectomy, total pancreatectomy, central pancreatectomy, pancreas preserving enucleation) Medical Oncology In addition to chemotherapy, our medical oncology experts provide innovative nonsurgical treatment options including: Targeted Therapy, in which a special type of chemotherapy targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide, and spread Immunotherapy, which uses a patient’s own immune system to find and destroy cancer cells Yale Cancer Center emphasizes the importance of clinical trials for all stages of disease. Many of these drugs are exploring new types of therapy and new combinations of therapies, and many of our studies are available as part of our network of Care Centers. We perform state-of-the-art genomic profiling and laboratory explorations to determine the biologic weaknesses of the tumors and to develop better therapies for patients. Radiation Oncology Patients who need radiation oncology to treat their gastrointestinal cancers can feel confident that they are receiving the highest quality care from the most experienced team of radiation oncologists in Connecticut. We offer innovative therapies including: Three-dimensional Conformal Radiation: This technique may be used to target radiation to tumors by matching their particular shapes. Four-dimensional (4-D) CT simulation makes CT scans f

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a technique that delivers high doses of heated chemotherapy directly to abdominal organs to kill cancer cells that may remain after the surgical removal of visible tumors. It is typically used in combination with cytoreductive surgery to treat advanced-stage abdominal cancers such as peritoneal mesothelioma, stomach cancer, appendix cancer, and colorectal cancer, as well as ovarian cancer. Smilow Cancer Hospital physicians are national leaders in the delivery of HIPEC therapy, with a deep understanding of the types of cancer it can be used to treat, the nuances of the therapy, and its effectiveness. Clinical trials using HIPEC therapy are also available. Hyperthermic (or heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy, called HIPEC for short, is a treatment for cancers that begin in or have spread to the thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen and abdominal organs known as the peritoneum. After a surgeon removes all visible tumors from the abdominal (peritoneal) cavity in a procedure called cytoreductive surgery (CRS), heated chemotherapy drugs are pumped into the abdomen where they bathe abdominal tissues for about 90 minutes before being drained and rinsed from the abdominal cavity. In many cases, the goal of the treatment is to cure patients of cancer by killing any cancer cells that remain after cytoreductive surgery. HIPEC is used to treat cancers in the peritoneum, including those that have spread—or metastasized—from the gastrointestinal tract, colon, appendix, and ovaries, among other organs, as well as cancerous tumors that started in the peritoneum. Cancer that originates in the peritoneum is very rare. However, each year, around 60,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with metastatic cancer that has spread to the peritoneum from elsewhere in the body. People with these cancers often experience debilitating symptoms, including abdominal and back pain, nausea, constipation, and fatigue, and can have a poor prognosis. However, HIPEC, combined with cytoreductive surgery, can improve the outlook for many people with these types of cancers, helping them live longer and with an improved quality of life. For some people, HIPEC can result in a long-term cure. In other cases, with HIPEC, doctors can manage incurable cancers as chronic illnesses rather than as terminal diseases. The benefits of HIPEC include: HIPEC delivers a concentrated and targeted dose of chemotherapy . In HIPEC, highly concentrated chemotherapy is delivered directly to the inner lining of the abdomen, where it comes into contact with and kills cancer cells. By contrast, traditional chemotherapy is a “systemic” treatment: It is infused into the blood and reaches cancer cells by traveling through blood vessels. Unfortunately, traditional systemic chemotherapy is often ineffective in treating cancers in the peritoneum. This is due, in part, to the peritoneal-blood barrier, which obstructs the delivery of chemotherapy. Few

Our program was formed in 2013 to address the clinical issues and concerns faced by patients and their families with pancreatic disease, such as pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cysts, and pancreatitis. We provide the latest treatments in collaboration with other Yale programs such as the Yale Cancer Center. Our team comprises doctors from several fields to provide patients with the most comprehensive care, including advanced endoscopy, gastroenterology, surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, and genetics. Our nurses and advanced practice nurses are also highly experienced in pancreatic diseases. It is important to us that we educate our patients about pancreatic disease and its related procedures and treatments. We believe this empowers patients and family members to take an active role in their health care decisions, which can lead to an improved quality of life. We specialize in treating the following conditions: Pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cysts Chronic pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis We also offer the following services: Endoscopic ultrasound Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Medical oncology Radiation oncology Pancreas surgery