Dr. Nazima Abarova
Pediatrics (Elizabeth)

Dr. Nazima Abarova is an OB-GYN physician whose graduate medical education took place at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Seton Hall University, and Atlantic City Medical Center. She graduated from the First Tashkent State Medical Institute in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1995.

Dr. Abarova has been an attending physician at Trinitas Regional Medical Center since 2007. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Abu Alam
OB-GYN (Elizabeth, Westfield)
Dr. Abu Alam is an OB-GYN physician board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a graduate of the Dhaka Medical College in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Alam has won numerous awards for his philanthropic and charitable work, and has had a career filled with instances where he has traveled to various parts of the world to share his knowledge with physicians and medical professionals in other countries.

He completed his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, and rotating internships at the LSU Charity Hospital in New Orleans as well as the Dhaka Medical College. Dr. Alam founded the Nandina General Hospital in Nandina, Bangladesh, in 2004. His medical mission work has taken him to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and his native Bangladesh.

Dr. Sergio Baerga
General Surgery (Clark, Elizabeth)
Dr. Sergio Baerga is a graduate of the Ponce School of Medicine (Ponce, Puerto Rico), and he completed his residency at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.

Dr. Baerga is a member of the American Medical Association, the Medical Society of the State of New York, and the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Gerardo Capo
Dr. Capo has completed fellowships at St. Vincent's Hospital, NY in Hematology/Oncology, and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Pain & Palliative Care. He has collaborated on many significant research papers on hematology and patients with HIV. He is board-certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine.

Dr. Michelle Cholankeril
Dr. Cholankeril is a member of the Hematology/Medical Oncology Department at Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Cholankeril received her undergraduate degree in medicine and surgery at Sri Ramachandra Medical Center and Research Institute in India. She underwent her residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Department of Medicine and ultimately achieved the post of Chief Resident in that department. She completed a hematology and oncology fellowship at North Shore/Long Island Jewish Hospital where she was chief fellow. Published extensively in the medical literature, Dr. Cholankeril continues to generate articles and abstracts for the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Robert Cole
Oncology (Elizabeth)
Dr. Robert Cole is a board-certified radiation oncologist who graduated from Wake Forest University's Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He did an externship at Emory University in Atlanta, and has done post-doctoral training at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Cole has been named a New Jersey "Top Doctor" by NJ Monthly Magazine, a "Top Doctor" by Castle Connelly, "Physician of the Year" by the National Republican Congressional Committee, to "Who's Who In America," and has been a featured doctor in magazines including Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Woman's Day.

Dr. Cole is also board-certified by the American Board of Radiology since 1983.

Dr. Ari Eckman
Endocrinology (Elizabeth)

Dr. Ari Eckman is the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Trinitas Regional Medical Center. A graduate of the Technion Faculty of Medicine (Haifa, Israel), Dr. Eckman completed his residency in internal medicine at UMDNJ/New Jersey School of Medicine and his fellowship in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD).

Dr. Eckman is board-certified in internal medicine. He is also a member of the Endocrine Society, and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Dr. Clarissa Henson
Dr. Henson is board-certified and served as the Director of Women's Services at Cooper University Hospital's Department of Radiation Oncology and most recently as a radiation oncologist at Monmouth Medical Center. Dr. Henson has an outstanding resume of clinical accomplishments, including clinical trial research utilizing Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in the treatment of gynecologic cancers. She also has specialized training and experience in the latest radiotherapy technologies including Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, high- and low-dose rate Brachytherapy for Gynecologic and Prostate Cancer, Mammosite Brachytherapy for partial breast irradiation and Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the treatment of CNS tumors and trigeminal neuralgia.

Dr. Rachel Kaye
Dr. Rachel Kaye is a board-certified otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat surgery) and assistant professor of otolaryngology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She received her MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NY) and performed her residency at Montefiore Medical Center.

Dr. Kaye also completed a fellowship at the New York Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders.

Dr. Barry S. Levinson
Dr. Levinson is the Medical Director at Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Levinson joined TCCC from Richardson Regional Cancer Center, an affiliate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, where he was the Medical Director for the previous six years. Dr. Levinson graduated from Princeton University and completed his medical training at New York University. Both his residency and fellowship were completed at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Dr. Levinson is board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine.

Dr. Arun Mathew
Gastroenterology (Elizabeth)
Dr. Arun Mathew is a gastroenterologist who graduated from UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School, completed his residency in internal residency at Thomas Jefferson University, and his Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Lankenau Medical Center (Wynnewood, PA).

He is board-certified in internal medicine, and became board eligible in gastroenterology in 2019.

Dr. Prakriti Merchant
Gastroenterology (Elizabeth)
Dr. Prakriti Merchant is a gastroenterologist who graduated from St. George's University School of Medicine. Dr. Merchant's residency was completed at Norwalk Hospital (Norwalk, CT), along with the doctor's residency.

Dr. Merchant is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a member of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American Gastroenterology Association and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Boris Paskhover
Otolaryngology/ENT (Elizabeth)
Dr. Boris Paskhover is an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat surgery) who received his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NY), and did his residency in head and neck surgery at Yale University Hospital and Yale School of Medicine, and his fellowship in facial plastics and reconstructive surgery at NYU.

Dr. Paskhover has authored or co-authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, and delivered more than a dozen oral presentations at professional meetings. He has also contributed to more than a half-dozen book chapters, several non-peer-reviewed publications, and poster presentations at professional meetings.

He has also received more than a half-dozen honors and awards.

Dr. Nitin Patel
Urology (Elizabeth)
Dr. Nitin Patel is a urologist and graduate of test UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at UMDNJ as well. Dr. Patel is board-certified by the American Board of Urology since 2012, and is a member of both the American Medical Association and the American Urologic Association.

Dr. John Pepen
Surgery/Wound Care (Elizabeth)
Dr. John Pepen is a surgeon who specializes in surgery and post-operative wound care. A graduate of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Pepen also holds a Master's Degree from Princeton University (Public Policy/Domestic Politics).

Dr. Pepen is board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care, and is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Jack Perrone
OB-GYN (Elizabeth, Westfield)
Dr. Jack Perrone is an OB-GYN physician and graduate of UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Perrone is also a graduate of Rutgers University. He is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Mark Preston
OB-GYN (Elizabeth, Westfield)
Dr. Mark Preston is an OB-GYN physician. A Fellow of the American College of Gynecology and board-certified for female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and general obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Preston is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American Urogynecological Society; the International Urogynecological Association; the AAGL; and the New England Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

A graduate of Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Preston completed his residency at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital in New York. He received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Dr. Vincent Salerno
Dr. Salerno is a medical oncologist at Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center. He previously was in private practice as a partner in Hematology and Oncology of New Jersey, now a satellite office of TCCC in Union, N.J. Dr. Salerno is board-certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine.

Dr. Salvatore Savatta
Behavioral Health
Dr. Salvatore G. Savatta is the interim Chair of Behavioral Health and Psychiatry at Trinitas Regional Medical Center. Before arriving at Trinitas, Dr. Savatta was Director of Inpatient Psychiatry at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.

He has a BA in Economics from New York University (NYU), and a master's degree in biostatistics clinical research methods from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Savatta is also a graduate of the NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Savatta's residency in Psychiatry was at St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, and he also completed a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center/Western Psychiatric Institute. He is board-certified in Adult Psychiatry.

Dr. Adriana Suarez-Ligon
General Surgery (Elizabeth)
Dr. Adriana Suarez-Ligon is a graduate of the UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School. She completed her internship and residency at Rutgers/New Jersey Medical School, and a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA).

Dr. Suarez-Ligon is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the Society for Surgical Oncology, the American College of Surgeons and the Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University. She is also a mentor for the Columbia College Women.

Dr. Michael Viksjo
Gastroenterology (Elizabeth)

Dr. Michael Viksjo is a gastroenterologist, specializing in advanced endoscopic procedures, including Endoscopic Ultrasound with fine needle aspiration and therapeutic Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography.

He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine.

Dr. Viksjo's fellowship was completed at UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ. His gastroenterology residency was at Montefiore Medical Center's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.

He was inducted into the Leo M. Davidof Society for Outstanding Achievement as a House Officer in the Teaching of Medical Students.

Dr. Robert Weiss
Urology (Elizabeth)
Dr. Robert Weiss, a graduate of NYU School of Medicine, is a urologist whose urologic training was at Mount Sinai Medical School. His fellowship was completed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and he is Chief of Urology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

He has authored more than 60 publications and has presented at local, national and international meetings and urological conferences.

Dr. Weiss has been named among the Best Doctors in New Jersey (NJ Magazine), the Best Doctors in New York (NY Magazine), America's Top Doctors In Cancer, and is the recipient of a National Medical Award in Urology from the Kidney and Urology Foundation of America, and a Urology Teaching Award from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is also served in several capacities in the American Urological Association's New York Chapter.