Rutgers Cancer Institute physicians named as 'Top Doctor for Women's Health'

Several physicians at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have been named as a 'Top Doctor for Women's Health' by Inside Jersey magazine.

Each year, Inside Jersey releases a list of the state's top physicians devoted to women's healthcare. Under the direction of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., which publishes America's Top Doctors, peer nominations are reviewed and assessed by a physician-led research team. Attributes considered include board certification, medical education, training, hospital appointments, years in practice and professional achievements. Thousands of physicians and other healthcare professionals from across the state were asked to take part in the nomination process, resulting in the selection of 301 doctors for this year's honor.

"The complex nature of women's health issues - especially cancer - requires a comprehensive approach by doctors with a broad range of sub-specialty expertise. Such specialized care enables us to treat the disease with a tailored approach delivering the optimal, personalized treatment plan to each patient who walks through our doors. We are honored that our colleagues across the state recognize our dedication in providing such care," notes Rutgers Cancer Institute Chief Medical Officer Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD, who is the director of both the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center and the LPGA pros In the Fight to Eradicate breast cancer (LIFE) Center at the Institute, a professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and one of the doctors named to the 2016 listing.

Rutgers Cancer Institute physicians, who are also faculty members at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, named to this year's list are:

Joel K. Braver, MD, Medical Director, radiation oncology Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, radiation oncologist; specialty: prostate, breast and lung cancers
Darlene G. Gibbon, MD, Chief, Gynecologic Oncology; specialty: gynecologic cancers
Bruce G. Haffty, MD, Chair, Radiation Oncology; specialty: breast cancer
Thomas J. Kearney, MD, FACS, Director, Breast Care Services; specialty: breast cancer
Pauline M. Lerma, MD, medical oncologist, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton; specialty: breast cancer
Michael G. McKenna, MD, radiation oncologist; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton; specialty: prostate IMRT, breast cancer, and head and neck cancers
Lorna Rodriguez, MD, PhD, Director, Precision Medicine; specialty: gynecologic cancers
Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Director, Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center and LIFE Center; specialty: breast cancer