Dr. Rajiv Datta Listed Again in “Top Doctors: New York Metro Area Guide”

(SANEPR.com) April 15, 2009 -- Oceanside, NY, April 14, 2009 – Prominent surgical oncologist Rajiv Datta, MD, has been selected for inclusion in the 12th edition of Top Doctors: New York Metro Area. This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Datta will be included in the acclaimed guide from Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., which spotlights the top 10 percent of primary specialty care physicians in the tri-state New York area.

“I am honored to be selected by my peers to be listed in this well-respected guide of the very best doctors in the area,” said Dr. Datta, who is listed in the “General Surgery” section of the guide. “This achievement and the quality of the care my patients receive is directly attributable to the Cancer Program’s team of oncologists, nurses, technicians, and administrators as well as South Nassau’s commitment to providing the communities it serves with world-class, compassionate cancer care.”

Dr. Datta, who was recently appointed president of the Nassau County Surgical Society, is medical director of the Cancer Program and chairman of the Department of Surgery at South Nassau Communities Hospital.

Doctors listed in Castle Connolly’s “top doctors” series of guides are selected after peer nomination, extensive research and careful review and screening. The Castle Connolly physician-led research team reviews the medical education, training, hospital appointments, disciplinary history and more of each nominee. Doctors do not pay to be included in a Castle Connolly guide or list.

“Dr. Datta has an unparalleled level of surgical expertise and is recognized for the rapport he establishes with patients and his attentiveness to their needs and concerns,” said Joseph A. Quagliata, president and CEO of South Nassau. “I am certain that under the leadership of Dr. Datta the Nassau Surgical Society will achieve its objectives and fulfill its mission.”

Dr. Datta’s areas of expertise include cancer of the breast, colon/rectum, endocrine system and head and neck; soft tissue sarcoma and melanoma; upper gastrointestinal and colorectal procedures; tracheal and esophageal surgeries and radio frequency ablation for liver tumors. Dr. Datta also participants in extensive clinical trials that are both federally and privately funded. The focus of his research is finding promising new investigational drugs that will effectively treat many forms of cancer, including melanoma as well as those of the breast, lung, colon, prostate and pancreas.

Dr. Datta joined South Nassau in 2001 and is recognized as one of the leading head and neck surgeons in the U.S., as well as an internationally known leader in surgical oncology. He was awarded the 2006 Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. In 2005, he was awarded a Fellowship in the International College of Surgeons and served as South Nassau’s Cancer Liaison Physician to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Prior to joining South Nassau, Dr. Datta was director of surgical oncology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.

A graduate of Grant Medical College in Bombay, India, he has trained at some of the most prestigious surgical oncology and head and neck surgery programs in the world, including Tata Memorial Hospital, the largest cancer center in Asia; and England’s Royal College of Surgeons, where he achieved Fellowship. Following his stay at the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr. Datta continued his training with a Research Fellowship at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This was followed by a rare opportunity for a dual Fellowship in head and neck oncology and surgical oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Datta is a resident of Muttontown, NY.

South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 875 physicians and 2,600 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute–care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center, boasts Long Island’s first Gamma Knifeâ and provides angioplasty in an emergency or as an elective procedure. South Nassau is designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.