Thomas Herzog, MD
Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology

Dr. Herzog, the newly appointed Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Professor of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics, joins us after spending 11 years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis where he most recently served as an Associate Professor, and the Director of the Fellowship Training Program. He graduated from medical school at the University of Cincinnati and completed his residency at Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati in 1990.  He moved to St. Louis and completed a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology in 1993. He is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. Clinical specialties include innovative cancer surgery, laparoscopy and colposcopy.  Dr. Herzog has conducted extensive research on tumor suppressor genes, molecular genetics, cytokines and pre-invasive cervical cancer.  As an active participant in the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), he has a keen interest in applying the principles learned from the lab to the clinical setting. He is a Principal Investigator in a number of GOG trials with a special emphasis in ovarian cancer. Dr. Herzog has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and lectures extensively.

William M. Burke, MD

Columbia welcomes back alum, Dr. William Burke, to the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. After completing both his undergraduate and medical training at Columbia, Dr. Burke pursued a fellowship in 2000 at the University of Michigan before joining their faculty in 2003. Dr. Burke's clinical interests include novel chemotherapeutic combinations and chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer and minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery for gynecologic malignancies. Dr. Burke's research has involved Topotecan consolidation therapy in women with stage III or IV ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer. While at the University of Michigan, Dr. Burke and his colleagues published some of the first reports describing the use of the DaVinci® Surgical System for completing laparoscopic myomectomies and gynecologic cancer stagings. He is currently actively involved with training both gynecologists and gynecologic oncologists around the country in robotic surgical techniques. Dr. Burke's recent national presentations include video demonstrations on "Reliable Extracorporeal Drainage Without Spill of Large Ovarian Masses Via Mini-Laparotomy With a Flexible Wound Retractor" and "Laparoscopic Radical Hysterectomy". Dr. Burke has earned recognition for presentations including the best gynecology video award for "Resectionof a Rectovaginal Nodule with the daVinci Surgical System" and the Basic Science Award for his paper on "Inhibition of the consititutively active stat signal pathway in human ovarian cancer cells. "He has also won numerous teaching awards both at Michigan and Columbia. Dr. Burke is currently based out of the Columbia-affiliated Valley Hospital.

Carmel J. Cohen, MD

We are honored to welcome Dr. Carmel Cohen, former Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Dr. Cohen founded the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Mount Sinai and served as its chairman for more than 25 years. He is a Professor of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Over the span of his career he has served in leadership roles in the fields of Obstetrics and Gynecologic and Gynecologic Oncology. He is a past President of the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society and serves on its national committees.  Dr. Cohen is a past president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. He is the current Chairman of the Board of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee. He chaired the group that rewrote the American Cancer Society national guidelines on cervical cancer screening and has chaired the Gynecologic Advisory Committee. He now serves on the National Board of Directors and chairs the Eastern Strike Force to improve access to care. His past research demonstrated the utility of platinum drugs in treating ovarian cancer and cytotoxic drugs in the treatment of endometrial cancer.  Dr. Cohen has published extensively and trained numerous fellows who have become leaders in the field.

Carmel Cohen has also recently been made a National Board Member for the American Cancer Society and has been appointed Chair of the Gyncecologic Cancer Advisory group for the National Board. In addition he is the Co-Chair of the Strike force for Access to Care for the Eastern Division and the Medical Spokesperson for the Manhattan Region. He has recently been featured on T.V. to explain the new system of symptom profiling in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and has been made Director of Research for the Ovarian Research Fund.

Jason D. Wright, MD

Dr. Wright joins Columbia University Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology after completing a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine's Barnes Jewish Hospital. He completed his Internship and Residency at the same hospital and, prior to that, attended the University of Missouri for both undergraduate studies and medical school. Dr. Wright is a Junior Fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and has won numerous research and teaching awards. Dr. Wright has had over 30 articles published in medical journals and is the author of numerous chapters and textbooks. His research focuses on ovarian and cervical cancer. Dr. Wright is currently involved in a number of trials evaluating novel chemotherapeutic agents and treatment strategies for women with gynecologic cancers. Other areas of ongoing research include studies to determine the optimal management of women with early stage cervical cancer and recurrent ovarian cancer. Dr. Wright’s laboratory work focuses on ovarian cancer angiogenesis and the development of novel compounds to inhibit cancer progression. Dr. Wright sees women with all gynecologic cancers and in addition has a strong interest in minimally invasive surgery, pelvic reconstructive surgery and the management of women with hereditary cancer syndromes.