WCC News - November 2012
Carla Casulo, M.D.
Carla Casulo, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, joins the Wilmot Cancer Center faculty from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, where she was a fellow in hematology and oncology from 2008 – 2012.
After receiving her undergraduate degree at Hunter College, Casulo was awarded her medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate in Brooklyn, New York. She later completed her internship, residency and chief residency at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Casulo has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the John W. Bracket Housestaff Teaching Award at Yale University School of Medicine, the Mortimer Latcher Fellowship Award from the Lymphoma Foundation, the John Calabresi Career Development Award from the National Institutes of health, and an American Society of Hematology Abstract Achievement Award. She has presented her work in lymphoma at both national and international levels and is a member of the American Society of Hematology and American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Casulo's research experience and areas of interest include newly diagnosed and relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and peripheral T cell lymphoma. In addition to being board-certified in medical oncology and hematology, she is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Sughosh Dhakal, M.D.
Sughosh Dhakal begins his appointment as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology following his 2011-12 experience as Chief Resident for the department. Dhakal, who earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 2003, is also a graduate of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Following a transitional year internship at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA, Dhakal returned to URMC, where he completed his residency.
In 2012, Dhakal received a High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy Scholarship from the American Brachytherapy Society. He is also the recipient of the Roentgen Resident Research Award, from the RSNA Research and Education Foundation; and the Resident Research Award from the Upstate New York Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology.
He specializes in the treatment of lymphomas and sarcomas, as well as all pediatric malignancies including brain tumors. Dhakal is proficient in the application of stereotactic intracranial and body radiosurgery for primary or metastatic disease, as well as total body irradiation for stem cell transplantation. He also practices at Highland Hospital, where he accepts referalls for all disease sites, with a focus on gynecologic malignancies.
Rachel Farkas, M.D.
Rachel Leah Farkas, M.D. has been appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery. She will see patients at both Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital.
Dr. Farkas received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stern College, Yeshiva University in New York City. She then went on to earn her medical degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.
From 2004 to 2007, Dr. Farkas completed an internship in general surgery at UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the remainder of her clinical studies at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. She finished her residency in general surgery at URMC, where she also served as chief surgical resident from 2010 to 2011. Most recently, Dr. Farkas was a clinical fellow in breast surgery at URMC.
Dr. Farkas is licensed to practice medicine in the states of New York and California and is certified by the American Board of Surgery. She is a member of professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Breast Surgery, Association of Women Surgeons and American Medical Association.
In addition to authoring numerous publications, Dr. Farkas has presented at the local and national levels on topics related to surgical oncology and breast disease, among others. Her research interests focus on the importance of multidisciplinary care and disparities in surgical outcomes for breast cancer patients. Dr. Farkas is also fluent in Hebrew.
Eric S. Kim, M.D.
Eric S. Kim, MD, comes to the Wilmot Cancer Center following a Hematology and Oncology fellowship at another of the nation’s leading cancer centers, the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Center. After completing his undergraduate degree at Brown University in 2002, Kim earned his medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2006. From there, he completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center and, ultimately, his fellowship at MD Anderson.
Kim is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including a Martin Brandfonbrener Scholarship from Vanderbilt, A Merit Award at the 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting, a GlaxoSmithKline Outstanding Clinical Scholar Award, a Cancer Education Consortium Molecular and Translational Oncology Scholarship and the A. Lavoy Moore Endowment Fund for Lung Cancer Research.
Kim’s areas of clinical and research interest include non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma and head&neck cancer. He is also interested in developing and conducting clinical trials for patients with these malignancies.
Jason Mendler, M.D, Ph.D.
Jason Mendler, MD, Ph.D., returns to URMC, where he earned his medical degree in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Genetics in 2004, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology division. After earning his medical degree, he remained at URMC, completing his internship and residency at Strong Memorial Hospital. He subsequently completed a two-year fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center prior to returning to the Wilmot Cancer Center.
Mendler’s honors included the James V. Warren Award for accomplishments as the most outstanding research fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Ohio State University, and the Raphael Dolin Resident Research Award for dedication to patient care, critical scholarship, and teaching at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine.
His clinical and research interests include Acute Leukemias, CML, Myelodysplastic syndromes, and Myeloproliferative disorders.