“A defining moment in my life was when my father was diagnosed with glioblastoma. At the time, we lived in New York’s Hudson Valley, and no area medical center offered treatment for a serious and complicated diagnosis like his. The only available therapy was in Manhattan, so at age 16, with just a learner’s permit, I drove my dad into the city to fight for his life while I maneuvered the George Washington Bridge as a novice driver,” says James P. Nitzkorski, MD, FACS, FSSO, a former Surgical Oncology Fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and now, a surgical oncologist at Nuvance Health and Program Director for the General Surgery Residency at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, both in Poughkeepsie, NY.

His father’s experience propelled Nitzkorski into becoming a warrior for his patients: During medical school rotations, he witnessed how a successful surgery could almost immediately change someone’s life for the better—an experience that directed Nitzkorski into choosing a surgical oncology fellowship after medical school.

“Fox Chase was my first choice because of their advanced training in minimally invasive surgery, a robust research infrastructure, and an excellent clinical staff that included collaboration with exceptional specialists like Dr. Jeffrey Farma, now Chair of the Department of Surgery at Fox Chase.”

In 2011, after Fellowship training, Nitzkorski returned to his roots in Poughkeepsie, New York, and joined Nuvance Health. “I was determined to develop a first-rate cancer center here so people could receive care close to home. Since then, we have grown into the largest cancer provider in the region, where I specialize in gastrointestinal and melanoma surgery,” says Nitzkorski. As Program Director for the General Surgery Residency, Nitzkorski teaches and guides 15 full-time surgical residents. And his involvement with clinical trials includes—with Dr. Farma’s encouragement—setting up an arm of the PROSPECT rectal cancer trial at Nuvance Health. “We also are only one of seven centers throughout New York State to meet the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) standards,” says Nitzkorski.

“Having lived through a fatal cancer diagnosis such as my father’s, I believe in providing hope for patients tempered with realistic expectations,” says Nitzkorski. Surgery can be a life force: Over just one afternoon, a surgeon can potentially eradicate a cancer or create a durable remission. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else,” says Nitzkorski.