Meet Our Team
The Rectal Cancer Clinic multidisciplinary team includes highly skilled, very experienced board-certified doctors: colorectal surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gastroenterologists, and diagnostic radiologists. Our team also includes experienced oncology nurse practitioners and oncology nurses, medical assistants, and professional support staff.
A key member of our team is our clinic's nurse practitioner, an experienced and caring professional who will be your primary contact with us. We consider you and the members of your family to be important, fully participating members of the care team, as well.
We also offer the services of oncology social workers to help you and your loved ones cope with any psychological or social issues that may arise as a result of your diagnosis or treatment.
All members of our team are dedicated to providing personalized, compassionate, state-of-the-art care. We all have extensive experience caring for and treating patients with rectal cancer. We work in close collaboration with each other and communicate with you and your referring physician to ensure that you benefit from well-coordinated, multidisciplinary care tailored to your unique situation and needs.
COLORECTAL SURGERY
Deborah A. Nagle, MD
Chief, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
617-667-4170
Dr. Nagle earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. After completing an internship and residency in general surgery at the Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, she did a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, also in Philadelphia. Dr. Nagle is board-certified in both surgery and colon and rectal surgery, and is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Nagle's clinical interests include laparoscopic and robotic surgery for colon and rectal cancer, diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colon polyps. Dr. Nagle is nationally recognized for her specialty expertise and vast experience in minimally invasive approaches to treating rectal cancer, colon cancer, and other disorders.
Her primary research interests are colorectal cancer outcomes and the development of evidence-based pathways to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of patient care.
Dr. Nagle's CV
Vitaliy Y. Poylin, MD
617-667-4159
Dr. Poylin received his MD from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Prior to earning his BS from the University of Massachusetts, he attended Vinnitsa Medical Institute and also received a BSN from Kiev Nursing School, in Ukraine. He completed a research fellowship and his general surgery residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a fellowship in colorectal surgery at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Poylin is an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and is board-certified in surgery and in colon and rectal surgery.
Dr. Poylin's clinical interests include laparoscopic and robotic surgery for colon and rectal cancer, diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colon polyps. His research focuses on the role of neuropeptides in inflammatory bowel disease and post-operative ileus, and outcomes following open or minimally invasive colectomy.
Dr. Poylin's CV
MEDICAL ONCOLOGY
Michael A. Goldstein, MD
617-667-4852
"Dr. Goldstein received his MD from Washington University. He did his residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, completed a fellowship in hematology at Boston City Hospital, and served in the Cancer Chemotherapy Office of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Dr. Goldstein is board-certified in internal medicine and in medical oncology, and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Goldstein's clinical interest is medical oncology, with a special focus on gastrointestinal and thoracic cancers. He is actively involved in clinical research within the Division of Hematology-Oncology.
Dr. Goldstein's CV
RADIATION ONCOLOGY
Elena A. Nedea, MD
617-667-2345
After receiving her MD from the University of Alberta, Canada, Dr. Nedea completed an internship and residency in radiation oncology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She did a fellowship in radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. An Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Nedia is board-certified in radiation oncology.
Dr. Nedea's clinical interests include colorectal, breast, and thoracic radiation oncology. Her research interests include partial breast irradiation for breast cancer and PET assessment for lung cancer.
Dr. Nedea's CV
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY-COLORECTAL
Robert A. Kane, MD
Jonathan B. Kruskal, MD, PhD
Koenraad Mortele, MD
Vassilios Raptopoulos, MD
Martin P. Smith, MD
Maryellen Sun, MD
Jesse L. Wei, MD
PATHOLOGY
Lawrence F. Brown, MD
Tracy L. Challies, MD
Jeffrey D. Goldsmith, MD
Robert Najarian, MD
Helen H. Wang, MD
GASTROENTEROLOGY
Ram Chuttani, MD
Douglas K. Pleskow, MD
Mandeep S. Sawhney, MD
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Jeanne Quinn, MS, APRN-BC
Ms. Quinn (right) has been a nurse at BIDMC since 1989. She completed her master's degree at Simmons College with subsequent certification as a nurse practitioner in 1998. She has worked with patients in the BIDMC Divisions of Trauma, Orthopedics, Anesthesia, and Colon and Rectal Surgery. Her goal is to ensure that every patient feels supported, informed, and respected.
Kristin Messer, MS, APRN-BC
Ms. Messer (below, right) has been a nurse at BIDMC since 1984. She completed her master's degree at Northeastern University in 1993 and earned a post master's certificate as a nurse practitioner from the University of Massachusetts in 2011. She has cared for patients in the BIDMC divisions of Medicine, Radiology, Home Care, Anesthesia, and Colon and Rectal Surgery since 2011.
NURSES
Oncology Nurse
Chantal Paul, RN
Wound/Ostomy Nurses
Paula Hayes, RN, CWON
A. Murray Corliss, RN, CWOCN
Janice Cunnane, RN, CWOCN
Therese Pare, RN, CWOCN