Dr. Nabil P. Rizk

Dr. Rizk is Division Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Chief of Thoracic Oncology at the John Theurer Cancer Center. Every new referral receives high-resolution chest CT, brain MRI, and broad next-generation sequencing; these data feed a multidisciplinary board that integrates surgery, systemic therapy, and survivorship planning before any incision is made. 

 

His research rewrote peri-operative care for thoracic malignancies. Early work at Memorial Sloan Kettering defined quality-of-life trajectories after minimally invasive versus open esophagectomy, while recent prospective trials validated serum and tissue mesothelin as markers that track esophageal-adenocarcinoma burden. Current studies explore menin inhibition in KRAS-co-mutated lung tumors and ctDNA-directed timing of resection.

 

Dr. Rizk mentors residents in evidence-based cost containment, drawing on his MPH in health-policy to shrink postoperative length of stay and reduce readmissions across New Jersey partner hospitals. Community screening days in Paterson and Jersey City offer bilingual risk counseling and low-dose CT, underscoring his view that precision surgery must travel with equitable access.