In 1986 I moved to the United States seeking a career in Surgery. After my surgical intern year at Hackensack Hospital, I spent two years as a surgical resident at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, and then transferred to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit where I graduated from surgical residency in 1992 and then was accepted into the Vascular Fellowship and graduated in 1994.
That same year I moved back to New Jersey and became an Attending in the Department of Surgery at HackensackUMC. I was the first surgeon at Hackensack UMC to perform a successful open thoraco-abdominal aneurysm repair in 1995. Aside from abdominal aortic aneurysms, my practice thrived by specializing in carotid surgery and peripheral vascular arterial and venous disease. Starting in the year 2000, I began performing endovascular procedures, under the guidance and teachings of my now partner Gregory Simonian. In 2003 I founded “Bergen Surgical Specialists” and the group has been growing since. We are now performing advanced Vascular Surgery procedures in five hospitals in northern Jersey, and have plans to expand to more hospitals of the Hackensack Meridian Health Network.
I sit on many of the Hackensack UMC committees, and was President of the Medical Staff 2009 and then Chair of the Medical Executive Committee in 2010. Since 2006 I have been the Chief of Vascular Surgery and in 2011 became the Medical Director of the Vascular Lab. From 2011 to 2014 I held the position of Acting Co-Chair of the Department of Surgery and since 2015 I was named Department Vice-Chair. Presently I sit as the Co-Chair of the HackensackMeridian Health Medical Council Committee and as Chair of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Committee of the Board of Trustees of HackensackUMC. Over the years I have received many teaching awards from both the medical students and the surgical residents from UMDNJ and now Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Presently I hold the position of Assistant Clinical Professor of the Rutgers Medical School.
I am a passionate advocate of patient safety and firmly believe that the future lies in constantly improving the quality of care that we deliver. Every day I work to make this vision a reality.
In my spare time I am an amateur photographer and long distance motorcycle rider. I am blessed to share these hobbies with my lovely wife Susan and our three children.