Abhinav Agrawal, MD

Sanford Dubner, MD, a specialist in head and neck endocrine surgery, began his career at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and has been there ever since. He began practicing surgery in 1990, after receiving his medical degree from SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine and residencies and fellowships at NYU Langone Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He’s been chosen as a Top Doctor numerous times by Castle Connolly, Newsday, and New York Magazine. Dr. Dubner was always interested in medicine as he grew up. In medical school, he was on track to specialize in ear, nose and throat conditions, until he learned about the pathophysiology of head and neck tumors, particularly those related to the thyroid and parathyroid, and he was hooked. Meeting and training with some of the foremost head and neck surgeons in the country deepened his interest and expertise and led him to bring innovative procedures to Northwell. Most notably, over the past three decades, Dr. Dubner has helped increase the use of minimally invasive head and neck surgeries, as well as more active surveillance, which means less surgery overall. At this point, about 75 percent of these surgeries at Northwell are ambulatory, he says, which means patients can often go home the same day. “This leads to quicker recovery, the ability to go back to work sooner, less pain, and the ability to do additional treatments sooner if those are needed,” he says. “Northwell is a leader in innovative procedures. We have one of the premiere pathology departments in the country, which means better patient outcomes.” Dr. Dubner appreciates the ability to offer his patients lifelong care. Rather than operating on patients and then sending them to another doctor for follow-up, he gets to know them and their families, and sees them over years of care, building a strong and meaningful patient-doctor relationship. Another advantage, he says, is the collaborative nature of Northwell. “Medicine is continually evolving, and a doctor can’t operate in a silo, because that limits his or her ability,” he says. “Here, we value interaction with a range of specialists. We are an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of thyroid, parathyroid, and salivary gland disease, and we’re right here, where you live.”

Antonio Alfonso, MD, is vice chair of surgery and director of surgical education at Northwell Health. He specializes in head and neck endocrine surgery and sees patients with thyroid and parathyroid tumors. Dr. Alfonso’s father, a surgeon and academic, had a big influence on his son’s career choice. “My father was disciplined and ethical, and the type of doctor I wanted to be,” he says. Today, Dr. Alfonso has more than 50 years of surgical experience behind him and has trained hundreds of surgical residents. Dr. Alfonso earned his medical degree at the University of the Philippines and completed his residency in general surgery at Temple University Hospital. He continued his training with a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He arrived at Northwell in 2017 from State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center, where he was a distinguished teaching professor and Clarence & Mary Dennis chair of the department of surgery. The safe and effective surgical removal of thyroid and parathyroid tumors with excellent cosmetic results is Dr. Alfonso’s standard of care. He values team-based treatment plans and routinely works with nuclear medicine imaging specialists, endocrinologists, other head and neck surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. They meet on a weekly basis to discuss strategies for managing especially complex tumors. Dr. Alfonso has served in numerous regional and national leadership positions; he has served as governor-at-large of the American College of Surgeons and as president of the New York Surgical Society, New York Head and Neck Society, Tri-Borough Directors of Surgery Association and president of the New York Cancer Society. Dr. Alfonso has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and textbook chapters. Earlier in his career, he was instrumental in developing bloodless surgery for cancer patients, an approach that avoids blood transfusions during procedures. He has also received the distinction of meeting the Castle Connelly Top Doctor criteria for 20 consecutive years. For Dr. Alfonso, establishing long-term relationships with his patients is one of the best parts of his job. “I really get to know people,” he says. “In fact, patients from years ago call me up—I still have the same cell phone number—asking me to see a family member. That’s the type of practice I have.”