Daniel Alexander King, MD, PhD

Kit Cheng, MD, is the Program Director of the Medical Oncology and Hematology Fellowship Program for the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. In this role, she is committed to the recruitment and education of future generations of physicians. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, she is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. As an attending physician based at the Monter Cancer Center, Dr. Cheng specializes in breast cancer and gynecology oncology, namely cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and vaginal cancer. She is a principal investigator and sub principal investigator in multiple breast and gynecologic oncology clinical trials. She maintains an active medical practice focusing on compassionate, personalized, evidence-based multi-disciplinary care. Dr. Cheng earned her medical degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She trained in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at North Shore University Hospital where she was also Chief Fellow. Dr. Cheng is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is fluent in Cantonese and English.

Ruthee-Lu Bayer, MD, is the system head for stem cell transplant/cellular therapy at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, where she also directs the stem cell transplant/cellular therapy lab. She is also the clinical director of the Don Monti Adult Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant (BMT) Program at North Shore University Hospital. Under her direction, the BMT program received the prestigious Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) accreditation. Dr. Bayer was drawn to medicine because she was born with a condition that affected one of her legs, which is significantly shorter than the other. “I had 20 corrective surgeries as a child to help establish a more functional limb,” she says. “That is part of my reasoning behind pursuing a career in medicine.” Dr. Bayer received her medical degree from New York Medical College and did her residency and fellowship with Northwell Health. “At that point, I really found great fulfilment in cellular therapy and stem cell transplantation,” she says. Dr. Bayer has led the Northwell Health stem cell transplant/cellular therapy program since 2001. “It’s a highly specialized, complex process, and we’re a small team of highly competent, committed people that have continued to succeed,” she says. “The team members function seamlessly, and every day make one plus one equal three. We perform magic tricks, and we get the job done.” An associate professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Dr. Bayer has published extensively and speaks internationally about stem cell transplants and cellular therapy. She is an active member of the American Society of Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and has presented at its meetings. Dr. Bayer is a clinician in addition to being a researcher. “I can’t tell you how happy our patients are given the care that my team provides,” she says. “It is an honor and a privilege to care for these patients at such a critical time in their lives.”

Dr. Crina Vintila is an attending physician double board-certified in medical oncology and hematology, who has served the Long Island community for more than 20 years at the Don Monti Cancer Center at Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Cancer Institute, and most recently, at the Monter Cancer Center.Being part of the Northwell Health System for more than 2 decades, her practice has focused on delivering individualized, evidence-based patient care, in a multidisciplinary setting, with active participation in research trials. She takes special interest in breast, gastrointestinal, and hematologic malignancies. Dr.Vintila earned her medical degree at the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. She completed internal medicine training at the Weil Cornell / NY Hospital -Booth Memorial Medical Center, and her hematology and medical oncology fellowship at Winthrop University Hospital. Dr.Vintila is fluent in Romanian, Spanish and French.