Jackson Heights Medical Oncology

Javier Roca, MD, specializes in hematology and oncology. Based in Queens, NY, Dr. Roca also sees patients at the Northwell Cancer Institute in Long Island. Dr. Roca is an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Roca was drawn to medicine because his father was a physician. He enjoys the challenge of hematology and oncology. Its a tough field, he says. Board certified in hematology, Dr. Roca received his medical degree from the University of Panama. He completed his residency at St. Johns Episcopal Hospital in Queens and fellowships at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center Moses Division. The group of hematologists and oncologists Dr. Roca works with is culturally diverse, reflecting the diversity of the Queens community they serve. All the physicians I work with have different backgrounds, including native speakers of Chinese, Hindi, Russian, and Korean, he says. As a Latin physician, Dr. Roca can speak to patients in Spanish and be in tune with cultural nuances. Its very satisfying that Im able to connect with my patients culturally, Dr. Roca says. I can relate to them, or they can relate to me, in both language and customs. Dr. Rocas support team includes physician assistants, medical assistants, and nurses. Our support team has always been magnificent, he says. Dr. Roca is excited about advances being made at the molecular level to better understand why certain cancers occur. Thats what excites me about this field, he says. Now things are changing spectacularly. The more that we learn, the more we can apply this knowledge, so we can get better treatments for our patients.

Jane Cho, MD, MPH, is a urologist and physician director of ultrasound at Northwell Health. Though she joined Northwell in 2016, her connection goes back further; her mother is a longtime nurse practitioner here.Because of my mother, I grew up around medicine, and Ive always wanted to do something of service to help people, she says. Initially, she was headed toward pediatrics or primary care, but a surgical rotation when she was a student at New York Medical College changed that trajectory. I just fell in love with urology, that seemed like the perfect fit for me.During her urology residency at University of California Irvine and fellowship at Indiana University Hospitals School of Medicine, she narrowed that focus to urologic oncology, which Dr. Cho appreciates for its ability to bring together numerous aspects of care, including innovative procedures like robotic surgery and meaningful patient relationships.In urology, you establish long-term connections with patients, and become part of their lives, she says. One thing I pride myself on is being able to clearly explain to each patient whats happening, counseling them on what their diagnosis means and what type of treatments are available. Communication and education are a big part of patient care. Dr. Cho is fluent in both Korean and Spanish in addition to English.Adding to her emphasis on patient care, Dr. Cho is an assistant professor of urology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. As associate program director for the residency program, she dedicates time each week to interacting with residents and medical students, to educate the next generation of urology specialists. She also serves on the physician council on diversity, work that is geared toward addressing the needs of the diverse patient population of New York City. Dr. Cho is a member of the tumor board at Northwell. The board includes numerous professionals such as medical oncologists and radiation oncologists who meet to discuss cases in an atmosphere of shared decision making. The emphasis is always on collaboration and relationships, which applies to bringing specialists together for patients, and also to building connections with patients in a way that best serves them, she says.