Kamini Shah, MD

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. “It’s 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. John’s 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. “It’s very satisfying that I’m 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. Roca’s 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. “That’s 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.”

Malvina Fulman, MD, is a medical oncologist and hematologist with an interest in breast cancer. She practices at Northwell Health Cancer Institute Queens Medical Associates, a group of eight oncologists and a palliative care doctor. The doctors and staff within this group speak more than 10 languages, which helps them to accommodate the cultural diversity of Queens. Dr. Fulman speaks Russian, Georgian and English.The idea behind our group is to help our patients in the best possible way, Dr. Fulman says. It's much easier when you can relate to your doctor in the same language. We understand not only the medical part. We also understand the cultural part, so we can address those issues as well.Dr. Fulman was inspired to become a doctor after an aunt died of breast cancer when Dr. Fulman was 14. You want to help your family and to help other people as well, she says.After finishing her medical education at Tbilisi State Medical Institute in Georgia, she completed an internship at Republican Hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia, and a residency and fellowship at Cabrini Medical Center/ Mount Sinai School of Medicine.Dr. Fulman is board certified in medical oncology and hematology. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and belongs to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and she has a teaching appointment at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.One of the best parts of Dr. Fulman's job is seeing her patients reach milestones with their families graduations, weddings, and anniversaries. I enjoy when I go to work and see patients who came to me five, 10, 15, 20 years ago, and they're still around and they're still okay, Dr. Fulman says. It's really special.