Makram Gedeon, MD

Yi Cai, MD is an Assistant Professor and Director of Sleep Surgery at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She is driven by the desire to improve patients’ sleep through innovative clinical and research approaches. As one of the few fellowship-trained sleep surgeons in the New York City area, Dr. Cai has expertise in the diagnosis and surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). She devotes significant attention to upper airway evaluation in personalizing treatment for her patients and offers the full spectrum of surgical sleep apnea care, ranging from nasal and pharyngeal surgery to skeletal surgery to hypoglossal nerve stimulation (Inspire therapy). Dr. Cai received her undergraduate degree with honors from Harvard College and her medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she was awarded the Coakley Memorial Prize and Donald M. Palatucci Prize. She then completed her residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. There, she led quality improvement initiatives as a chief resident, received a Patient Care Fund Award, and served as Co-Chair of the UCSF Resident and Fellow’s Council. Dr. Cai then completed fellowship training in both Sleep Medicine and Sleep Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was selected to attend the AASM Young Investigators Research Forum. Since specializing in sleep surgery, Dr. Cai has given several presentations at the premier global conferences in otolaryngology, sleep medicine, and sleep surgery. As one of <10 fellowship-trained sleep surgeons in the nation with active, peer-reviewed grant funding for sleep apnea research, Dr. Cai’s clinical expertise is uniquely strengthened by her academic experience. She is dedicated to advancing the field of sleep apnea surgery through novel therapeutic target identification and research on the cardiometabolic outcomes of OSA surgery. For this work, Dr. Cai has been supported by competitive grants from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Triological Society, American Heart Association, and Columbia Technology Ventures, as well as awards at international conferences. Additional research interests and ongoing projects include the use of wearable technologies and applying shared decision-making to enhance care in OSA. Dr. Cai has also served on hospital and national academic committees, mentored numerous medical trainees, and reviewed articles for various research journals. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed research articles and textbook chapters, including first-author publications in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, SLEEP, and the leading otolaryngology textbooks.

Dr. Joseph Riad is a Colon and rectal surgeon with expertise in the full spectrum of benign and malignant colorectal diseases including colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, anorectal disorders and pelvic floor conditions, as well as minimally invasive procedures. He is experienced in Robotic surgery. He has special interest in colon and rectal cancer, having done an advanced fellowship in colorectal oncology. Dr. Riad is board Certified from the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Colorectal Surgery. Dr. Riad obtained his medical degree with highest honors from Cairo University School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt, followed by General surgery residency at Cairo University hospitals. He then finished a surgical internship at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, followed by a general surgery residency at New York Medical College, Metropolitan Hospital in New York. Dr. Riad then completed a Colon and Rectal surgery fellowship at Mount Carmel Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio followed by one year of Advanced Colorectal Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He then worked in Florida for two years before joining the New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.