Michele Frances Belding, MD

Dr Dimitar Ranev is a Board Certified General Surgeon. He completed his Surgical Residency at Hofstra/Northwell @ Staten Island University Hospital. He trained in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. Dr Ranev specializes in Minimally Invasive Surgery - Laparoscopic, Robotic and Endoscopic - to treat diseases of abdomen, including hernia, stomach, intestine, gallbladder and pancreas problems. His focus is on Bariatric (weight loss)and Metabolic (to treat Type 2 Diabetes) procedures.Dr Ranev is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He is an active member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons.

Abhisek Swaika, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist at Northwell Health, as well as an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. After attending Kasturba Medical College in India, followed by residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Dr. Swaika joined Queens Medical Associates, which became part of Northwell in 2020. Dr. Swaika was drawn towards oncology as it proved to be appealing and both as a quickly changing field and one that’s intellectually fascinating. He also likes how the field allows him to forge long-term, compassionate patient connections—bringing together the science and care he’s cultivated from the start. Queens Medical Associates, as a practice, provides culturally sensitive and cutting-edge care for the borough, and the connection with Northwell gives patients a community-focused practice with considerable resources, including access to clinical trials. “This is comprehensive, individualized care at its best,” he says. “You can have a huge team working for you and on your side, while still getting the one-on-one relationship with your oncologist.” That’s especially important with how much cancer takes a toll on both patients and families. “Recognizing that family members need support, too, is very important because this is a vulnerable time for everyone,” he says. “It can definitely be challenging, physically and emotionally, so with my team, I try to take some of that weight off patients and their loved ones.” Physicians and staff represent fluency in over 30 languages, an important part of making patients feel at ease. Dr. Swaika is fluent in Hindi and Bengali and appreciates the team-based approach at both the clinic and within Northwell. Often when he meets new patients and they realize he speaks their language and understands their culture, confidence in the treatment soars. “Patients just want to be heard and understood, on every level,” he says. “We’re able to provide that, and in a meaningful way.”