Edited by: TJVNews.com
John Boockvar, MD, the vice chair of neurosurgery and director of the Brain Tumor Center at Lenox Hill Hospital will assume two new leadership roles at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute — director of experimental research and head of research for the Western Region. Dr. Boockvar’s surgical expertise in brain tumors, and skull base and endoscopic pituitary surgery, coupled with his extensive research portfolio provide a strong foundation for the important work of advancing the health system’s clinical and research oncological goals.
In his role as director of experimental research, Dr. Boockvar will help develop novel approaches to clinical and translational research across all cancer modalities. He will also identify early-phase trial opportunities across the Cancer Institute. Dr. Boockvar will serve as a liaison between Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to help build collaborations with clinical investigators and scientists. Dr. Boockvar was also made an Adjunct Professor and Member of the Cancer Center at CSHL.
As head of research for the Cancer Institute’s Western Region – which encompasses Manhattan, Staten Island and Westchester – Dr. Boockvar will oversee the clinical research portfolio for the region’s cancer programs. He will advocate for the support, resources, and infrastructure needed to expand clinical research and develop multidisciplinary collaborations for trial development.
In addition to his post at Lenox Hill Hospital and the new Northwell-centered leadership roles, he also serves as professor of neurosurgery and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and as an investigator at the Laboratory of Brain Tumor Biology and Therapy at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.
Throughout his tenure at Northwell Health, Dr. Boockvar has made research a pivotal part of his practice, serving as a principal investigator in over 20 clinical trials. His expertise of brain tumors has led him to patent a Blood Brain Barrier Permeability Kit, which is designed to help bypass the brain’s natural defense mechanism that blocks the entry of life-saving chemotherapy. He has played a critical role in securing dozens of research grants to fund studies exploring novel ways to treat brain cancer. In addition to clinical and research work, Dr. Boockvar has published more than 180 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has delivered prestigious lectures on such topics as the brain science of peak performance, current treatment and future directions of treating glioblastoma and intraarterial chemotherapy to target the glioma stem cell niche.
Dr. Boockvar is the recipient of dozens of national awards and honors and has been consistently designated one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly since 2009. The National Institute of Health has presented him with the NCI Mentored Clinical Investor Award and Voices Against Cancer presented him with the Eric Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award for his compassionate work in treating patients with brain cancer. He is a member of several elite neursosurgical organizations, including the Senior Society of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Academy of Neurological Surgeons and the American Brain Tumor Association.
Prior to joining Northwell Health, Dr. Boockvar served in progressively senior clinical and academic roles at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Boockvar received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical School, which he graduated as a valedictorian. He completed his internship and went on to become the chief resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He also received a post doctorate degree in brain tumor and stem cell biology.
For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Boockvar please email ashaw7@northwell.edu or text 929-335-4467
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 850 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 80,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
