Northwell Health Cancer Institute Appoints New Leader in Cancer Services

Richard R. Barakat, MD

Richard R. Barakat, MD

Northwell Health Cancer Institute has appointed Richard R. Barakat, MD, to lead all cancer services and research. Barakat will serve as physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, senior vice president of the health system’s Cancer Service Line, and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Northwell Health conducted a nationwide search to fill this position. The institute treats more than 19,000 new cancer patients annually with more than 200 academic oncologists and clinicians on staff. Barakat will be joining at a most crucial time for cancer in the metropolitan area, which he has now called home for 25 years.

Barakat is an internationally recognized surgeon and clinical investigator specializing in robotic and laparoscopic treatment of uterine cancer and radical debulking procedures for ovarian cancer. For most of his 27 years at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in Manhattan, he served as director and vice chair of MSK’s regional care network and affiliations, and the Ronald O. Perelman Chair in Gynecologic Surgery.

During his time at MSK, he oversaw the care of thousands of patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. Serving as the chief of the gynecology service from 2001 to 2013, he was the lead investigator on several influential research projects. One project compared the benefits of laparoscopic versus standard surgery risk factors for the development of symptomatic lymphadenectomy for gynecologic cancer.

Barakat will assume his position at Northwell Health on April 30, 2018. In addition, he will also work closely with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as a strategic affiliation for future cancer research and treatment collaborations.

“I am delighted to have been offered this incredible opportunity to join New York State’s largest health care provider and impact the care of thousands of patients with cancer,” Barakat said in a statement from Northwell Health.