About Us

Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk

Nelya Melnitchouk, MD, MSc, FACS — Founder/CEO/President. She is a board-certified practicing surgeon specializing in the field of colorectal surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, USA, as well as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. She is the Program Director for the Colorectal Surgery Fellowship and leads the Program in Peritoneal Surface Malignancy at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Serguei Melnitchouk

Serguei Melnitchouk, MD, MPH, FACS — Founder/Chairman. He is a board-certified cardiac surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and specializes in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Dr. Melnitchouk is assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is director of Heart Valve Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Darya Kizub

Darya Kizub MD — Director, Medical Oncology. She is a hematology/oncology fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, United States. She received a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and her M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Galyna Shabat

Galyna Shabat, MD, MSc, PhD — Director, Patient Education, GMKA Ukraine. She is board-certified general surgeon and endoscopist in Italy. She graduated from Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University with MD degree. She was assistant professor and practicing surgeon at IFNMU. She completed fellowships at IRCAD and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Ali Dzemiliev

Ali Dzhemiliev, MD — Director, HealUA. He is a general surgeon. Dr. Dzhemiliev graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv and completed surgical residency at Shalimov National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology, Kyiv, Ukraine. He worked as a part-time Faculty at Institute of Biology and Medicine at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Dr. Solomiia Semeniv

Solomiia Semeniv, MD — Director, Surgical Education, GMKA Ukraine. She is general surgery resident at the University Hospital in Krakow. She graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv. Dr. Semeniv done her residency in pediatric surgery and endoscopy at the National Children's Specialized Hospital “Ohmatdyt” in Kyiv.

Dr. Inesa Huivaniuk

Inesa Huivaniuk, MD — Editor in Chief, GMKA Ukraine. She is a surgeon at the National Cancer Institute and Dobrobut Clinic. She obtained her MD from Bogomolets National Medical University and completed residency in surgery at Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine. She is specializing in surgical oncology with focus on hepatobiliary and colorectal malignancies.

Mark Shneyderman

Mark Shneyderman, BS — Project Manager. He is a healthcare consultant at Accenture working with health systems to promote value-based care initiatives, redesign care models, and increase care access opportunities. He received a B.S. in Neuroscience and Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is currently applying to medical school, expecting to matriculate in August of 2023.

Dr. Vanessa M. Welten

Vanessa M. Welten, MD, MPH — Director, Patient Education. She is a clinical fellow in surgery at Harvard Medical School and a general surgery resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Brown University. She received both her Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Stephanie Cohen

Stephanie Cohen, MD — Director, Visual Communication. She is an artist and current general surgery resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Cohen earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from Tufts University and B.F.A. in Studio Art from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts prior to completing medical school at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. Polina Zmijewski

Polina Żmijewski, MD — Director, Development. She is a board- certified general surgeon currently practicing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed her general surgery residency training at Brown University. She is spezialising in Breast and Endocrine Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Nataliia Serbyn

Nataliia Serbyn, Ph.D — Director, Supplies and Logistics. She studied biology at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (BS) and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (MS). She obtained graduate education at the University of Geneva in Switzerland and currently is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Tetyana Pavlishevska

Tetyana Pavlishevska, MD — Medical Translator. She is physician and infectious disease specialist in Ternopil. She graduated from Ternopil State Medical University.

Dr. Serhii Frolov

Serhii Frolov, MD — Director, Translations. He is an obstetrics and gynecology physician in Kyiv. He is obtaining his PhD at Shupyk national healthcare university of Ukraine. He graduated from the Bogomolets National Medical University in 2019. He is experienced medical translator in multiple languages and lead multiple large translating initiatives in Ukraine.

Dr. Svitlana Bielichenko

Svitlana Bielichenko, MD — Moderator, HealUA She is a Personal Care Assistant at a Hebrew SeniorLife Home Care, Boston, MA. She graduated from Danylo Halytsky National Medical University in Lviv, Ukraine.

Caroline Price

Caroline Price — Project Manager. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Science from the University of Vermont and has since found a passion for patient advocacy since joining Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2020 as Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk’s Senior Administrative Assistant. She is a dedicated healthcare professional who provides administrative and operational support to the organization.

Dr. Serguei Melnitchouk

Serguei Melnitchouk, MD, MPH, FACS — Founder/Chairman. He is a board-certified cardiac surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and specializes in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Dr. Melnitchouk is assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is director of Heart Valve Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk

Nelya Melnitchouk, MD, MSc, FACS — Founder/CEO/President. She is a board-certified practicing surgeon specializing in the field of colorectal surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, USA, as well as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. She is the Program Director for the Colorectal Surgery Fellowship and leads the Program in Peritoneal Surface Malignancy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Jennifer Davids

Jennifer Davids MD, MSc — Board Member/Editor. She is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where she serves as the Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship. She is board-certified practicing colorectal surgeon and national leader in the field.

Dr. Ivanka Kovalyshyn

Ivanka Kovalyshyn, DO — Board Member/Editor She is board-certified practicing dermatologist and dermatopathologist. She graduated from Queens College (City University of New York). Her medical degree was obtained from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed residency in dermatology and fellowship in dermatopathology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Mihir Naik

Mihir Naik, DO — Board Member. He is a Board Certified Radiation Oncologist who practices at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He went to medical school at Midwestern University – Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL and went on to complete his radiation oncology residency training at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Miruna. P. Burk

Miruna. P. Burk — Managing Director and Client Account Lead, Accenture.

Andriy Beznosenko, MD

Dr. Andriy Beznosenko — Chief Medical Officer, National Cancer Institute, Ukraine. President of the Ukrainian Society of Medical Oncology.

Oleksandr Linchevskyy, MD

Dr. Oleksandr Linchevskyy — Former Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine (2016-2019), Thoracic and Trauma Surgeon. At the Ministry of Health he was responsible for the medical education in Ukraine and was instrumental in dissemination of principles of evidence-based medicine.

Julie Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO

Julie Gralow, MD — Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Dr. Faina Nakhlis

Dr. Faina Nakhlis — Breast Cancer editor. She is a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, and Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. She is also an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Nakhlis received her medical degree from Rush Medical College and then completed a general surgery residency and breast surgery fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Her clinical and research interests include lobular neoplasia, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), local therapy for metastatic locally advanced breast cancer and the surgical management of premalignant breast lesions.

Dr. George Molina

Dr. George Molina — HPB Malignancy editor. He is an Associate Surgeon in the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and a Staff Surgeon in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. His practice is devoted to clinical care, teaching, and research. Dr. Molina's clinical practice consists of treating patients with hepatopancreatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancers. His research is in health systems innovation to improve safety, quality, and equity in surgical care.

Dr. Emily Keung

Dr. Emily Keung — Sarcoma editor. She is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Keung received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and completed her general surgery residency and surgical critical care fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital and fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Keung’s clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with soft tissue sarcomas and her primary research focus has been to investigate the role of immunotherapy for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.

Dr. Elizabeth Lilley

Dr. Elizabeth Lilley — Palliative Care editor. She is complex general surgical oncology fellow at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received her medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and her masters degree in public health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. She began her general surgery residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson and completed her training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She completed hospice and palliative medicine training at the combined Massachusetts General Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship.

Dr. Elie Rassy

Dr. Elie Rassy — Cancer of Unknown Primary editor. He is a medical oncologist with clinical and research activity at Gustave Roussy, one of the world’s leading cancer-research institutes and the largest comprehensive cancer center in Europe. He holds a master’s degree in Methodology and Statistics in Biomedical Research from Paris-Sud University and a master’s degree in Biological and Medical Sciences from Saint Joseph University. His research focuses on precision oncology and early-stage cancer treatments. He has a special interest in cancers of unknown primary and has published many papers and book chapters on this topic.

Dr. Jennifer Davids

Dr. Jennifer Davids — Colorectal Cancer editor. She is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where she serves as the Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship. She is board-certified practicing colorectal surgeon and national leader in the field.

Dr. Ivanka Kovalyshyn

Dr. Ivanka Kovalyshyn — Cutaneous Malignancy editor. She is board-certified practicing dermatologist and dermatopathologist. She graduated from Queens College (City University of New York). Her medical degree was obtained from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed residency in dermatology and fellowship in dermatopathology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Rossanna Pezo

Dr. Rossanna Pezo is a Cutaneous Malignancy editor. She is a Medical Oncologist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with a clinical practice focused on the care of patients with melanoma and breast cancer. She is a Clinician Investigator and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. A key focus of Dr. Pezo’s research is investigating novel therapeutics and methods for enhancing drug delivery to tumors to create a more personalized approach to treat melanoma and breast cancer. Improving our understanding of the immune system and molecular pathways involved in cancer will lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for advanced solid tumors.

Dr. Darya Kizub

Dr. Darya Kizub — Breast Cancer editor. She is a hematology/oncology fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, United States. She received a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and her M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Elise Nassif

Dr. Elise Nassif — Sarcoma editor. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Nassif received her medical oncology specialty in 2020 from Université Paris Descartes, in Paris, France, and has a Master of Science in Immunology. She is currently working on translational research project at MD Anderson under the mentorship of Dr. Roland, Dr. Keung, and Dr. Wargo.

Dr. Yevgeniy Semenov

Dr. Yevgeniy Semenov — Cutaneous Malignancy editor. He is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School with extensive experience in clinical informatics, health economics, and public health research. His research group leverages multi-modal data from large multi-institutional and population-level registries to develop risk stratification tools for clinical decision support, including application of machine learning and image analysis techniques to clinical and histopathology data. Dr. Semenov’s clinical expertise includes cutaneous oncology and supportive oncodermatology. As part of this clinical focus, Dr. Semenov provides care to patients experiencing skin side effects from chemotherapy and immunotherapy and runs an intralesional immunotherapy clinic for the management of locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous malignancies.

Dr. Kristin Sonderman

Dr. Kristin Sonderman — Trauma Surgery editor. She is a Trauma/ Acute Care Surgeon and Intensivist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. She is the Associate Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship. She received her MPH from the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and completed the Paul Farmer Global Surgery Fellowship from the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Pamela Lu

Dr. Pamela Lu — HPB Malignancy editor. She is a Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received her MD from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and her MPH from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. She completed general surgery residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Dr. Michael Worley

Dr. Michael Worley Jr.— Gynecologic Oncology editor. He is a board-certified practicing surgeon specializing in the field of gynecologic oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. He is Director of Ovarian Cancer Surgery at Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Dr. Simon Talbot

Dr. Simon Talbot — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery editor. He is board certified plastic and hand surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in general plastic surgery, hand surgery, and microsurgery. He is the Director of the Upper Extremity Transplant Program, leading team performing four of the early upper extremity transplants in the United States. Dr. Talbot is a leader in the area of clinical extremity trauma and research, including upper extremity transplantation and research into optimization of nerve regeneration and psychosocial aspects of major extremity surgery. He is heavily involved in optimizing patient care through a focus on physician wellbeing including research, lecturing, writing, and consulting nationally. His work has been supported by funding from the NIH, US Department of Defense, and HRSA.