Several new board-certified physicians, including three medical oncologists, have joined Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.
The Newnan facility, which opened with nearly 200 employees in 2012, now employs nearly 1,000 – in addition to more than 200 physicians across specialties – greatly surpassing its initial projection of 500 employees over the first five years of operation.
“CTCA at Southeastern has been growing at a rapid pace and the ongoing expansion of our roster of board-certified physicians is a direct response to the need for quality cancer treatment in Georgia and across the Southeast,” said Dr. Alan Yahanda, chief of staff and surgical oncologist at CTCA at Southeastern. “As demand for our unique model of care continues to grow, we are working daily to ensure we have top clinical talent to help our patients find more options and more hope.”
Ricardo Alvarez, MD, MSc, is a world-renowned medical oncologist with 25 years of experience in advanced breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer and cancer research. Dr. Alvarez earned a medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in La Plata, Argentina, and completed residencies at Centro Oncologico de Excelencia in Gonnet, Argentina, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Alvarez is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Research, the American College of Physicians, Society of Clinical Research Associates, Texas Medical Association and the Asociacion Medica Argentina.
Mahdi Taha, DO, FACOI, is a medical oncologist with nearly a decade of experience. He earned a medical degree from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y., and completed residencies at Union Hospital-Saint Barnabas Healthcare System in Union, N.J., Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., and Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., where he also completed a fellowship. Before joining CTCA as an internal medicine hospitalist in 2012, Dr. Taha was medical oncology chief fellow at Oklahoma State University, in affiliation with CTCA. He is board-certified in internal medicine by the American College of Osteopathic Internists and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Oklahoma Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Osteopathic Internists and American Osteopathic Association.
Ioana Bonta, MD, is a medical oncologist and board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She received a medical degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania, and completed residencies in internal medicine at Michael Reese Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital, both in Chicago. In addition, Dr. Bonta completed fellowships in hematology and oncology at both Boston University and Emory University, as well as a fellowship in medical ethics at the University of Chicago Medicine MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Prior to joining CTCA, she served as hospitalist at a large Atlanta hospital.
Zackary Boomsaad, MD, is an interventional pain management specialist with a patient-centered, multidisciplinary approach to care. He received a medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School, and completed a residency in neurosurgery and internship in anesthesiology at University of Michigan Hospital. A researcher and published author, Dr. Boomsaad completed his fellowship in interventional pain management at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
CTCA at Southeastern was recently awarded a five-star quality score — the highest possible rating — by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The hospital was one of just four hospitals in the state of Georgia — and the only in metro Atlanta — to receive five stars.
The ratings, published by CMS are designed to help consumers compare hospitals and evaluate patient experiences at hospitals nationwide from July 2013 to June 2014. The five-star rating was awarded to just 251, or 7 percent, of the eligible hospitals nationwide.
