Hackensack University Medical Center Welcomes New Chief of Thoracic Surgery

Comes to HUMC from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Hackensack University Medical Center announces the appointment of Bernard J. Park, M.D., of Demarest, as chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Park, who specializes in surgery of the chest, lungs, esophagus, and mediastinum, was a thoracic surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center before coming to Hackensack University Medical Center. He was also an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and an assistant member of the faculty of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

“Dr. Park’s skills in performing thoracic surgery, his administrative expertise, and his academic background will greatly benefit our patients who come to us for advanced treatment of diseases of the chest, including lung and esophageal cancers,” says Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of the medical center. “Our medical team looks forward to working with him in achieving the best surgical outcomes for our patients.”

Dr. Park received his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University in 1989, where he was named to the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society and the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1993, where he received the Merck Award for Outstanding Scholarship.

Dr. Park completed a general surgery residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, a surgical oncology residency at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell. He also completed fellowships in thoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic. He received a Geriatric Patient Care Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Throughout his education and career, Dr. Park has engaged in clinical research. Current projects include “DNA Repair and Genetic Susceptibility to Lung Cancer,” “Quality-of-Life and Pain Outcomes Following Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery,” “Genetic Susceptibility to Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers,” and “Aging and Cancer.” He frequently lectures on various topics in lung cancer, robotic video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and esophageal cancer. Many of his research results have been published in leading medical journals.

Board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery, Dr. Park is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Cancer Research, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is a reviewer for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Chest, the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Dr. Park can be reached by calling the Division of Thoracic Surgery at 201-996-4218.