Eastern Long Island Hospital Welcomes 2 Renowned Surgeons To Staff

GREENPORT, NY — Eastern Long Island Hospital welcomed two renowned surgeons to its roster recently.

Roberto Bergamaschi, MD, PhD, a world-respected colorectal surgeon recently joined the ELIH medical staff, as did Paula I. Denoya, MD, also a specialist in colorectal surgery.

Professor of surgery at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, division of colon and rectal surgery for Stony Brook University Hospital, Dr. Bergamaschi specializes in the treatment of diseases associated with colorectal disorders including abscesses, bowel obstructions, polyps, colitis, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, colon cancer, constipation, incontinence, Crohn’s disease, rectal cancer and anal cancer, a release from ELIH said.

One of the first colorectal surgeons in the United States to master laparoscopic colorectal surgery, Dr. Bergamaschi offers several options for patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancers, ELIH officials said.

In addition, he is one of the few colorectal surgeons in the U.S. to perform a procedure known as “intracorporeal laparoscopic colorectal surgery,” which requires extensive and highly specialized training because it takes place entirely inside the body, ELIH said.

“Though both conventional open surgery and laparoscopic-assisted surgery are safe and common procedures, there is less bleeding, less risk of infection, less pain and less scarring for the patient who undergoes the intracorporeal laparoscopic procedure,” Dr. Bergamaschi said.

“Dr. Bergamaschi is internationally recognized for his expertise in laparoscopic surgery for colorectal diseases. We are very fortunate to have a surgeon of this caliber available to our patients on the East End of Long Island,” Paul J. Connor, III, President/CEO of ELIH, said.

Dr. Bergamaschi leads an extensive one-year residency program at the Stony Brook School of Medicine to train colorectal surgeons to perform intracorporeal laparoscopic surgery, as well as other colorectal surgical procedures.

Dr. Bergamaschi, MD, PhD holds board certifications in several countries including Italy, Denmark, France, Norway and the United States. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in London and a fellow of the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons, as well as the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Bergamaschi received medical degrees from the School of Medicine, University of Milan, Italy and the School of Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway, a release said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Denoya is graduate of New York University with a medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in colorectal surgery from the Cleveland Clinic of Florida.

Dr. Denoya is the recipient of several awards from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, including the Eugene W. Freideman MD Award for Clincial Excellence and the Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, ELIH said.

Currently associate professor in the division of colorectal surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Denoya is also the program director for the colorectal surgery residency program. She is board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colorectal Surgery.

“Dr. Denoya is a wonderful addition to the surgical team,” Connor said. “A surgeon with this specialty will provide a high level of surgical expertise for the patients we serve.”

“I am excited about joining the medical staff at ELIH,” Dr. Denoya said. “It will be my pleasure to meet and care for patients on the East End of Long Island.”

Dr. Denoya works closely with Dr. Bergamaschi.

Both are part of a subspecialty group that will be providing colorectal surgical care on the North Fork. Dr. Denoya’s clinical interests are minimally invasive surgery for colon cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis, and surgical treatment of anorectal diseases, a release said.