The Healing Project is Pleased to Announce the Offering of Two New Free Publications

The Healing Project is pleased to release two new free publications available for downloading. The first publication, Breast Cancer: What Every Woman Should Know, is authored by Stephanie F. Bernik, MD, FACS, and the second, A Look to the Future of Alcoholism Treatment, is authored by Ron L. Alterman, MD. These publications join our initial free offering, Lung Cancer: What the Patient and Family Need to Know, written by Reed Phillips, M.D.

These free guides and publications represent an ongoing effort to better educate our community about treatment options, working with the medical system and the latest advances in medicine. We look forward to making available additional publications throughout the year.

About the Authors:

Stephanie F. Bernik, MD, FACS


Stephanie F. Bernik, MD, FACS, is Chief of Breast Surgery for the comprehensive breast program at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City. A board certified surgeon specializing in breast diseases, Dr. Bernik has developed a specialty in treating women under 40 diagnosed with the disease.

A 1993 graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, she completed her internship and residency at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York City. She was awarded fellowships at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in breast surgery and St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in surgical oncology. Dr. Bernik also received two research fellowships from Yale University School of Medicine in 1990 and 1992. She received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Columbia University in 1989.

In 2005 she was honored with the 2005 Top Doctor Award by the research firm Castle Connelly. In 2004, she received Columbia University's John Jay Award for Professional Achievement and in 2001, Columbia University's Alumna Achievement Award. Dr. Bernik is the author of numerous medical journal articles published in, among others, The Breast Journal, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Annals of Surgical Oncology and The American Surgeon. She is a principal investigator for breast disease research at St. Vincent's Hospital and has presented her research at symposia across the country, most recently at the American Society of Breast Surgeons 2006 annual meeting and the American Society of Breast Disease 2006 annual symposium.

Dr. Ron L. Alterman


Dr. Ron L. Alterman is the Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He has held academic positions at New York University School of Medicine (1995-1997), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1997-1998), and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1998-2004) where he was Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and a director of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery at Beth Israel Medical Center. Board certified in neurological surgery, Dr. Alterman is well known for his work on deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease, torsion dystonia, and tremor. His clinical interests include image-guided surgery for brain tumors and benign spine disease.



Dr. Reed Phillips

Dr. Reed Phillips is board certified in internal medicine, oncology and hospice and palliative care medicine. He is affiliated with the North Shore University Hospital in New York and he is an instructor in pain management and hospice and palliative care at Winthrop University Hospital and the State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook, New York.