Department of Medicine

Welcome to the Department of Medicine at North Shore-LIJ

North Shore-LIJ provides a full range of high-quality state-of-the-art medical care that is personalized, coordinated, effective, and efficient. As the nation’s second-largest secular nonprofit healthcare system, we have the resources to provide cutting-edge care, while our history and our commitment to community keep us focused on the patient as the center of everything we do.

Our services span a remarkable range, all the way from primary care to subspecialties that treat complex disorders and chronic conditions. We invite you to build a healing relationship with a primary care team that will create a single, long-term “home” for all your medical care. The same team works with you over the long run, ensuring that your care is not passed from one provider to another unnecessarily. When you do need care from one of our specialists, your primary care team will arrange it for you and monitor every step of the way. If you need to be admitted to a hospital, your team will help coordinate your inpatient care and discharge planning.

In addition to providing high-quality clinical care, our physicians are also leaders in education and research, so they are always up to date on the latest developments in their fields. In fact, our physician-scientists have pioneered groundbreaking research at North Shore-LIJ’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Our extensive, diverse clinical research, supported by the National Institutes of Health and other major funders, make it possible for our patients to receive the latest treatments.

We offer medical expertise in a wide range of academic and clinical divisions, including the following:

• Cancer and Blood Disease: North Shore-LIJ’s Cancer Network, the largest on Long Island, uses a multidisciplinary approach in treating all kinds of cancer and blood disease. With the growing complexity of cancer cases and the rapid development of new therapies, we have developed comprehensive, innovative services for patients with breast cancer, gynecologic malignancies, leukemia, genitourinary cancers, gastrointestinal malignancies, lung cancer, and lymphoma, among others. We provide the full range of medical, surgical, and radiation treatment, with customized support in the form of psychosocial counseling, nutritional consultation, pain management, and cancer-related genetic counseling.
• Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: North Shore-LIJ provides state-of-the-art care for people coping with diabetes, thyroid problems, and other metabolic disorders. In addition to providing the most current treatment, we also host an innovative diabetes education program that is accredited by the American Diabetes Association, and nutritional counseling services. Our physicians are conducting several clinical trials of new treatments for diabetes, osteoporosis, and hypertension.
• Geriatric: Older adults often have complex physical and emotional needs, as well as unique, invaluable mental and social resources. Our multi-disciplinary teams work with the whole patient – as well as the patient’s family – to evaluate symptoms, establish diagnoses, and formulate comprehensive treatment plans. Support is provided through information, referral and counseling services, with a special program focused on memory disorders and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
• Gastroenterology and Digestive Disorders: Diseases of the digestive system are exceptionally diverse, and the Department of Medicine at North Shore-LIJ has comprehensive resources for their prevention, treatment, and management. Our clinicians have extensive experience with inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as digestive disorders caused by infection or treatment for other disorders.
• Infectious Disease: Our physicians have built an extraordinary range of expertise in managing a wide variety of infections, including state-of-the-art services related to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and management. We manage infections in transplant recipients and immune-compromised patients undergoing cancer treatment. Also, our work with the communities of Queens and Long Island has allowed us to build a unique body of knowledge, expertise, and experience in the management of systemic insect and animal-borne diseases.
• Kidney Diseases and Hypertension: The physicians of North Shore-LIJ’s Kidney Diseases and Hypertension Division are national leaders in treatment, research, and education related to chronic kidney disease, kidney stones, electrolyte disorders, and hypertension, as well as care before and after kidney transplantation. Dialysis is offered at two state-of-the-art centers staffed by multidisciplinary teams. A free renal education program emphasizes identification, education and treatment of the early stages of renal disease in order to prolong renal survival. We also provide treatment and education to patients who are coping with hypertension, or high blood pressure, which can cause kidney failure if untreated.
• Liver Diseases: As Hepatitis C reaches epidemic proportions around the country, new treatments are also becoming available. However, all treatments are not equally effective for all patients. Also, hepatitis C treatments, in particular, can have devastating side effects, highlighting the need for carefully individualizing treatment regimens. In addition to this customized treatment, North Shore-LIJ offers comprehensive surveillance, management, and immunization for hepatitis, cirrhosis, cancer. and other liver diseases.
• Palliative Medicine:  People with advanced illness, especially when it is life-limiting, benefit from specialized medical services known as palliative care. The North Shore-LIJ palliative care team is one of only six in the country to be recognized for a national level of excellence in patient- and family-centered care. With a focus on relieving suffering and promoting quality of life, these services include pain and symptom management, communication, family support, coordination of care, and attention to spiritual needs.  
• Pulmonology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine: The lungs are part of a complex apparatus, expanding and relaxing thousands of times daily to bring in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Lung diseases can result from problems in any part of this system; North Shore-LIJ provides expert treatment and management for all of them, from asthma and allergies to emphysema and cystic fibrosis. Our comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center provides diagnostic and treatment services for sleep apnea, insomnia, and other conditions.
• Rheumatology and Allergy-Clinical Immunology: Major diagnostic and therapeutic advances over the last two decades have greatly improved the outlook for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, and other autoimmune disorders. North Shore-LIJ’s rheumatologists – physicians with expertise in the treatment of arthritis and autoimmune diseases – are national leaders in the field, with a special focus on lupus and arthritis. We provide the full spectrum of treatment and support services for these patients and their families.
• Dermatology: We provide a full range of treatment for all kinds of skin problems and disorders, from acne and psoriasis to skin cancer. Our cosmetic dermatology services include laser surgery, Botox, collagen, and chemical peels, in addition to removal of leg spider veins. Our general dermatology treatments include those for atopic dermatitis, warts, and rashes, among other common problems.

The Department of Medicine provides world-class compassionate care with many convenient locations and hours of operation throughout Long Island and Queens, and our physicians accept most health insurance plans. Feel free to click on our Find a Physician tab to get started. You may also wish to consider participating as a research subject in one of our many clinical trials. We encourage community physicians to go to our consultation and patient referral site.

Through the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, the Department of Medicine is a leader in the study of many areas, including rheumatology and cancer. We are always working to bridge the gap between research and patient care through translational research — which applies medical findings developed in the lab and from human trials and studies, while researching and adopting the best possible medical practices.

Also, our teaching effort is growing all the time. With the recent inauguration in 2011 of the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine — led by experienced medical educators and clinicians — we are gaining recognition as a top educational program serving medical students, residents and fellows.

We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.

Thomas G. McGinn, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Medicine, North Shore-LIJ Health System
Professor of Medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine

North Shore University Hospital Department of Medicine
300 Community Drive, 4 DSU
Manhasset, NY 11030
(516) 562-4310

LIJ Medical Center Department of Medicine
Research Building, 2nd Floor
270-05 76th Avenue
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
(718) 470-7270