Brooklyn, NY, March 12, 2026 – Maimonides Health has announced Vishal Vashistha, MD, has been appointed Medical Director of Maimonides Cancer Center and Chief of Maimonides’ Division of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Vashistha will also provide leadership and oversight for hematology/oncology services at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Hospital, through Maimonides and SUNY Downstate’s cancer care partnership.  

An accomplished clinician, researcher, and medical leader, Dr. Vashistha attended Ohio State University College of Medicine before completing his internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic and his fellowship in hematology/oncology at Duke University Medical Center. He comes to Maimonides having most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at the Iowa City VA Medical Center and as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Prior to his role as Chief Medical Officer, he served as Chief of Quality and Performance Improvement in Iowa City; staff physician at Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Dr. Vashistha’s clinical interests include caring for patients with solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes, and a wide range of benign hematologic conditions, including thrombotic and bleeding disorders. He possesses extensive experience in prescribing and managing systemic therapies, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and has been caring for oncology patients since 2017. His academic work centers around advancing the use of precision oncology diagnostics—particularly comprehensive genomic profiling—in everyday cancer care. 

Board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology, Dr. Vashistha is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the Association of VAHematology/Oncology. He serves on the education committee of the Binaytara Foundation, an organization that aims to minimize global disparities in cancer care through education, research, and expanding access to lifesaving therapies. 

“I am thrilled to join Maimonides Cancer Center as Medical Director and Chief of Hematology/Oncology,” said Dr. Vashistha. “Maimonides is an exceptional center for cutting-edge cancer care, and an institution that shares many of my own values as a physician, including creating access to lifesaving cancer care for all patients. I look forward to partneringwith our Cancer Center teams and teams across the Maimonides Health system to expand and elevate the services we provide.” 

“Dr. Vashistha’s record of clinical excellence, academic research, quality improvement, and medical leadership distinguishes him as an exceptional hematology/oncology specialist and physician leader, and a great match for our clinical and institutional goals here at the Cancer Center,” said John Marshall, MD, Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer. “We look forward to his leadership, particularly the renewed emphasis oncollaboration and innovation he will bring to our cancer programs.”  

“Since launching 20 years ago, we’ve made remarkable progress building up Brooklyn’s first fully accredited cancer center,” said Patrick Borgen, MD, Chair, Surgery and Director of Maimonides Breast Cancer Center. “Dr. Vashistha’s leadership will be key to the future of Maimonides Cancer Center, as we maintain our record of excellence in patient care and quality and continue to expand the breadth, depth, and accessibility of cancer care services in Brooklyn as we have continuously throughout the past two decades.” 

About Maimonides Cancer Center 

Maimonides Cancer Center is recognized for its award-winning treatment excellence for patients of all ages. The comprehensive center is home to New York’s top oncologists, with a fully accredited Breast Center, Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, and Prostate Center offering the latest minimally invasive approaches, such as HIFU. Maimonides patients receive personalized treatment plans from experts who use the most innovative treatment therapies and provide access to clinical trials that advance cancer research and outcomes.