Mark Bandyk, M.D.

Urology/Urologic Oncology

Mark Bandyk, M.D., Urology/Urologic Oncology

Dr. Bandyk, is a board-certified urologist, who completed a urologic oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Previously, Dr. Bandyk served a fellowship in Tumor Immunology at the Salk Institute. He received his medical degree from George Washington University and completed general surgery training at the University of California at San Francisco and a residency in urology at Columbia University.

Dr. Bandyk came to LRCC from Danville Urologic Clinic in Danville, Virginia, where he was on staff at Danville Regional Medical Center and Halifax Regional Hospital. He was also a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Bandyk has received numerous honors and awards in his career and is a member of professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, Society of Urologic Oncology, American Urological Association, and the American Foundation for Urologic Disease. He has been an investigator in a number of clinical research trials and published a number of professional articles.

Dr. Richard A. Boothby, M.D.

Gynecologic Oncology

Richard "Rusty" Boothby, MD, Gynecologic Oncologist, practices medicine with the goal of providing quality medical and surgical care to all women. He believes that quality care starts with patient education and that each individual should have access to the latest advances in medical care and investigational clinical trials. In addition, he believes all aspects of cancer care should consider quality of life and respect for each patient’s dignity.

Dr. Boothby is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a subspecialty certification in Gynecologic Oncology. He is also certified by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

Dr. Boothby completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida at Jacksonville. He received a Medical Degree from the University of South Florida.

He has served as a Courtesy Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell University Medical College.

Previous honors and activities include serving in various leadership positions of the Florida Society of Gynecologic Oncology (President from 2004-2006), Director of Clinical Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, and multiple Faculty Teaching Awards. Dr. Boothby has authored or co-authored over 15 peer reviewed scientific publications and authored two chapters in scientific textbooks.

Robert Cassell, M.D.

Medical Oncologist

Dr. Cassell graduated from Duke University School of Medicine with a medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry. He served his internship, residency and fellowship in hematology and oncology at Emory University.

Dr. Cassell is a well-respected physician in the community, coming to LRCC after 19 years of private practice in oncology at Bond Clinic in Winter Haven. He has served as President of the Medical Staff at Winter Haven Hospital and as President of the Polk County Medical Association.

Dr. Cassell is a Board Certified Oncologist. He has been an active member of Florida’s Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council and the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a medical advisor and member of the board of directors of the American Cancer Society, East Polk County Unit. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees at Good Shepherd Hospice.

Helen Chan, MD

Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Chan is a Surgical Oncologist with Board Certification in Surgery. She comes to Lakeland Regional Cancer Center from Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, where she received the honor of 2002 Physician of the Year Kaiser Riverside Medical Center. Prior to that, she worked at Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group as Staff Surgical Oncologist and Staff Thoracic Oncologic Surgeon. During this time she was also an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Chan attended Medical School at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Postgraduate training includes a Residency in General Surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA and a Fellowship in Oncologic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL.

Dr. Chan has published her research in numerous papers and contributed to several medical articles.

Kris Michelle Guerrier, M.D.

Radiation Oncologist

Dr. Guerrier recently completed a Radiation Oncology residency program at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey through the University of Medicine and Dentistry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She also completed her Internal Medicine internship at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

During her residency training, Dr. Guerrier gained valuable experience in 3D Conformal Radiotherapy, IMRT, On Board Imaging, Brachytherapy, MammoSite, Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery, and Intraoperative Radiotherapy.

Dr. Guerrier attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL. She spent a summer in Uganda, Africa through an NIH/MIRT Research Training Fellowship. She spent other summers throughout her medical training serving as a tutor, mentor and volunteer.

Dr. Guerrier has contributed to several publications, been involved in research activities and has presented during professional conferences. Professional memberships include: American Society for Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology, American Brachytherapy Society, Association of Residents in Radiological Oncology, Radiological Society of North America, American Association for Cancer Research and National Medical Association.

G. Byron Hodge, Jr., M.D.

Urology/Urologic Oncology

Dr. Hodge specializes in cancers of the prostate and bladder and brings to LRCC several important clinical trials. He also specializes in bladder replacement surgery.

Dr. Hodge graduated from Duke University School of Medicine with a medical degree. He received extensive postgraduate training as a resident in General and Thoracic Surgery and then in Urologic Surgery. He served a Urologic Oncology Fellowship at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. His most recent appointment was Director of Urologic Oncology at the Cancer Institute at Florida Hospital.

Dr. Hodge is a well-known and respected speaker, writer, consultant and physician throughout Central Florida. Dr. Hodge has certifications from the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Urology and the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review physicians. He is an active member in numerous professional organizations, including the American Cancer Society, and has served on a variety of hospital and association committees.

Sushma S. Nakka, M.D.

Medical Oncology/Pain & Palliative Care Specialist

Dr. Nakka comes to Lakeland Regional Cancer Center from Maimonides Medical Center, where she completed Fellowship Training in Hematology and Oncology, Sub-Specializing in Breast Oncology. Prior to that she completed Fellowship Training in Pain and Palliative Care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Nakka is Board-Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Pain Medicine, and Internal Medicine. She received Medicine and Surgery Degrees from the University of Health Sciences at Kakatiya Medical College in India and then completed certification through the Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates.

Additional noteworthy experience includes a faculty position as Clinical Instructor in Pain and Palliative Care Service with the Department of Neurology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where she was involved with the fellowship-training program and served as principal investigator of several clinical trials. She also completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Dr. Nakka has been involved in numerous research activities and studies, co-authored a paper and contributed to a medical publication. She speaks English, Hindi and Telugu and is involved with ASCO, ASH, American Medical Association, and American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care.

Solange Pendas, M.D.

Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Pendas completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. During this time, she spent a year researching promising antitumor vaccines in addition to enhancing her surgical oncology experience. Her General Surgical Residency took place at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. She augmented her Residency training by returning to Tampa to conduct research on breast cancer and hepatomas under the direction of Dr. Doug Reintgen, who is now the Director of Lakeland Regional Cancer Center. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, which is also where she attended Medical School.

Dr. Pendas is Board Certified in General Surgery and speaks fluent English and Spanish. She is a member of the Southeastern Surgical Congress, Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Medical Association. One of the many awards she has received has been the Gold Medal Paper: Southeastern Surgical Congress, February 1999 for Sentinel node biopsy and cytokeratin staining for the accurate staging of 478 breast cancer patients. The American surgeon, Vol. 65, No. 6, June 1999.

Douglas Reintgen, M.D.

Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Reintgen specializes in melanoma and breast cancer research and treatment and is an internationally-known surgical oncologist, researcher, lecturer, and professor of surgery at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Reintgen has an active surgical practice in oncology and participates in extensive clinical research activities, including his work on the advancement of sentinel lymph node mapping and the molecular staging of cancers.

Upon completion of his medical degree, internship, and residency at Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Reintgen came to Florida as assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Florida and served as program leader of cutaneous oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. He is a member of numerous medical and scientific societies and has received many awards and honors in the surgical oncology field. He has authored or contributed to more than 200 research papers and 43 chapters on oncology topics. Dr. Reintgen has conducted multiple on-site training programs in Radioguided surgery, and he has presented hundreds of lectures on cancer and cancer research.

Dr. Reintgen was named one of the 318 Top Cancer Specialists for Women by Good Housekeeping magazine in 1999, and was named a Top Doctor for Breast Cancer by Redbook magazine in October 2001.

Matthew S. Smith, M.D.

Urology/Urologic Oncology

Dr. Smith is a Board Certified Urologist. Upon completion of his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Smith completed three residency programs: Pathology, University of California Medical Center; General Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and Urology, Duke University Medical Center. He also completed fellowship programs at Duke University Medical Center in Urologic Oncology and the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine in Pediatric and Reconstructive Urology. During this time he served several academic appointments as well.

Dr. Smith is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Medical Association, the American Urological Association, the Florida Urological Society, the International Society of Urologic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons, and the American Fertility Society.

Dr. Smith has published several scientific papers and has contributed to chapters in several books.

Madhavi L. Venigalla, M.D.

Medical Hematology/Oncology

Dr. Venigalla is Sub-Specialty Board Certified in Medical Oncology and Hematology. She comes to LRCC from Fallon Clinic in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she also served at St. Vincent's Hospital and Metro West Cancer Center. She has been involved with the residency teaching program and principal investigator of several trials at Metro West Medical Center. Prior to that she worked as an instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Venigalla completed a Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, a Residency in Internal Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical Center Memorial Health Care, and an Internship at Metro West Medical Center. She attended medical school at Kakatiya Medical College in Warangal, India.