Ashley James D'Silva, MD

Description

Ashley James D'Silva, MD, is an oncologist at Imbert Cancer Center in Bay Shore, New York. He specializes in gastrointestinal oncology, including tumors of the pancreas, stomach and colon, as well as head and neck malignancies.Dr. D'Silva's father was a nephrologist. His own road to medicine started when he worked at a dialysis unit during college. I found that the kind of love and attention I could give to patients in that setting was something I was really passionate about. In his fourth year of medical school at Wright State University, he did an oncology rotation at the Veterans Affairs hospital, and everything clicked. I remember having powerful conversations with these incredible veterans, and that made me want to help people with difficult diagnoses. He also often thought of his mother, who had cancer and died when he was 16 years old. His mom's oncologist was like a trusted family member. She communicated in such a kind and compassionate way. I wanted to be that person for others.Dr. D'Silva did his residency at Temple University Hospital and fellowship at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He worked at Maimonides Medical Center before coming to Northwell. My wife and I initially wanted to move out of the city for more space for our growing family, but I got lucky joining Northwell. The Imbert Cancer Center has the best staff I've ever worked with. We support each other and we support our patients. We smile and laugh and cry together.Similarly, he is all-in with his patients. I make sure that all my patients are able to reach me whenever they need, as I believe communication is fundamental to compassion. I try to understand where they are in their journey. They know that when they are with me, I'm with them, too.Dr. D'Silva is involved in growing a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump program in the region. An HAI pump delivers chemotherapy in high doses focused on the liver, which can help to cure patients that were otherwise relegated to a palliative course of treatment. This is an incredible treatment that's not available many places. We're using it in clinical practice, and we're researching its different applications. The possibilities are exciting.