Meet the Cancer Team

---

Cancer can be complex, but your care shouldn’t be. At Northwest Health - Porter, we take a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Through this collaborative approach, our cancer team shares their diverse knowledge, skills and experiences to develop treatment plans for our patients.

Medical Oncologists-Hematologists

A medical oncologist-hematologist is a doctor who specializes in the care and treatment of cancer (oncology) and blood diseases (hematology). These specialists are skilled in the treatment and management of side effects

Your medical oncologist will review your medical history, conduct physical exams, and order diagnostic tests to determine your exact diagnosis, including the stage of your cancer. He or she will work with you to customize your cancer treatment plan, and may refer you to a surgeon, radiation oncologist or any other specialist you need. This specialist will also manage any side effects you experience.

Yaseen Alkaddoumi, M.D.
Dr. Alkaddoumi, M.D., treats all types of cancers, and takes a special interest in immunotherapy, breast cancer, lung and gastrointestinal malignancies, and benign and malignant blood disorders. Dr. Alkaddoumi earned his medical degree from Kalamoon University Faculty of Medicine Damascus, Syria. He completed an internal medicine residency at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago and a hematology – oncology fellowship at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. He is board certified in internal medicine.

Call Us: 1-219-983-6260

Tareq Braik, M.D.
Dr. Braik has devoted his medical career to learning all he can about the biology of cancer and blood diseases. “The face of human struggle in cancer patients and the passionate attitude combined with scientific approach is what attracted me to the field of hematology and oncology.” After receiving his medical degree from University of Baghdad, Dr. Braik completed a residency in internal medicine and medical oncology at the Clatterbridge Center for Oncology in Wirral, England. He then continued with an internal medicine residency and hematology-oncology fellowship at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. Board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine, Dr. Braik treats all types of cancer with a special interest in breast, lung, GI and prostate cancers. “The advancement in cancer research has accelerated to an amazing degree over the last 10 years, and we have witnessed a new era of cancer therapeutics that have changed our understanding and approach to treating cancer. I strive to work hard and apply my experience and understanding of these new developments directly to patient care.”

Call Us: 1-219-983-6260

Mary Klein, M.D.
After attending nursing school for a period, Dr. Klein realized her passion for helping people would be better served as a physician. Now board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, it was during her residency at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago that Dr. Klein was exposed to the hematology-oncology specialty. “I had the opportunity to work with a hematologist,” she said. “I found it thrilling, and I could see positive results.” While at the time there were very few drugs available for the treatment of cancer, Dr. Klein said since she has been in practice this has changed, and treatment therapies are better tolerated and more effective. “I want patients to know that positive outcomes are a reality, and the diagnosis of cancer is not as bleak as it was once considered.”

Call Us: 1-219-983-6260

Radiation Oncologists

Radiation oncologists are physicians who specialize in the use of radiation therapy – high-energy rays that cause cancer tumors to shrink or be destroyed. If you need radiation therapy, your radiation oncologist will determine the precise dose and placement of the treatment you will receive and the schedule of your treatments. This specialist will also manage any side effects you experience.

Jeffrey Quackenbush, M.D.
Dr. Quackenbush is a native of Naperville, IL. - a suburb west of Chicago, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He attended undergraduate school at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He then attended medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Following internship at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, he completed his residency in Radiation Oncology in San Francisco at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Upon completion of residency, Dr. Quackenbush returned to the Chicago area and joined the staff at Northern Indiana Oncology Center in February 2002. Dr. Quackenbush is a board-certified radiation oncologist with a particular interest and training in both intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and prostate brachytherapy.

Radiation Oncology: 1-219-983-6100

About the Radiation Oncology Providers

Oncology Nurse Navigators

Patients of the cancer care services at Northwest Health - Porter receive support from a nurse navigator who is available to help patients coordinate appointments, get questions answered and connect with support services. Each patient’s physical and emotional health is a priority for this support team.