Cancer Counseling / Cancer Treatment Westchester / The Zalmen A. Arlin Cancer Institute

The Zalmen A. Arlin Cancer Institute at the Westchester Medical Center offers to the public a Cancer Resource Center which is at once a reading room and interactive library; a materials distribution center for publications; a site for supportive group meetings and educational presentations; a coordination point for community outreach projects; and a guided resource for personal research on the topic of cancer.

We are Here For :

People who are concerned about developing cancer, who want to know about risk factors in personal behavior, environmental and occupational factors, and genetic predisposition who seek information to help them make decisions about healthy lifestyle patterns to help minimize their cancer risk. People who want to be made aware of screening procedures and testing facilities available to them.

A diagnosis of cancer often opens a world of worry, loss of personal control and isolation for individuals and their familes. Oncology patients and their families, under duress during the time immediately after diagnosis, can find it difficult to find and process the information needed to sort through the array of available therapeutic options and decide upon the one that is right for them. Later they want to have the power to self-manage the symptoms that may occur as a result of disease or treatment. And, too often, complicating the physical effects of the illness are the financial burdens and the changing personal relationships in families, in the community, and the workplace.

The Arlin Cancer Institute at Westchester Medical Center has developed the Cancer Resource Center to address these needs for assistance by patients and their families, the public seeking to be well, and those seeking accurate, appropriate health information and services can make in their lives. The on-line services here, as well as all the resources and activities of the Center are for you!

Why a Cancer Resource Center?
Cancer is a collection of complex diseases.
People need access to information about these diseases that is varied enough to meet their individual learning needs and understanding.
Sources of health information on cancer abound on the national, regional, and local levels, from publicly supported and private providers.
Materials on cancer prevention, detection, treatment options, and survivorship come in a wide variety of forms available for access.
Coordination of these efforts in health education is necessary to effectively serve individuals who seek help in understanding cancer for themselves and their families.
Who can we help?
All members of the community, of any ethnic and cultural background, who need cancer information services.
Those seeking information on cancer prevention, risk factors, screenings or research and support mechanisms for the individual as well as special interest groups.
People facing cancer before, during, and after treatment with materials that will help them be informed participants in their medical care.
Cancer survivors.
Families and caregivers, as they are an integral part of the cancer care process and the dynamics of cancer survival. They, too, need the support and the guidance health information services can provide.
Friends, coworkers, and employers of people facing cancer -- to understand and appreciate the influence of disease and treatment on patient and family.
What services does the Cancer Resource Center provide?
Information: A library housing a collection of current print and audiovisual materials for patron use.
Referral: An exchange and linkage center to resources available at other facilities and in other community agencies, or through the Internet.
Support: A sponsor and meeting place for support groups for patients and for their caretakers or families.
Guidance: A meeting place for educational presentations and group activities
Outreach: A coordinator for health education efforts between our local communities and regional and national health support organizations.

Tauseef Ahmed, M.D. FACP is a widely recognized expert in the specialty fields of Oncology and Hematology. Dr. Ahmed has been raising the standards for nearly 25 years. After basic training at King Edward Medical College in Pakistan and medical residency training at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, he completed fellowship training in medical oncology with a specialty in genitourinary cancers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and prepared for his role as Stem Cell Transplant Program Director at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Dr. Ahmed co-founded and heads the Westchester Oncology Hematology Group. His appointments include Professor of Medicine for New York Medical College, Medical Director of the Arlin Cancer Institute and Director of the Blood Cell Transplant and Collection Center programs at Westchester Medical Center. He is also an attending physician at Sound Shore Medical Center Hudson Valley Hospital Center and Phelps Memorial Hospital.

He has comprehensive experience , and has special interests in the management of Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, stem cell transplantation, genitourinary and breast cancers. A recognized clinical investigator and pioneer, Dr. Ahmed has developed many techniques and approaches that are today considered standards of care including the M-VAC regimen for bladder cancer, peripheral stem cell technology applications, cryopreservation techniques, tandem and non-myeloablative transplant conditioning regimens for hematologic malignancies and selected solid tumors.