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NYU Langone appoints oncological rehabilitation director
Jonas Sokolof, DO, has been named director of the division of oncological rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health.
Sokolof, recognized for his expertise in the rehabilitative needs of people with cancer, spent nearly 10 years as attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Members of the newly created division of oncological rehabilitation will work with clinicians at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center to provide individualized rehabilitative services to patients who are newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment or in remission.
These services will include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and swallowing therapy, psychological services, vocational therapy, nutrition, social work services, and music and recreational therapy.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Sokolof on board spearheading Rusk Rehabilitation’s new oncological rehabilitation efforts,” Steven R. Flanagan, MD, Howard A. Rusk professor of rehabilitation medicine at NYU School of Medicine and chair of the department of rehabilitation medicine at NYU Langone, said in a press release. “Our plan for this new program is to become the premier rehabilitation center for people with cancer.”
Sokolof intends to start an exercise and research program at Rusk Rehabilitation.
“Numerous studies have shown that exercise improves quality of life and prolongs survival, while other studies note that exercise and a healthy diet may also have a preventive role in cancer and disease recurrence,” Rusk said in the release.
Sokolof is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as sports medicine. Patients under his care may be prescribed nonsurgical treatments for cancer-related musculoskeletal problems. He performs electromyography and nerve conduction studies to diagnose various neuromuscular disorders related to cancer or cancer treatment. He also is trained in osteopathic manipulative medicine, in which the hands are used to realign the body’s structural system.