General Info

Jeannine Villella, DO, FACOG, FACS, is vice chair of gynecology, chief of gynecologic oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital and an associate professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. She is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist and leader and mentor at Lenox Hill Hospital. She’s committed to screening, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes and research to improve the lives of women with gynecologic cancers. She has created a robust and comprehensive program at Lenox Hill Hospital that is expanding across the region. Dr. Villella believes cutting edge patient care can be delivered with a humanistic approach that optimizes patient quality of life. Her practice provides screening, diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, clinical trials, translational research, survivorship and palliative care, all to deliver the optimum continuity of care. “We provide a continuum of state-of-the-art care to patients in a place that feels like home. It’s the awareness and attention to detail in all aspects of patient care that matters.” She’s highly experienced in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgical techniques, which treat cancers with a faster recovery and minimal pain. For women with more advanced tumors, Dr. Villella performs comprehensive advanced open abdominal procedures aimed at maximal tumor resection to enhance surgical outcome. Dr. Villella emphasizes the importance of patient education to complement clinical therapies and to support recovery. “I genuinely care about my patients and want to help them understand the diagnosis and treatment plan. It’s a partnership, and this transparency provides calmness that contributes to excellent outcomes. I am with them throughout their journey.” Dr. Villella is committed to research and advancing science. She participates in progressive ovarian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials aimed at harnessing the immune response to malignancy. She has studied this novel approach for more than 19 years. “I am fascinated by the immune system and the potential it has to eliminate cancer.” She has become widely known for her passion and expertise in Phase I clinical trials, which are opportunities for patients to receive novel therapeutics with tremendous promise when other options have been exhausted or toxicities prohibit the use of other agents. “Typically, these trials enroll a limited number of patients globally, so these are coveted opportunities that provide hope for patients who otherwise may not have viable or tolerable alternatives for treatment,” she states. “Although the responsibility is tremendous, it’s my passion, and I’ll continue to search for ways to eradicate gynecologic cancers.”