Sound Shore Medical Center is pleased to announce the inclusion of 17 of its physicians in the recent “Our Best MDs ’09 –Westchester” issue of Westchester Magazine.

After the rigorous, peer-reviewed process conducted by the prestigious healthcare research firm Castle Connolly, Westchester Magazine narrowed the field to 166 and named them the best-of-the-best in Westchester. The Magazine commented, “You can’t underestimate the power of having a great doctor in your corner.

The following SSMC medical staff members received Westchester Magazines’, Top Doctors distinction:

Allergy & Immunology
Kira Geraci-Ciardullo, MD

Cardiac Electrophysiology
Bernard Gitler, MD
Jeffrey Matos, MD

Cardiovascular Diseases
Lynne Perry-Bottinger, MD

Diagnostic Radiology
Maurice Poplausky, MD

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
Joan Albin, MD

Gastroenterology
Infectious Diseases
Jeffrey Lederman, MD

Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Patricia A. Devine, MD

Oncology
Bernard Bernhardt, MD

Orthopaedic Surgery
Steven Zelicof, MD, PhD

Pediatrics
Marc Wager, MD

Pulmonary Diseases
Joseph Casino, MD

Rheumatology
Mark Burns, MD

Urology
Muhammad Choudhury, MD
Gerald Matthews, MD

Vascular Surgery
Richard Karanfilian, MD

Four of the above – Drs. Bernhardt, Burns, Karafilian, and Zelicof also appear in the issue’s feature article, “Medical Mysteries – Eight of this year’s top doctors reveal the most challenging cases of their careers.”

Commenting on the New York Magazine listing, John R. Spicer, President and CEO said, “While I salute our entire medical staff on the outstanding care they provide our patients, I want to congratulate those chosen by Westchester Magazine as Top Doctors for 2009.” He concluded, “We take pride in the quality of our physicians and are pleased to count among our ranks, 17 of the 166 named.”