First Visit: What New Patients Need to Know

Your patient coordinator has your back.

Shenelle Wilson, the new patient coordinator for the Pancreas Center, is here to help you beginning with your first call to the center. Shenelle obtains all the required paperwork and health records from other providers within and outside of the hospital, and she schedules any testing that may be needed to help the physicians at the Pancreas Center determine a diagnosis or plan of care.

The center is dedicated to providing appointments quickly – usually within a few days of a patient’s request for an appointment. The team reviews new patients’ records within 24 hours of their arrival at the center so there is no lag time between requesting an appointment and seeing the doctor.

Reach Shenelle at 212.305.9467

You will be enrolled in the Pancreas Center’s database.

All patients with pancreatic disease are enrolled in the center’s research database. This database tracks every patient’s health condition over time, and includes information about each patient’s diagnosis, course of disease, imaging and laboratory results, information about family history, other health conditions, and other data. All information stored in the database is kept strictly confidential and is used for one purpose: research.

This wealth of data allows researchers at the Pancreas Center to conduct studies that will increase their understanding of the development of pancreatic cancer, factors affecting the success of treatment, and more. Examples of current studies based on the database include:

  • A study to determine the incidence of family history of pancreatic cancer and other malignancies among patients who have IPMN
  • A study examining the association of pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma) with epigenetics and modifiable factors (e.g., diet, lifestyle)
  • A study to determine the frequency of the various forms of local invasion by pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma)
  • A study to determine the frequency, grade and multifocality of PanIN lesions in the surgical specimens of patients who have undergone resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Ask your doctor to invite you to myColumbiaDoctors, your online health portal.

MyColumbiaDoctors is a new online patient portal that provides a free, secure way for patients to access health records, request an appointment or prescription renewal, ask a question, and pay your bill. Of course, patients may always call and speak with someone at the center. But if you want to send a message outside of our normal office hours or make a request that can be handled quickly online, myColumbiaDoctors is a great option.

Patients may make requests 24/7 from the comfort of home, or from anywhere using the FollowMyHealth mobile app on a mobile device.

All patients should receive an invitation to register for myColumbiaDoctors from your doctor’s office. Please register directly from this invitation.

Please note:

MyColumbiaDoctors provides access to certain types of information such as medications and test results, but does not include complete medical records. If you need a full copy of your medical record, please contact the Pancreas Center.

The Pancreatic Cancer Support group is open patients, family, and caregivers.

Pancreatic cancer has far-reaching effects across patients’ entire lives, affecting virtually every aspect of daily life, both their own lives and that of their families. Patients often need support and information about depression and anxiety, financial difficulties that may result from inability to work, impact on family relationships, and many other concerns. The Pancreatic Cancer Support Group addresses these needs and more in their monthly meetings.

Date:

Third Tuesday of each month

Time:

4 – 5 pm

Location:

Herbert Irving Pavilion
5th Floor Conference Room
161 Fort Washington Avenue
New York, NY 10032
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For information, contact Geri Lipschitz at 212.305.2527 or lipschi@nyp.org