General Info

Louis Potters, MD, an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of prostate cancer, is the chair of the department of radiation medicine and senior vice president and deputy physician in chief at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. Dr. Potters decided to become a doctor when his fourth-grade class visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where he walked through its iconic “Giant Heart” model of the human heart. “I decided right then and there I was going to do medicine,” he says. He received his medical degree from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is board-certified in internal medicine and radiation oncology. “I liked the medicine of cancer and then found radiation oncology, a specialty that married clinical cancer care, surgery, and technology,” he says. He's proud that the department of radiation medicine consistently earns the highest engagement and patient experience scores, as well as ACR accreditation at all sites. The Smarter Radiation Oncology™ initiative represents a best-in-class quality and safety program. “That reflects the culture of the department where everyone works together as a team,” he says. “We know that we offer therapy that is of the highest of caliber - anywhere.” A professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Dr. Potters is a fellow in the American College of Radiology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the American Brachytherapy Society. He has published more than 200 articles and authored key national cancer treatment guidelines, and has spoken at numerous national and international conferences, addressing prostate cancer and radiation medicine as well as health policy issues. He is proud to be named the Marilyn and Barry Rubenstein Chair in Cancer Research at the Northwell Heath Cancer Institute. Dr. Potters has been a consultant for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Quality Forum, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He has served as an executive committee member for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and has participated on several U.S. Department of Health and Human Services committees and panels. Dr. Potters says he will always be a practicing radiation oncologist. “Focusing on managing our patients, working toward achieving their goals, and providing them with the hope they need—that’s why I went into this specialty in the first place and what gets me going every day,” he says.