Melissa Fana, of East Northport, compassionate surgical oncologist, dies at 48
In the weeks after her death, colleagues, patients, friends and family paid tribute to Dr. Melissa Fana as a skilled surgeon and tireless advocate for women with breast cancer. Credit: Courtesy of the Fana family
Christina Mathieson-Segura was still reeling from the news that she had breast cancer when she met Dr. Melissa Fana, a breast surgical oncologist, who made her a promise.
"She said ‘When you walk out of here, you’re going to take that worry and that fear and you’re going to leave it in my hands,’ " Mathieson-Segura recalled. " ‘And I promise this year is going to be a speed bump in your life. You are going to come out of this and be fine.’ "
"I could feel she cared about me as a person and I wasn't just a number on file," Mathieson-Segura, 61, of Bethpage, said. "She always really just loved on us — all of her patients."
Fana, 48, died on April 16 after a battle with lymphoma, leaving a legacy of compassion and care across Long Island. In recent years she was chief of breast surgery at South Shore University Hospital and worked at Plainview Hospital with Northwell Health. Since 2022, she was affiliated with NYU Langone Health as director of women’s health for Suffolk County and chief of service for breast surgery at Long Island Community Hospital. She saw patients at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone in Patchogue and lived in East Northport.
In the weeks after her death, colleagues, patients, friends and family flooded social media and memorial sites with tributes about her work as a skilled surgeon, warm and kind health provider and tireless advocate for women with breast cancer.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Melissa Fana, a respected breast surgical oncologist and valued member of the NYU Langone Health community," the health system said in a statement. "She cared for her patients with extraordinary skill, compassion, and humanity, and her impact on patients, colleagues, and the community will be lasting."
Her family remembered her as a beloved big sister and doting aunt of nine nieces and nephews.
"She felt very strongly about what she did, her patients and her family," said Fana’s sister Roseann Fana-Perez, a physician at NYC Health + Hospitals / Queens. "It was a love for people. My dad is a pastor and my mom is a social worker. Growing up, you don’t just get a job. You have to work for something that you want to give back to this world."
Her younger brother, Joel Fana, remembered her as a loving but tough teacher who taught him how to ride a bike, navigate the halls of Christ the King High School in their Queens neighborhood and to live life and blaze his own trail in the world of finance.
"I am the man, the father and the professional I am today because I had a big sister like her leading the way," he said.
Fana’s love of medicine came from her own childhood health issues. Born with a cleft palate, she had multiple surgeries.
"One of my proudest moments was watching her find her voice," her sister Janice Fana Schierenbeck, a nurse, wrote in a tribute. "Doctors once doubted Melissa would even be able to speak clearly, but through speech therapy and sheer perseverance, she surpassed every expectation. She didn't just speak; she soared — giving speeches on breast-cancer awareness across the country and even appearing on television."
Fana was interviewed by Newsday several times for her expertise on breast cancer and women's health.
Dr. Ilene Gewirtz, a gynecologist with NYU Langone, a close friend and colleague of Fana's, shared her passion of making healthcare women-centered, more comfortable and more accessible.
"Melissa and I always talked about making our patients feel like they had concierge-care, no matter what their insurance was," Gewirtz said. "No matter what your insurance was, all her patients could reach her. I could call her about anybody, a friend, a neighbor, and she would call them and talk to them. ... She gave so much of herself."
Fana was a leader who brought out the best in people she worked with, Gewirtz said.
"Up until the very end, she was pushing through her own pain and frustration with her own illness to try to do everything for her patients," she said. "That is what she was like."
In addition to her sisters and brother, Fana is survived by her parents, Carmen and Ramon Fana.
Mathieson-Segura said Fana always took her calls, no matter what time, to talk her through concerns about procedures. She has been cancer-free since 2021.
"The day of my surgery, Dr. Fana strolls in with an exquisite Chanel suit on," she recalled. "It’s 6:30 in the morning and she is smiling, she is beautiful. ... She was beautiful inside and out. It breaks my heart that so many of us lived and she couldn’t. But it was her job to save us."
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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