Surgeon Information Cards
To print out cards with information on each surgeon,
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Physicians Directory
A complete listing of our physicians is available online or in a printed booklet.
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Patient Stories
Da Vinci robot makes prostate surgery easier
"When I found out I had prostate cancer I decided to have robotic surgery. The incisions were very small, and Dr. T. Casey McCullough and Dr. Frank Friedman were fantastic. Within a couple weeks I was out doing things in the yard and six weeks later I was back to work. It's an amazing machine, and Backus has an excellent team."
-- Curtis Richmond, Lisbon
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Keri Perreault
"Dr. Vinod Pathy is truly an amazing surgeon -- what he can do is phenomenal. I'm wearing a new bathing suit ... wearing more stylish clothes, and it's all because of Dr. Pathy. He has given me back 'me'. I feel like myself again."
--- Keri Perreault, Brooklyn resident and mom,
who had breast reconstruction surgery
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Chef Ceil Vardar
“My neck pain came on fast and furious. I couldn’t even cut with a knife. They stayed very late into the night doing my surgery. Dr. Michael Halperin and the Backus team were wonderful. I am extremely satisfied.”
-- Chef Ceil Vardar, Norwich resident who had surgery to repair a herniated disc in her neck
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Backus Physician Services offers latest surgeries
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Backus Physician Services LLC, a practice affiliated with The William W. Backus Hospital, offers a wide range of minimally invasive surgeries for patients.
Four surgeons practice in the Norwichtown Medical Office Building at 12 Case St., Suite 313 - Sergio Casillas, MD, specializing in colon and rectal surgery as well as general surgery; Michael Deren, MD, specializing in thoracic surgery; Juan Escalon, MD, specializing in thoracic surgery; and Mark Tousignant, MD, specializing in general surgery.
Two surgeons practice in the Backus Medical Office Building at 330 Washington Street, Suite 410 - Thomas Cherry, MD, specializing in hand surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery, and Vinod Pathy, MD, specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Casillas
a member of the medical staff since 2004, is double board-certified in General Surgery and Colon and Rectal Surgery. He did his general surgery training at the State University of New York in Syracuse, New York, then specialized in Colon and Rectal surgery followed by a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been named one of the Top Doctors in the state by Connecticut Magazine for three consecutive years.
Dr Casillas specializes in the surgical treatment of a wide range of gastrointestinal problems, including colorectal cancer, colorectal polyps, diverticulitis, rectal prolapse, inflammatory bowel disease, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, anorectal disease, hemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures, and fecal incontinence.
He also performs a wide range of general surgical procedures including gallbladder surgery, hernia, soft tissue masses, breast surgery, and skin lesions. Most of his surgeries are done with the latest minimally invasive techniques including robotic surgery using the Da Vinci robotic system.
Dr. Cherry
a member of the Backus Hospital Medical Staff for more than 26 years, Dr. Cherry specializes in plastic, cosmetic and hand surgeries, including a minimally invasive endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery and body-contouring procedures like abdominalplasty. He is board-certified in plastic surgery and received a Certificate of Added Qualifications for hand surgery. He received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, completed residencies at Yale-New Haven hospital and the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, and a fellowship at the Albany Medical Center Hospital. He practices at Backus Physician Services' office in the Backus Medical Office Building, 330 Washington St., Suite 410.
Dr. Deren
attended college and medical school at Georgetown University. Following graduation he returned to his home state of Connecticut and completed a general surgical residency at Hartford Hospital. His residency was interrupted by military service as a battalion surgeon with the 3rd Marine Division. Following completion of his general surgical residency Dr. Deren went on to a cardiothoracic fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has been in surgical practice since then in New London and Norwich, and is board-certified in general and thoracic surgery as well as quality assurance. He has been active in organized medicine locally as President of the New London County Medical Society. He is Past President of the Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) and is currently in his 10th year as Chairman of its Board of Trustees. Dr. Deren is a former member of the Governing Council of the AMA/OMSS and is currently a member of the AMA's Council on Constitution & Bylaws and is the CSMS's AMA Delegation Chair.
Dr. Escalon
specializes in all facets of thoracic surgery, including lung, mediastinal, chest wall and esophageal operations, as well as pacemakers. He completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine after attending the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he completed his general surgery residency. He is board-certified in surgery and board-eligible in thoracic surgery. He is also trained in robotic surgery.
Dr. Pathy
Born in Manhattan and raised in Westchester, N.Y., Dr. Pathy graduated from Yale University and Temple University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is double board-certified in plastic surgery and surgery.
Dr. Pathy performs breast reconstruction for cancer patients, surgeries on trauma victims and excisional surgeries for skin cancer patients. Some of Dr. Pathy's cosmetic surgeries and procedures include liposuction, tummy tucks, and breast augmentations, reductions and lifts. He also does facelifts, nose jobs, Botox injections and fillers for wrinkles.
Dr. Pathy lives in Madison with his wife, Shefali, an ob/gyn physician, and their two sons.
"One of the biggest things that attracted me to Backus was the opportunity to perform breast reconstructive surgeries," he said. "I like the idea of doing rewarding work in a community where I can really make a difference in patients' lives."
Dr. Tousignant
A member of the medical staff since 2008 and is board certified in General Surgery. He completed his training in general surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. He attended medical school at MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to becoming a surgeon, he was an engineer.
Dr. Tousignant specializes in the treatment of a wide range of general surgery problems with the latest minimally invasive surgery techniques, for the treatment of thyroid disease/cancer, parathyroid disease, hiatal hernia, reflux disease, gallbladder disease, breast surgery, abdominal wall hernia and colorectal disease. He performs the most laparoscopic inginual and ventral hernias in the area. Additionally, Dr. Tousignant is one of only a handful of surgeons in the state of Connecticut that performs scarless surgery for the treatment of gallbladder disease.
Moreover, Dr. Tousignant has developed a Bariatric program at Backus, offering laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedures.