Dr. Amol N. Rakkar

Dr. Puneet Bhalla is a board certified Medical Oncologist and joined Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers in September 2006. Dr. Bhalla is a graduate of Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore University. He completed his Internal Medicine residency and Medical Oncology fellowship from William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. His research has been published in national and international oncology meetings and he remains actively involved in research at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers. He has been practicing in the East Valley since 2003, initially in solo practice and since 2006 as part of Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers. He also serves on the Dignity Health East Valley Board of Directors for Mercy Gilbert and Chandler Regional Hospitals.A strong patient advocate, he routinely picks up the phone to communicate with other physicians and health insurance companies on his patients behalf. He has been nominated as Top Doc in medical oncology by his peers several times in Phoenix Magazine. As an extended faculty at Midwestern University he mentors medical students during their Oncology rotations. He is well respected by his peers in the community for his expertise in solid tumors.He lives in the Phoenix area with his wife and twin daughters and dog Frodo! In his spare time, he may be seen hiking with his family, riding his road bike or camping in the AZ high country. Dr. Bhalla is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choriocarcinoma. His top areas of expertise are Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Lung Cancer, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), and Familial Colorectal Cancer.

Dr. Kalmadi joined Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers in 2008 and serves as Chief Medical Officer.  After finishing his medical schooling in India, Dr. Sujith Kalmadi completed his residency training and fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He then served as academic clinical faculty at the Cleveland Clinic School of Medicine (Lerner School) in Cleveland, Ohio and subsequently at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. During his tenure at these prestigious institutions, he pioneered several novel clinical research trials which have been lauded at national scientific meetings and published in peer reviewed journals. His areas of clinical and research interests include several solid tumors and hematological disorders. He currently resides in Chandler with his wife and three children, and enjoys tennis, chess and racquetball during his spare time. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology. Dr. Kalmadi is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choriocarcinoma. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Familial Colorectal Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, and Severe Congenital Neutropenia.

Dr. Cherington joined Ironwood Cancer &  Research Centers in July 2016 after completing his fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Mayo clinic.  An Arizona native, he earned undergraduate degrees in Biology and Spanish at Arizona State University prior to attending the University of Arizona for his medical doctorate.  Dr. Cherington has presented research at ASCO and ASH and authored several research articles. However, what he values most is receiving the Gold Humanism Award, which recognizes him as possessing the personal characteristics that colleagues themselves would look for in a physician for themselves or their family members. Early in his youth, Dr. Cherington developed a passion to fight cancer when a childhood friend was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor.  His friend's cancer was aggressive, and her life was ultimately lost, but her tumor cells were donated to research new therapies. Years later, Dr. Cherington spent time at Barrow Neurological Institute investigating cell lines that most likely included his friend's saved cells. The fire that was ignited as a child was further fueled when Dr. Cherington's step-sister lost her life to cancer as a young adult. Today, in each new patient, Dr. Cherington sees a friend or family member who deserves the utmost compassion and expertise that modern medicine has to offer.Outside of work, Dr. Cherington enjoys hiking, exploring Arizona, sports, and spending time with his three children, his dog, and his beautiful wife.  Together, they are passionate about continually moving toward adopting lifestyle factors to prevent or slow cancer.  Dr. Cherington promotes using healthful lifestyle changes in conjunction with the best cancer treatment modern medicine has to offer to continually work towards a cure. Dr. Cherington is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choriocarcinoma. His top areas of expertise are Oligodendroglioma, Astrocytoma, Gliosarcoma, and Ependymoma.