Meet the Cancer Providers
Cancer can be complex, but your care shouldn’t be. At Northwest Health - La Porte, we take a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Through this collaborative approach, our cancer team share their diverse knowledge, skills and experiences to develop treatment plans for our patients.
Appointments & Information
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a medical oncologist, please call the number below.
Call Us: 1-219-326-0943
Medical Oncologists-Hematologists
A medical oncologist-hematologist is a doctor who specializes in the care and treatment of cancer (oncology) and blood diseases (hematology). These specialists are skilled in the treatment and management of side effects
Your medical oncologist will review your medical history, conduct physical exams, and order diagnostic tests to determine your exact diagnosis, including the stage of your cancer. He or she will work with you to customize your cancer treatment plan, and may refer you to a surgeon, radiation oncologist or any other specialist you need. This specialist will also manage any side effects you experience.
Kalid Adab, M.D.
Dr. Adab is board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. He has special interest in immunotherapy and benign and malignant blood disorders as well as lung, breast, gastrointestinal, prostate and head and neck cancers.
Dr. Adab attended medical school at Babel University and then completed his residency at the University of Arizona. He then completed his fellowships at John H. Stroger hospital in Chicago, IL. Dr. Adab joined the staff of Northwest Medical Group in 2020 and currently practices in the La Porte medical building.
Radiation Oncologists
Radiation oncologists are physicians who specialize in the use of radiation therapy – high-energy rays that cause cancer tumors to shrink or be destroyed. If you need radiation therapy, your radiation oncologist will determine the precise dose and placement of the treatment you will receive and the schedule of your treatments. This specialist will also manage any side effects you experience.
Jeffrey Quackenbush, M.D.
Dr. Quackenbush is a native of Naperville, IL, a suburb west of Chicago, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He attended undergraduate school at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He then attended medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Following internship at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, he completed his residency in radiation oncology in San Francisco at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Upon completion of residency, Dr. Quackenbush returned to the Chicago area and joined the staff at Northern Indiana Oncology Center in February 2002. Dr. Quackenbush is a board-certified radiation oncologist with a particular interest and training in both intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and prostate brachytherapy.
Radiation Oncology: 1-219-983-6100
About the Radiation Oncology Providers
Oncology Nurse Navigators
Patients of the cancer care services at Northwest Health - La Porte receive support from a nurse navigator who is available to help patients coordinate appointments, get questions answered and connect with support services. Each patient’s physical and emotional health is a priority for this support team.

Marilyn Belkiewitz, R.N., MSN
Oncology Survivorship Nurse

Michelle Hill, R.N., CTR
Cancer Registrar

Donna Riedel, MSN-ED, R.N.
Oncology Nurse Navigator

Teresa Tuholski, MBA, R.N., CCM, CPHQ
Patient Navigator
Registered Dietician
The oncology dietitian works with the oncology team to identify patients who are at high risk for malnutrition and works with patients to provide medical nutrition therapy. This includes developing a nutrition plan to improve or maintain their nutritional health before, during and after treatment.
Types of different services include education on appropriate diet and supplements, education on methods to help reduce side effects and assisting with alternative forms of nutrition such as enteral and parenteral support.
Medical nutrition therapy is an essential component of cancer treatment and improves patients’ ability to tolerate treatment as well as quality of life before and after treatment. Medical nutrition therapy also reduces weight loss, unplanned hospitalizations, lengths of stay in the hospital and breaks in treatment.