Our Doctors

Dr. Masud joined Shore Nephrology in 2000 after completing his Critical Care Medicine fellowship at University of Massachusetts and Nephrology fellowship at Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed his internal Medicine residency at Northshore University Hospital in NY and Medical graduation (M.D) from Rawalpindi Medical College, University of Punjab, Pakistan.

Dr. Masud also received his training in Interventional Nephrology from Davita Vascular Access Centers at Atlanta Georgia and Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2007. He has performed more than a thousand dialysis access related procedures at Eatontown Vascular Access Center, Eatontown, NJ, where he also served as the medical director of the center. Dr. Masud is also the Medical director of Shore Davita dialysis facility at Neptune, NJ, a state of the art facility providing home and center based dialysis.

Dr. Masud has a vast knowledge and clinical expertise in all aspects of Nephrology and Hypertension. During his Nephrology and then Critical Care Medicine fellowships he developed a special interest in managing critically ill patients with kidney related disorders in medical, cardiac and surgical intensive care units. His other areas of special interests are resistant hypertension, heart patients with kidney diseases, hypertension and kidney diseases in pregnant patients, treatment of edema and fluid overload ,and medical management and prevention of kidney stones. In collaboration with some outstanding urologists practicing in the shore area, he manages a large number of patients with kidney stones at different level of complexities.

Dr. Masud is member of many medical organizations including American Society of Nephrology. He is the founding member of the Cardio-Renal Society of America. He is also a member of ICU committee at JSUMC. He is Board certified in Critical Care Medicine ( 2000, 2013), Nephrology (1999, 2009) and Internal Medicine (1995 ).

Dr. Masud is a keen follower of the game of cricket. He is a runner and so far has run NYC marathon and Marine Corp. marathons. He also plays golf in his spare time. Finally, he is a devoted husband and father living locally in Monmouth County.

Dr. Strauss joined the group in 1986 after completing his education and training at one of the best medical institutions in Northeast. Since then he has been managing patients with kidney related disorders and hypertension and also has been involved in many administrative responsibilities in hospitals and dialysis units for more than 20 years.

He did his Fellowship in Nephrology, Chief residency and internal Medicine Residency at Mt. Sinai medical Center, in Manhattan and Bronx veterans Medical center in New York. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology.

He is Medical Director of Davita dialysis unit at Freehold, NJ and Renal Venture unit at Brick, NJ. Both of these state of the art facilities provide in-center and home dialysis. He also serves on executive committee at Ocean Medical Center.

He possesses clinical expertise in all aspects of nephrology but his key area of interest are Chronic Kidney Disease, dialysis and hypertension.

His hospital affiliation include Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center and Centrals State Medical Center. In addition to three offices, located at Neptune, Brick and Freehold, he also sees patients at Sea brook Village at Tinton Falls.

His hobbies include hockey, bicycling and spending time with wife and his three children.

Dr. Dionisio Cruz is one of the founding members of Shore Nephrology. He is a vastly experienced nephrologist and has been managing patients with kidney and hypertension related disorders for almost three decades.

Dr. Cruz earned his doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree from University of Santo Tomas, Philippines. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at St. Elizabeth General Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ and fellowship in Nephrology at VA Hospital in East Orange, NJ College of Medicine. Dr. Cruz has been with this group since completing his fellowship in 1979.

Dr. Cruz's areas of interest include general nephrology, dialysis and hypertension.

He is affiliated with Jersey Shore University Hospital in Neptune, NJ and Ocean Medical Center in Brick, NJ. He is a member of American Society of nephrology and Monmouth county Medical Society. He sees patients at our offices at Neptune and Brick.

Dr. Cruz lives in Monmouth county with his wife. He has two children and has recently become a new grandfather. He is passionate about traveling and golf.

Dr. Harry Dounis joined Shore Nephrology in 2010 after completing his Nephrology Fellowship. He graduated cum laude from St. John's University with a Bachelor of science in pharmacy in 2000. He graduated at the top of his class from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2005 where he earned his medical degree.

Dr. Dounis completed his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. During his residency he was involved in hemodialysis research studying the use of bioimpedance spectroscopy as a means of assessing dry weight in association with the Renal Research Institute.

After residency, he completed a two year Nephrology fellowship at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. During fellowship he presented abstracts focusing on peritoneal dialysis research at major Nephrology conferences which include the American Society of Nephrology, The National Kidney Foundation and the Annual Dialysis Conference.

With his strong background in clinical pharmacology, Dr. Dounis is an expert in complex medication/drug related issues in patients with different stages of kidney disease. His areas of special interest include diabetic nephropathy, renal replacement therapies, glomerulonephritis, kidney transplant and hypertension.

Dr. Dounis lives locally in Monmouth county with his wife and two young children. He is conversant in Greek. Professional membership include the American Society of Nephrology and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Carlos Palant is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Nephrology program and diplomate of the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Since graduation from his Fellowship, Dr. Palant practiced as a full time academic clinician and researcher in the Department of Veterans Affairs and various medical schools. Between 2000 and 2017, Dr. Palant was Chief of Nephrology at the Washington, D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a full-time member of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the George Washington University Medical School. During his academic career, Dr. Palant was awarded several research grants from federal, state and private entities including the Department of Veterans Affairs Career Development and Merit Review Program, the New York Kidney Disease Institute, and the Charles Culpeper Foundation. In 2015, he was promoted to Professor of Medicine and currently holds the title of Clinical Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences.

Dr. Palant’s main research interests are in epidemiological studies of both acute and chronic kidney diseases, dialysis filtration technology, and kidney physiology. He is the author or co-author of more than forty peer and non-peer reviewed articles and reviews. Dr. Palant is currently a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the American Medical Association and is licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey

Dr. Mohammad Zafar joined Shore Nephrology in 2019. He is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine. Dr. Zafar graduated from King Edward Medical University, Lahore in 2009, where he received his medical degree. He went on to complete his internal medicine residency at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. After residency, he completed a two year nephrology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA. He is affiliated with Jersey Shore University Hospital, CentraState Hospital and Ocean Medical Center.

Our patients are our top priority. We are dedicated to staying up to date with modern trends in medicine in order to deliver patient care based on latest research. We believe in a patient centric approach to medical practice and take time to educate our patients about their condition and the treatment options available, so that you can make informed decisions about your care. We have a firm belief that comprehensive care can only be provided in collaboration with your primary care physicians and other members of the health care team. We place special emphasis in keeping you updated throughout your care.