2022 Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Winners

Richard C Anderson, MD, FACS
OSF Healthcare Systems-Saint Francis Medical Center
Peoria, Illinois

“CLP has the greatest impact on quality at a cancer program”

Everett J. Bonner, Jr., MD, FACS, FSSO
Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

“As the CLP, my number one priority is providing patient-centered cancer care. The CoC provides us with the framework and standards to accomplish this goal in providing quality care and improved oncologic outcomes for our patients.”

David J. Coppola, MD, FACS
Wentworth Douglass Hospital
Dover, New Hampshire

“To work directly with our cancer committee and entire cancer program to assure COC standards are implemented in our everyday patient care.”

Lynne M. Jalovec, MD, FACS
Methodist Medical Center of Illinois
Peoria, Illinois 

“The whole point of a hospital’s active cancer committee as well as COC accreditation as a cancer program is to provide the best level of overall cancer care for all of our patients.  Being a CLP has allowed me to help my colleagues to better understand how the standards we follow accomplish this goal.  In addition, as a CLP, my critical review of outcomes data has provided areas of improvement in our cancer care that we have been able to accomplish.  I am a better cancer surgeon for my patients as a result, and I hope I have helped my colleagues to provide better care for all of our cancer patients.”

Edward Robert Kost, MD, FACS
UT Health San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

“The Cancer Liaison Physician (CPL) serves as a conduit between the CoC excellence standards and the clinicians taking care of the cancer patient. The CPL knows the specific needs of the local cancer population and assures they receive dedicated outreach efforts, in conjunction with evidence-based, comprehensive, cancer care as presented in the CoC standards.”

Seth B. Krantz, MD, FACS
NorthShore University HealthSystem
Evanston, Illinois 

“The work of the CLP most impacts patient care through the leadership and attitude one brings to the cancer committee. Utilizing NCDB and COC reporting tools to drive specific quality improvement projects is vitally important, but by showing an understanding and commitment to COC standards, by encouraging outreach, and by helping set program goals, the CLP can have an outsized impact beyond individual quality projects. The CLP should see themselves as a leader and advocate for cancer patients and cancer programs, and through such advocacy, drive the continual improvement in the entire spectrum of care for patients diagnosed with cancer.”

Nisha A. Lakhi, MD, FACOG
Richmond University Medical Center  
Staten Island, New York   

“Without CLP interpretation of data and quality measures, patient care would continue as status quo.”

Maxwell V. Meng, MD, FACS
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California

“During my time as CLP, I have had the privilege and opportunity to work as part of an amazing team here at UCSF.  The shared goal has been to improve our efforts and outcomes in caring for patients with cancer and we have made tangible progress during my tenure.  In addition, the NCDB has been a rich resource for us to examine many research questions within urologic oncology.”

Julie Monroe, MD
White Plains Hospital
White Plains, New York

“Working as the CLP gives me the opportunity to take a step back and review the quality of the care we are delivering to our patients -- not just as individual physicians but as an interrelated, multispecialty system and identify areas where we can do better.  As physicians, we may all be doing a great job but if the care is not coordinated or patient-centric, we may be falling short in our goal of providing exceptional care.  The quality improvement tools and methodologies I've learned in my position as CLP has allowed me to work with my colleagues to coordinate our efforts and improve the quality of care we are delivering to our patients and ultimately improve their outcomes and well-being.”

William R Robinson, MD
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson, Mississippi

“I believe the CLP helps the institution maintain a set of standards that are common to many facilities across the country.  This, in turn, ensures that the oncology physicians maintain personal standards when it comes to patient care. We (the facility, the doctors and the patients) can therefore be assured that they providing the best care, as defined on a national basis.”