Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center selects Radiation Oncology Section Chief
PHOENIX – (Feb. 28, 2011) The appointment of Matthew D. Callister, MD as radiation oncology section chief for the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center is the first of seven section chief appointments for the specialty medical center, scheduled to open in September of 2011 on the Banner Gateway Medical Center campus.
Still to be named are section chiefs for the modalities of surgical oncology, medical oncology, pathology, medical imaging, critical care and internal medicine.
“Dr. Callister’s experience in patient care and research will provide Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center with great leadership in radiation treatment therapies,” said Edgardo Rivera, MD, medical director for Banner MD Anderson.
Callister will begin his new role in April. He currently serves as an assistant professor of radiation oncology and a consultant in the department of radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. His previous experience includes roles as a radiation oncologist at Baptist Lutheran Medical Center, Research Medical Center and Therapeutic Radiologists, Inc., all in Kansas City, Mo.
Callister graduated from Duke University School of Medicine, and completed his residency in radiation oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. His clinical practice focus has been in the treatment of gastrointestinal, skin, and head and neck cancers and lymphoma – all major focuses of the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has served as local study chair or co-investigator for several clinical trials.
When Banner MD Anderson opens, cancer patients will be cared for in a new three-story, 133,000 square-foot outpatient center that will be supported by 76 beds on two floors inside Banner Gateway Medical Center. The outpatient center will house physician clinics, medical imaging, radiation oncology, infusion therapy and many support services.
About Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center
The new center will open in September of 2011 on the Banner Gateway Campus and will deliver an unprecedented level of cancer care to patients in Arizona through the collaboration of Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital systems, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, internationally renowned for its cancer treatment and research.
Banner Health Foundation has launched a campaign in support of the cancer center. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.org/BannerFoundation. Banner Health Foundation, the philanthropic resource for Banner Health, secures and stewards charitable contributions to advance Banner Health’s mission of making a difference in people’s lives through excellent patient care. Charitable contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations are invested locally to support programs and services in Banner’s nonprofit hospitals and health care facilities throughout Arizona.
About Banner Health
Headquartered in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the largest, nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns or manages 23 acute-care hospitals, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services including family clinics, home care and hospice services, and a nursing registry in seven states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. Banner Health was named a Top 10 Health System in Thomson Reuters in 2010. To learn more about Banner Health, go to www.bannerhealth.com.
About MD Anderson
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For seven of the past nine years, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America's Best Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.
