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About
The Missouri Division of Heartland Cancer Research NCORP is comprised of the main component at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, four affiliate sites that include rural Missouri and suburban St. Louis, and two sub-components (Southeast Cancer Center in Cape Girardeau and the Goldschmidt Cancer Center at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City).
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been collaborating with community investigators and bringing research to communities for more than 30 years. The NCORP builds on NCI’s previous community programs, maintaining the strong history of clinical research accountability, resource sharing and exchange, and partnership-building between the NCI, academic institutions, and communities.
The overall goal of the NCORP is to bring cancer clinical trials, as well as cancer care delivery (CCDR) research to individuals in their own communities, thus generating a broadly applicable evidence-base that contributes to improved patient outcomes and a reduction in cancer disparities.
The NCORP designs and conducts cancer prevention, control, screening, and post-treatment surveillance clinical trials and CCDR studies, including comparative effectiveness research.
The NCORP brings researchers together with community-based physicians and their health care organizations to conduct high quality clinical studies for cancer patients, for people at risk of cancer in local community settings, where most patients receive their care.
Missouri Baptist Medical Center (MBMC) is a member of BJC HealthCare. BJC HealthCare is one of the largest non-profit health care organizations in the United States, and is focused on delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. BJC serves the health care needs of urban, suburban and rural communities and includes 12 hospitals and multiple other community health locations. Services include inpatient and outpatient care, primary care, community health and wellness, workplace health, home health, community mental health, rehabilitation, long-term care and hospice. MBMC oncologists provide clinical services in St. Louis County at the Missouri Baptist Cancer Center and Missouri Baptist Healthcare Center-Sunset Hills, in Franklin County at Missouri Baptist Hospital-Sullivan, in St. Francois County at Parkland Health Center-Farmington, and in Ste. Genevieve County at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital.
MBMC Physicians:
Bryan A. Faller, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist. Dr. Faller is the Principal Investigator for Heartland Cancer Research NCORP. He is the Medical Director of the Cancer Research Program at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
Michael J. Bolger, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Pawel T. Dyk, MD, Radiation Oncologist
Belal Firwana, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Vincent Q. Joe, MD, Radiation Oncologist
Jason J. Li, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Paul T. Mehan, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Melissa Rooney, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Atif Shafqat, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Matthew Stein, MD, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Heartland Cancer Research NCORP physicians have access to over 120 clinical trials available for cancer patients. NCORP physicians are responsible for investigating new approaches to the treatment of cancer, managing symptoms and addressing potential late effects associated with cancer and its treatment. These studies seek to better understand and remedy issues that enhance the quality of patients’ lives during and after their cancer treatment.
Many Heartland studies seek to compare outcomes of treatments already known to be effective and that are similar, but not exactly alike. This research advances the process of identifying the very best approaches to treatment.
Other Heartland studies seek to replicate results of previously published research on cancer treatments. This critical secondary research helps determine whether the initial results can be validated and whether the treatments should be utilized for many patients.
Heartland physicians are dedicated to the principles of “precision medicine”. It is Heartland’s goal to customize each cancer patient’s healthcare, so that medical decisions, practices, supportive treatments and cancer therapies are tailored insofar as is possible. Individual variability in genes, environment, co-existing medical conditions and lifestyle are considered when we recommend a clinical trial to a potential participant in our research studies.
Our Rural and Suburban Sites
Missouri Baptist HealthCare-Sunset Hills offers many key services of Missouri Baptist Medical Center to South and Southwest St. Louis County residents in a convenient location. Dr. Michael Bolger sees patients in Sunset Hills.
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital: Drs. Belal Firwana and Matthew Stein see patients at The Alan P. Lyss Center for Cancer Care and Research in Ste. Genevieve every Monday.
Missouri Baptist Hospital-Sullivan: Physicians with expertise in a variety of medical specialties come to Sullivan Hospital’s Medical Office Building from Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. This gives patients the opportunity to see and receive treatment from highly skilled specialists without leaving the Sullivan area. Drs. Jason Li and Belal Firwana see patients in the oncology clinic two days per week.
Parkland Health Center – Farmington: Professional services are provided in Farmington five days per week. Drs. Bryan Faller, Paul Mehan, Atif Shafqat, Melissa Rooney, and Matthew Stein are the medical oncologists/hematologists in attendance.
