Kelley named chief of Surgical Oncology
Dr. Mark C. Kelley, assistant professor of Surgery, has been named chief of the division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery.
He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1997 after completing a fellowship at John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif. He received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida in 1985 and 1989 and completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the University of Florida in 1995. He was one of the first members of the division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, which now boasts seven members.
Kelley serves as the chairman of the Vanderbilt Medical Center Cancer Committee and clinical director of the Vanderbilt Breast Center. He is also associate director of the Breast Cancer and Melanoma programs at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Kelley, who has been serving as the acting chief of the division since July 2001, sees the post as an opportunity to help continue to contribute to the development of the cancer programs at Vanderbilt.
“Our growth has been a significant achievement,” he said. “The division has played an important part in the development of clinical and research programs in the Cancer Center. This is especially true for G.I. malignancies and breast cancer, where Surgical Oncology faculty have key roles in the SPORE grants.
“Taking a defined leadership role will allow me to continue to build upon the success achieved while Dr. Beauchamp served as chief of the division. We have made significant progress toward that goal this year through the addition of several outstanding faculty members, including two dedicated endocrine surgeons.”
Although Kelley acknowledges the progress the division has made, he points to plans he has developed for the program including his top two goals: making Vanderbilt one of the top 10 surgical oncology and endocrine surgery programs in the country and helping to put the Cancer Center on top in terms of clinical care and research.
Kelley admits his agenda is ambitious, but believes that “we have the people, resources and support needed to achieve these goals at Vanderbilt.”
“It will be my job to foster an atmosphere that will allow faculty members to develop their clinical practice and research efforts successfully,” he added. “This position also calls for a balancing act on my part, since I will continue my clinical practice and research in breast cancer and melanoma along with my administrative duties.
“I appreciate the confidence that Drs. Beauchamp and Pinson have expressed in me by offering me this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to the challenge that it presents.”