Edgar Staren, MD, PhD, MBA, Surgical Oncologist and Cancer Survivor of Cancer Treatment Centers of America Leads Chicago Magazine’s ‘Top Docs’
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(CHICAGO) December 18, 2009 – Edgar Staren, MD, PhD, MBA, surgical oncologist and senior vice president for clinical affairs at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center (Midwestern) was honored on the cover of the January 2010 issue of Chicago magazine in the publication’s annual listing of the best physicians in the Chicagoland area.
The list was prepared for Chicago magazine by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., whose team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels. By using mail and telephone surveys, as well as electronic ballots, the team of researchers asked physicians and the medical leadership of leading local hospitals to identify the highly skilled and exceptional doctors. They then follow up with a very careful screening of each doctor's educational and professional experience before finally selecting the physicians most highly regarded by their peers.
The article also features Dr. Staren in one of six profiles of outstanding Chicago-area physicians selected from among the area’s more than 250 hospitals. In his profile, Dr. Staren focuses on the need for an integrative approach to cancer treatment and celebrates the technological advancements in genetic tracking that allow the integrative team to identify the best treatment for a particular tumor in a particular individual, yielding an even more personalized care plan.
But, the authors make it clear that Dr. Staren brings much more to his patients than medical and surgical expertise. As a fifth-year sarcoma cancer survivor, Staren personally understands the importance of addressing the whole needs of each individual patient. “You think you understand what your patients go through,” he says. “But even though I already felt very strongly about the need for a mind-body-spirit approach to cancer, I hadn’t really understood its level of importance.”
“While compassion for patients is central to Staren’s treatment regimen, he also recognizes the importance of employing the latest technological innovations,” according to the profile featured in the January 2010 issue. “I’m fortunate to be around at a time in medicine when we have seen a virtual explosion [in new treatments],” Staren says, looking back to the start of his medical career.
About Edgar Staren, MD, PhD, MBA
Dr. Edgar Staren, surgical oncologist and senior vice president for clinical affairs and chief medical officer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), joined CTCA in 2005 to be a part of an organization which truly puts patients first. A native of Chicago, Dr. Staren earned a medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago in 1982. He completed a general surgery internship and residency at Rush University Medical Center, followed by a surgical oncology fellowship at Rush, during which he earned the ASCO Research Award. Dr. Staren also earned a Ph.D. in tumor immunobiology from Rush University and an M.B.A. from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. Before joining CTCA, Dr. Staren was Senior Attending Surgeon at the Medical College Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, as well as Attending Surgeon at both St. Luke’s Hospital and St. Vincent Mercury Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Staren spent seven years as a professor in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Ohio (MCO) in Toledo, Ohio (now known as The University of Toledo College of Medicine), where he also served as Chairman and Surgery Residency Program Director. He also served as Medical Director of the MCO Cancer Institute. Dr. Staren is former president of the Toledo Surgical Society, the Rush Surgical Society, and the American Society of Breast Surgeons. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for the American Cancer Society, Ohio Division. Since 2005, Dr. Staren has been a visiting professor in the Department of General Surgery at Rush Medical College in Chicago, where he previously served as Associate Dean for Medical Student Programs. Dr. Staren is nationally recognized for his clinical and research activities as an academic surgical oncologist, with specific expertise in diseases of the breast, liver and endocrine glands. He has published extensively in over 200 scientific works, and has given over 150 presentations. Dr. Staren belongs to numerous academic organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the American Association for Cancer Research. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and the National Board of Medical Examiners, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
About Chicago Magazine
Chicago magazine is the largest monthly city magazine in the country, with a circulation of more than 155,000. In addition, the company publishes several other titles, including Chicago Home+Garden and Chicago FASHION magazines. Chicago magazine has been honored with many awards, including, in 2004, the most prestigious--the Ellie award for General Excellence in its circulation category, bestowed by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a national network of hospitals providing a comprehensive, fully integrative approach to cancer treatment. CTCA serves patients with advanced cancer from all 50 states at facilities located in suburban Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa and suburban Phoenix. For more information about Cancer Treatment Centers of America, go to cancercenter.com.
