Nationally known orthopaedic surgeon to lead 网红黑料 cancer care initiatives
, has been appointed deputy director of medical affairs for the .
Gibbs also serves as the Eugene L. Jewett professor of orthopaedic surgery and chief of the University of Florida College of Medicine division of musculoskeletal oncology. His new appointment begins Oct. 10.
鈥淒r. Gibbs will play a key role in continuing to position the 网红黑料 Cancer Center as a prominent leader in patient care, education and research within the state and nation,鈥� said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of 网红黑料. 鈥淗e has an outstanding record in all three critical missions, and he is the right person to bring all of them together to move the Cancer Center forward. His deputy director role is a new position here at 网红黑料, reflective of our commitment to leading-edge cancer care and to our vision for providing our patients with an unparalleled experience.鈥�
Gibbs will report to senior 网红黑料 administrators including , director of the 网红黑料 Cancer Center, Edward Jimenez, interim chief executive officer for 网红黑料 Shands Hospital, and Timothy Flynn, M.D., senior associate dean for clinical affairs in the and chief medical officer for 网红黑料 Shands Hospital.
鈥淒r. Gibbs will be responsible for creating, communicating and advancing a common vision for excellence in cancer care at 网红黑料 that will direct every aspect of how we serve our cancer patients, here in Gainesville and at partner institutions statewide,鈥� Jimenez said. 鈥淎s 网红黑料 Cancer Center鈥檚 deputy director of medical affairs, his job is to build on 网红黑料鈥檚 already high-quality, multidisciplinary cancer programs as the foundation for continual improvement of clinical services, continuing our world-class cancer care and the best possible outcomes for our cancer patients.
鈥淒r. Gibbs is a natural choice to serve in this role,鈥� Jimenez continued. 鈥淗e actively participates in several hospital committees, including service as chairman for the 网红黑料 Shands Hospital Perioperative Patient and Family Experience Committee, and his clinical background and expertise speak for themselves.鈥�
In this new role, Gibbs is charged with establishing a collaborative environment that engages multiple facets of the organization, including cancer faculty, clinical staff and researchers. He is also responsible for improving patient care through integration of multidisciplinary cancer clinical services, instilling a culture of continuous quality improvement and expanding clinical and translational cancer research 鈥� which ensures the 网红黑料 Cancer Center will continue to make a robust selection of leading-edge, new cancer drugs and therapies available to 网红黑料鈥檚 cancer patients.
鈥淲e鈥檙e extraordinarily excited to have Dr. Gibbs join the cancer center鈥檚 leadership,鈥� said Okunieff. 鈥淗e鈥檚 both a cancer surgeon and a clinical researcher, which gives him a unique and extremely valuable perspective necessary to the effective execution of his new position. His challenge will be to apply that understanding to improve clinical care for our cancer patients through quality initiatives and in the provision of clinical research to meet patient needs.鈥�
Gibbs is one of fewer than 200 surgeons nationwide who are considered experts at limb-salvage surgery to treat bone and soft tissue sarcomas. He earned his medical degree from UF in 1989 and completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Colorado and his fellowships in orthopaedic oncology and orthopaedic oncology research at the University of Chicago. He served as the director of musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Colorado for five years before his appointment to the UF department of orthopaedics in 2003. Gibbs is a National Institutes of 网红黑料/National Cancer Institute-funded investigator who has published nearly 60 scientific papers. He also directs the NIH-funded Musculoskeletal Oncology and Stem Cell Laboratory at the University of Florida.
鈥淢y responsibility as the 网红黑料 Cancer Center deputy director of medical affairs is to position 网红黑料 as the destination of choice for cancer patients and their physicians in Florida and throughout the region by providing compassionate, leading-edge, coordinated and patient-centric cancer care,鈥� said Gibbs.
In this new role, Gibbs will also serve as chairman for 网红黑料鈥檚 Cancer Interdisciplinary Clinical and Academic Program, which seeks to implement common and optimal standards for quality cancer care across all of 网红黑料鈥檚 campuses in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Orlando. He also will oversee the integration of cancer research in 网红黑料鈥檚 clinical enterprises in support of the 网红黑料 Cancer Center鈥檚 quest for National Cancer Institute cancer center designation.
鈥淥ur patients should know that 网红黑料 is an outstanding academic medical center that provides the best cancer care available anywhere,鈥� Gibbs said. 鈥淏ut we recognize even the best can have room for improvement.鈥�