BAINS GOT THE BRAIN Local Radiation Oncologist Focuses on Patient Health
By ALEX BOURQUEIN
COURTESY BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH / LARRY FIELD PHOTOGRAPHY
There are only 5,000 radiation oncologists in the United States today . It is a small specialty that requires five additional years after medical school and requires an understanding of math and physics , board certifications in radiation and radiobiology , and knowing how to safely use radiation to affect living tissue .
Dr . Bobby Bains , radiation oncologist at Baylor-Scott & White Health Cancer Center College Station , studied electrical engineering during his undergraduate degree at University of Texas-Austin . As a doctor , this has helped him with advanced problem solving and coming up with logical pathways that lead to a diagnosis because his profession deals with complex machines . By having an understanding of the electronics and math surrounding the radiation machine , he is better able to direct high energy x-rays into the body to treat cancers , and by being able to map the exact location and size of the tumor using image-guiding equipment , healthy tissues can be saved and protected from the radiation that attacks the cancer .
His average day consists of meeting new patients , counseling about treatment options , and ordering exams . This is easier to do because of the new renovations in the
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Baylor Scott & White Cancer Center , which recently installed a CT scanner in the department that allows for faster results . Prior to his move to Baylor Scott & White , Bains had been operating his own independent practice for 10 years at the Aggieland Cancer Treatment Center .
“ By bringing my experience as an independent physician and becoming
Dr . Bains helps patients every step of the way in their fight against cancer
integrated into a solid health care system , I can better care for my patients by having everything in the same place ,” says Bains .
“ Working as a doctor within a cancer specialty , a certain appreciation is formed for the endurance of the human spirit despite an ominous diagnosis ,” says Bains .
By being with patients every step of the way and forming a complete treatment plan , he can help his patients with the battles ahead of them in the fight against cancer .
“ While doctors get a lot of the credit for when things go right , it is heavily dependent on having the right staff , both in terms of nurses and physicists ,” says Bains . “ The treatments are complex and we have to have personnel that are extremely qualified . With a background in physics , it is easier for us to do a job well done .”
Bains works to make his community a better place by being involved with initiatives that promote worthy causes . He was on the board for the American Cancer Association for two years , participated in Relay for Life , and has given community interaction talks .
When he is not at work , Bains enjoys visits to his family pecan orchard , traveling the world , and participating on the amateur tennis player ’ s circuit . He has traveled to every continent with the exception of Antarctica , and his favorite trips have been a safari in Kenya and his frequent excursions to Asia . As captain for the College Station team in United States Professional Tennis Association State championship , Bains finds tennis to be a release as well as a time to relax and refocus his energies in order to be at the top of his game for his patients . i