The Catalyst Issue 25 | September 2016 | Page 11

Ekokobe Fonkem, DO Dhruve Jeevan, MD Regional neuro-oncology services To extend services for neurological cancer patients throughout Central Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health specialists regularly visit patients in regional centers. Ekokobe Fonkem, DO, and Dhruve Jeevan, MD, are among the specialists who see patients at regional clinics. As a neuro-oncologist, Dr. Fonkem treats patients with brain cancer. The disease is very difficult to treat, he says, so seeing patients close to their homes removes a travel burden from them. During one day each month in Round Rock and Waco, he participates in a multidisciplinary clinic that also includes a neurosurgeon, neurologist, neuropsychologist, radiation oncologist, and social worker. This allows patients to visit several physicians in one trip. “You get seen by all these specialists on the same day, and we have a plan for patients before they leave,” Dr. Fonkem says, Dr. Fonkem says patients visiting these clinics can receive the same level of care found at a metro-area specialty cancer center without the hassles of a big city, such as a lengthy hotel stay. “Often these families don’t have the kinds of resources needed to travel for their healthcare,” he says. Dr. Jeevan specializes in pediatric neurosurgery and sees young patients at McLane Children’s Hospital in Temple as well as at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Round Rock. This is helpful for families, he says, because it means less travel for a doctor’s visit and less time off from school. Dr. Jeevan treats brain tumors, which can be cancerous or noncancerous, as well as other conditions, including hydroencephalitis and spinal anomalies. sw.org | Fall 16 THE CATALYST 11