PHYSICIAN PROFILE
Ronan Kelly
MD MBBCH MBA
Chief of Oncology for Baylor Scott & White
Health – North Texas and Medical Director
of Oncology at Baylor University Medical
Center in Dallas
octor Kelly was welcomed As a native of Ireland, can you talk How do you plan to enhance care across
to Baylor Scott & White in about your journey that led you to Baylor Scott & White?
November 2018 from Johns the United States?
Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.,
I had completed an oncology
The Charles A. Sammons Cancer
Center is already a Center of Excellence
where he served as both director of the fellowship in Ireland and really wanted to for Immunotherapy, offering a significant
Gastroesophageal Cancer Therapeutics do a second, more focused fellowship number of novel and some first-in-human
Program and as medical director of Global with an emphasis on clinical trial design immunotherapeutic applications that
Oncology for Johns Hopkins International. and novel drug development. In 2007, I are not available anywhere else. Now I
came to the NIH and stayed on as a clinical want us to accelerate these innovative
the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland researcher prior to joining the faculty at efforts in order to make significant cancer
and a master’s in business administration Johns Hopkins. I saw great promise in the discoveries for years to come. Additional
from University College Dublin, Dr. Kelly area of lung cancer and gastroesophageal programs like the American Cancer
completed an oncology fellowship at cancer research, where there had been Society Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope
the National Cancer Institute, part of little advancement up to then. It’s been Lodge, dedicated patient navigators,
the National Institutes of Health. He was my main focus ever since to change genetics counselors, and personalized
recently appointed clinical professor of the paradigms of care not only for lung/ rehabilitation services that focus both on
the Texas A&M Health Science Center esophageal cancer patients, but for all recovery and survivorship will continue
College of Medicine and remains an cancer patients. to set us apart.
What has helped shape the way you think How would you like to be remembered?
After earning a medical degree from
adjunct associate professor of oncology
at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Kelly continues to lead multiple
international phase II & III clinical trials
investigating novel targeted and
about healthcare in general and cancer
care specifically?
So many patients are filled with dread
As someone who took the time
to treat more than just the cancer by
focusing on the whole patient. I would
immunotherapy drugs in lung cancer when they hear the word “cancer” or get also like to be viewed as someone who
and gastroesophageal cancer. He is any serious diagnosis, for that matter. When improved our understanding as a cancer
committed to improving the quality I decided to become a medical oncologist, system of how we can personalize
of care for all cancer patients and is I was motivated to try to help the sickest immunotherapeutics so that every
particularly passionate about the role of the sick, take away some of the anxiety patient can benefit.
immunotherapy may play in this quest. that patients feel, and instill a sense of hope.
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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE FOUNDATION NEWS / SUMMER 2019