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For Immediate Release
March 10, 2006
Mercy Names Hollingsworth and Higgs to Cancer
Center
Oklahoma City—Mercy Health Center has named
Alan B. Hollingsworth, M.D., as medical director, and Tracy Higgs, RN,
as administrative director of Mercy Cancer Center.
As a nationally recognized leader in the field of
interdisciplinary cancer treatment, Dr. Hollingsworth also will continue
his role as medical director of Mercy Women’s Center.
“Dr. Hollingsworth has proven his expertise in
coordinating seven medical specialties necessary to ensure the highest
outcomes in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Mike Packnett,
president and CEO of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma. “He will bring the
same level of skill in multi-disciplinary management to Mercy Cancer
Center. Together, he and Tracy will work with a team of dedicated
professionals who will maximize positive outcomes for our patients.”
This spring, Dr. Hollingsworth has been asked to
speak to the general assembly at the 30th Anniversary Symposium of the
American Society of Breast Disease in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other speakers
include such noted breast cancer specialists as Dr. David Page of
Vanderbilt, Dr. Gabriel Hortobagyi of M.D. Anderson and Lazlo Tabar of
Falun Hospital in Sweden.
Dr. Hollingsworth, the first board-certified
physician in Oklahoma to limit his practice to breast disease, was also
one of the first in the country to establish a formal risk assessment
program for breast cancer. He also headed one of the first programs
nationwide to be recognized as a Center of Excellence for genetic
testing, and was asked to serve on the National Breast Cancer Risk
Assessment Working Group.
Under Dr. Hollingsworth’s lead, Mercy was: • First
in Oklahoma to offer digital mammography • First comprehensive breast
MRI program in Oklahoma • First to launch an international clinical
trial to determine if the NMP66 blood test is viable as a screening
procedure for breast cancer • Able to accumulate the largest blood
sample reservoir anywhere in which specimens are tied to a database that
includes breast MRI outcomes • One of only a few tissue banks in the
country focused on benign tissue in an effort to help National Cancer
Institute researchers predict breast cancer and in turn prevent it
Higgs, RN, MS, CNS, AOCN, joins Mercy from Cancer
Care Associates in Oklahoma City, where she served as director of
clinical services since 2000. Prior to that, she held several leadership
positions in various nursing roles. Higgs received both her bachelor’s
and master’s in nursing from The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center in Oklahoma City.
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