Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern Regional Medical Center Adds Top Clinical Talent, Specialty Lines and Services

ATLANTA, Jan. 5, 2015 — Several new board-certified physicians now call Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at Southeastern Regional Medical Center (Southeastern) home, including specialists in gynecologic, medical and surgical oncology. The hospital continues a climate of accelerated growth, completing a major expansion in September that added 25 inpatient beds, a four-story infusion center and outpatient clinic, a radiation therapy suite and two additional surgical suites.

“Attracting and retaining high-caliber clinical talent has always been and will continue to be core to our growth,” said Dr. George Daneker, chief of staff and surgical oncologist at CTCA at Southeastern. “Drs. Watkins, Rao, Higgs and Ninan are the latest examples of our response to serving the needs of patients and their families from across the Southeast and beyond.”

Kevin Watkins, MD, is a surgical oncologist with more than 15 years of experience focusing on upper gastrointestinal malignancies, namely pancreatic cancer, and expertise in robotic procedures for complex cancers, including the Whipple procedure. He earned a medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Florida. Additionally, he completed his fellowship in surgical oncology and gastrointestinal tumor surgery at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Board-certified in general surgery, Dr. Watkins comes to CTCA at Southeastern from Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he served as chief of the upper gastrointestinal and general oncologic surgery group.

Rama Rao, MD, MPH, is a gynecologic oncologist with more than a decade of experience. She received a medical degree and a Masters in Public Health from Tulane University, and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Rao completed her residency at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Cooper University Hospital, both in New Jersey. During her final two years there, she served as chief resident. Prior to joining CTCA, she held a fellowship in surgical gynecologic oncology, radical pelvic surgery and advanced robotic surgery at Northside Hospital and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta.

Vetta Higgs, MD, is a medical oncologist with nearly 20 years of oncology experience, and a special interest in health literacy and optimizing patient care. Dr. Higgs earned her medical degree at the University of South Alabama and is board certified in medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She completed a residency in internal medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Most recently, Dr. Higgs worked as an oncologist in private practices in Texas and at a regional cancer center in North Carolina.

Mary Ninan, MD, is also a medical oncologist. She received her medical degree from Trichur Medical College in Kerala, India. Most recently, Dr. Ninan served as a research fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she focused on studying viruses. She is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology and Society of Hematologic Oncology.

According to a recent study by the Center for Business and Economics Research of the University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business, CTCA at Southeastern has generated nearly $900 million in new economic activity in Georgia since groundbreaking, including a total economic impact of $659 million on Coweta County alone. In just over two years, the regional destination hospital’s team has climbed to nearly 900, surpassing a number of 500 projected over the first five years of operation.

For more information about employment opportunities, visit www.cancercenter.com/careers.

About Cancer Treatment Centers of America®
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. (CTCA) is a national network of hospitals focusing on complex and advanced-stage cancer. CTCA offers a comprehensive, fully integrated approach to cancer treatment and serves patients from all 50 states at regional facilities located in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Known for delivering the Mother Standard® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine®, CTCA provides patients with information about cancer and their treatment options so they can control their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.