Patients First Spotlight

Dr. Michael Van Tuyl - Radiation Oncology

Prior to attending medical school at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Dr. Van Tuyl completed five years active duty with the US Navy and then stayed in the reserves assigned to the Marine Corp Force Recon (Special Forces) becoming a navy diver while completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada in Reno.

After completing the medical program at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Dr. Van Tuyl completed a one year internship in psychiatry at the US Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, followed by residency training at Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, Norfolk, Virginia, in Radiation Oncology. He served as Chief Resident during his second year of residency. He was then assigned as a Staff Radiation Oncologist at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. During his eight years there, he served as the Director of Brachytherapy and was the Chairman for the Radiation Safety Committee.

Do you have any special interests in the field of oncology?

My primary interests are in prostate, breast, GYN and head & neck.

How has oncology changed since you entered the field?

When I first trained in the early nineties we were using lower doses, IMRT was just getting started, there was very little image guidance of treatments, PET scans were not around, there was very little combined chemo/RT treatments, fewer chemo therapy drugs, no robotic surgery, laproscopic surgery was just getting started and the planning systems did not decrease dose to uninvolved tissues (cutting down on side effects and complications) the way they do today. There was also much less integration of cancer care and virtually no multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.

Could you share a story of an event that particularly inspiring for you?

Once when I was taking care of a patient who was at the end of her life and I was treating her for pain control. She had been in the hospital for several weeks and was not going to be able to go home before the end came. She and her husband were very sweet people and, in talking with the patient, the one thing that she missed more than anything else were her dogs. Because of the hospital rules, her husband could not bring the animals in to see her even though she was terminal. My wife and I had just gotten a new puppy and the patient needed to be treated over the weekend at the cancer center so I came in for the treatments. My wife was out of town so knowing the circumstances I brought our puppy in to the center and brought it out for the patient to hold and pet while she was waiting for her treatment. The look on her face was priceless ……… it gave her so much comfort. Her husband told me later that it was the happiest that he had seen his wife since she had been admitted. She unfortunately passed about a week later, but up until that tim,e her husband said that all she could talk about was the puppy I brought in and the smile it placed on her face. That one small act helped make the patient feel so much better and reminded me that sometimes it is the smallest of things that make the biggest difference in our lives.

 

Dr. John M. Mohart - Cardiology

Dr. John M. Mohart joined Patients First in 2004 and is a member of the cardiology department. After graduating from the University of Missouri Medical School, Dr. Mohart went on to complete his residency and fellowship at Washington University Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Why did you choose cardiology as a specialty?

When I entered medicine, so many things were changing in the field of cardiology. In the past 10 years, there have been a number of critical technological and medicinal advancements in cardiology. Today, thanks to these advancements, I have the opportunity to really make an impact on my patients' lives and help improve their overall heart health.

What has been your best moment at PFHC so far?

Patients First provides health care on par with the best providers in the country like the Mayo Clinic. We have the technology and the staff to be able to offer almost every service you would find in a large metropolitan area. Plus, our services are all under one roof. I can guarantee that my patients can get the tests and the treatment they need without leaving our building, let alone having to schedule something weeks later. That is so important in today's health care environment.