Gavin Henry, MD Named Medical Director of the Tate Cancer Center at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center

Dr. Henry joins the center as it celebrates 20 years helping patients fight cancer closer to home

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (March 30, 2023) – Gavin Henry, MD, FACS, a thoracic surgeon and chair of thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) has been appointed the new medical director of the Tate Cancer Center, effective April 1. Dr. Henry's appointment comes as the Tate Cancer Center celebrates its 20th year of providing expert multidisciplinary cancer care to more than 20,000 patients.

Dr. Henry joined the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), parent organization of UM BWMC, in 2017 as the director of clinical operations for the Division of Thoracic Surgery. He is also an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM). Dr. Henry specializes in treating conditions of the esophagus and lung and performing minimally invasive robotic surgeries for most thoracic procedures, and leads the lung cancer screening program at the Tate Cancer Center at UM BWMC.

In his new role, Dr. Henry will continue to grow the academic and clinical missions of the Tate Cancer Center through its affiliation with the University of Maryland Cancer Network (UM Cancer Network), and make the benefits of discovery-based medicine more accessible to people in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding communities.

"Dr. Henry brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Tate Cancer Center," said Kathy McCollum, president and chief executive officer of UM BWMC. "With his expertise, we'll continue to cement the reputation of the Tate Cancer Center and UM BWMC as a leader in cancer care and create greater access to clinical research across the state and in our communities."

"Under Dr. Henry's leadership, we look forward to further growing the academic and clinical missions of the Tate Cancer Center and University of Maryland Cancer Network," said Mark Mishra, associate director of the UM Cancer Network and associate professor of radiation oncology and director of clinical research at UM SOM. "Together with our dedicated teams, we'll continue to provide comprehensive cancer care to all those in need, and create a better state of care for our patients and their families."

Named for community philanthropists Creston and Betty Tate, the Tate Cancer Center provides a full spectrum of cancer care services that combines clinical expertise and innovative treatments with supportive services to create the best treatment plans for each individual patient.

"Over the last 20 years, the Tate Cancer Center at UM BWMC has achieved significant milestones in cancer care and better supported individuals throughout all stages of their journey thanks to the incredible support we've received from the community and the expertise of our team members," said McCollum. "Together, we've connected all activities related to cancer together – from the hospital and outpatient care settings, to programs offered in the community and at home."

Key to the Tate Cancer Center's success has been its multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer – bringing together surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiology, pathology and other cancer specialists to develop individualized treatment plans for each patient. The center also connects patients to support services, including genetic counseling, nutritional services, financial counseling and palliative care.

The center also offers promising clinical trials designed to find new and better ways to treat patients with cancer, and trains the next generation of cancer care providers. Last year, the Tate Cancer Center received its reaccreditation from the Commission on Cancer as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program. To earn the designation, the Tate Cancer Center provides post-graduate medical education, diagnoses and/or treats at least 500 new cancer cases each year, offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment services, and participates in cancer related clinical research. Only 13 percent of all cancer programs in the nation have achieved this status.

"The future is in clinical research," said Dr. Henry. "In order for us to get ahead and defeat cancer, clinical research is going to be increasing important. I'm confident that together with the clinical and non-clinical teams at the Tate Cancer Center and UM Cancer Network, the next two decades are going to be even better, with more innovations and breakthroughs to come."

Cherif Boutros, MD, MSc, FACS, FACG, announced earlier this year that he would step down from the medical director position after more than a decade in the role at the Tate Cancer Center. He will continue in his role as professor of surgery at UM SOM, delivering surgical oncology care at the Tate Cancer Center and UMMS.

Under Dr. Boutros' leadership, the Tate Cancer Center became a member of the UM Cancer Network, formalizing its affiliation with the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and cancer programs across UMMS. Dr. Boutros also expanded the Tate Cancer Center's clinical and research programs, positioning it as a leader in minimally invasive cancer care. He championed innovation and technology and ensured that the center continued to deliver the expert and compassionate care for which it was known throughout the region.

"It's been an honor to work with the multidisciplinary team at the Tate Cancer Center for the last 10 years," said Dr. Boutros. "The team's dedication to compassionate patient care and commitment to excellence has had a tremendous, positive impact on our community."

To learn more about the Tate Cancer Center, including milestones and patient testimonials from the last 20 years, visit umbwmc.org/Tate20.

About the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) is an acute-care facility that is part of the University of Maryland Medical System. It is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland and has 314 beds and more than 100 team members. It also has 1,200 medical providers on staff in over 50 specialties. For more information, visit www.umbwmc.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state's future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System's anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of 10 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.