David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA
David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA, was recently named President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) at the organization’s 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit. Oncology professionals from around the nation gathered at the conference to discuss the convergence of business, policy, and technology in cancer care. Addressing in-person and virtual attendees, Dr. Penberthy detailed the goals for his 2022–2023 tenure, announcing his President’s Theme, “Leveraging Technology to Transform Cancer Care Delivery and the Patient Experience,” and highlighting its objectives:
- To equitably leverage data and digital health tools to identify ways to reduce health disparities
- To identify strategies to use technology to help mitigate workforce shortages and improve efficiency of care
- To advocate for equitable access to technology innovations and adequate reimbursement for their application in cancer care delivery
- To convene technology-driven change makers to share solutions and envision the future state of oncology driven by the patient experience.
Health Technologies
“The science of oncology is exploding, and keeping up with all the information is a daunting task,” said Dr. Penberthy. “As oncology providers, we are exceptional at engaging with patients, and an opportunity exists to use technology, like [artificial intelligence]-driven practice support tools and patient wearable devices, to free up our time so we are better able to focus on critical issues, such as shared medical decision-making, improving care to underserved and marginalized patients, increasing clinical trial participation, and, most importantly, delivering person-centered care.”
Dr. Penberthy highlighted opportunities for using health technologies in clinical trial participation, enhancing the delivery of person-centered care, and improving care to underserved populations. As part of this theme, ACCC will host small-group virtual tech talks and other forms of outreach to determine how members develop technology-driven solutions that serve as a conduit to collecting and disseminating information.
Dr. Penberthy is Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Bon Secours, Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Petersburg, Virginia. He has also served as Cancer Committee Chairman at SRMC, where he led the oncology program through two American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer accreditation surveys resulting in cancer program accreditation, each time earning an Outstanding Achievement Award.
