Saint Alphonsus' Cancer Institute

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS/TRINITY HEALTH

The New Frontier of Treatment and Healing

BY APRIL NEALE

A cancer diagnosis is one of the scariest moments in a person’s life. Thanks to the expansion of Saint Alphonsus Cancer Institute, Idahoans who previously had to travel out of state for specialists and surgery can now fight and heal the disease close to home.

Many hospitals feature oncology units, but under the leadership and vision of Dr. Scott Pierson, Saint Alphonsus continues to aggressively recruit outstanding specialists from cancer centers across the country. Many new hires are fellowship-trained female oncologists, surgeons, and radiologists from top-tier medical facilities in the east.

Pierson’s vision is to create the very best cancer treatment center in the Pacific Northwest by attracting top medical talent that focuses on serving the “ whole patient” with a connected team approach. This includes an innovative nurse-navigator program, cutting-edge technology, advanced drugs, and thorough screenings.

This concentrated brain trust of doctors, medical staff, and administrators under Dr. Pierson’s guidance continues to attract more physicians. These incoming oncologists and specialists align with Dr. Pierson’s commitment and vision. For those Idahoans who undergo chemo, radiation, and continually bounce between doctors in different cities, or states, this “all-under-Saint Al’s-roof” solution offers a reprieve from additional stress and costs in treatment.

However, an elaborate building alone does not make a top-rated institute, says Dr. Pierson. “We’re always trying to recruit those with the most expertise. And as our program is growing, so is the area, and there are more patients. Boise is a great medical opportunity market because it’s under-saturated with physicians compared to many other big cities. So for the physician who wants to come in and build something, it’s a great opportunity,” he adds.

Dr. Scott Pierson

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS/TRINITY HEALTH

Pierson and some of his expert oncologists share an appreciation for the quality of life in the Treasure Valley. The lifestyle incentive, combined with Saint Al’s intention to create a Cancer Institute on par with M.D. Anderson or Sloan-Kettering, is creating a medical buzz about Boise. “I think the physicians who come here see the quality across the board with the medical community,” Pierson said. “If you want that combination of a small city and outdoor lifestyle, and if you have a family too, those things align. Saint Alphonsus is upping our game by providing the highest level of care without patients having to travel out outside the state.”

Dr. Camille Berriochoa is a native Boisean who is now a top radiation oncologist. She graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency in radiation oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

In 2021, Dr. Pierson brought Dr. Berriochoa on to his growing team.

Dr. Camille Berriochoa

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS/TRINITY HEALTH

“Coming back was always a real longing of mine,’ Berriochoa said. “I’m from Boise; my husband is also, so our family primarily drew us here. And having the opportunity to work at Saint Alphonsus was a big draw.”

The concept of whole patient care is a common thread connecting every doctor. Dr. Berriochoa added, “I’m excited to work with a group of talented, invested physician colleagues. What I feel here is that the foundation of good cancer care is good communication among providers. We can have all sorts of technology, but if we’re not all on the same page about a patient and working together for their progress, it’s hard to make that progress. So, we call each other all the time and work collaboratively with the patient and for the patient. We care very much about doing that because it optimizes a patient’s care.”

Dr. Pierson notes that the Institute’s advanced technology improves outcomes, especially with robotic surgeries performed by Dr. Stockton and other surgeons.

“Our surgeons do robotic surgery, which leads to faster recovery times and more precise surgery,” he explains. “And that’s important for all surgeries, but cancer surgery in particular. So we are a leader in robotic surgery for sure.”

For radiation, one of the newest technologies is GammaTile Therapy. According to Dr. Berriochoa, the radiation therapy tools have made patients’ lives far more comfortable. “We have these great technologies to allow us to be precise with our radiation therapy,” Berriochoa says. “That means more potency in the targeted treatment delivery while being more effective at protecting nearby structures that are critical to normal bodily function. For example, we have radiosurgery for the brain and the spine, and those are very focused treatments we deliver with our newest machine called TrueBeam®”.

Dr. Leah Stockton

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS/TRINITY HEALTH

Dr. Leah Stockton is a newer addition under Dr. Scott Pierson. She did her fellowship in surgical oncology at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center, the first in Idaho to achieve that fellowship. “The whole purpose of the fellowship is to give surgeons a deeper understanding of what oncology really is,” Stockton says. “These are all surgeries that we’ve touched on in our general surgery residency. Still, during the fellowship, you get an in-depth look at how to do the surgeries and how they interact with the medical and radiation side.”

Dr. Stockton shared that the Institute’s expansion is attracting industry attention. “I’ve been here for just over three months now, and I’m already fairly busy. And I hope that within a couple of years, I will find a partner to share the workload. That’s my goal. To help bring in a recruit from and continue to build the surgical oncology side of things.”

Dr. Ian Qureshi

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Another member of the team, Dr. Ian Qureshi, a hematology and oncology specialist, notes that the energy is palpable with the incoming migration of talent. “As quickly as new doctors arrive,”Qureshi says, “it seems like everybody’s busy already.. It’s not that anybody is happy about a diagnosis of cancer, but to receive treatment near where they live and have medical staff and nurse-navigators dedicated to managing the side effects — those patients are really taken care of.”

I think the physicians who come here see the quality across the board with the medical community

Before Dr. Pierson consolidated these adept oncologists, many patients had to travel to Portland or Salt Lake City. A cancer diagnosis can be devastating, but St Alphonsus Cancer Institute’s continuity of care is concentrated on making everything as easy as possible. It’s comforting for all involved to know that treatment and healing can happen close to home at one of the best cancer facilities in the U.S.