Omar Llaguna, MD

I am a surgical oncologist at Memorial Healthcare System. I treat patients with a variety of conditions including gastrointestinal cancers (including of the pancreas, gallbladder, liver, appendix, etc.) melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas and peritoneal malignancies. I also provide hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and perform robotic surgery.

I decided to pursue a career as a surgical oncologist after my father's battle with rectal cancer. My experiences as a caregiver gave me insight into the significance of a good physician-patient relationship and I was heartened by the care my father received. I developed a great admiration for his physician's ability to verbalize both good and bad news, neither giving unrealistic hope nor losing faith. It was only as I watched my father struggle with illness that I truly appreciated the impact that a physician can make on the lives of patients and caregivers.

To this day, each patient interaction prompts a brief memory of my father and his fight with cancer. These very same memories inspire me to strive for excellence not only in honor of his memory, but for the thousands of memories still to be made by my patients with their loved ones.

At Memorial, it's a team effort to provide each patient with an appropriate, individualized plan for each patient. Our medical teams (including medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, etc.) work closely together along with patients and their families to figure out the best options for each unique situation.

My goal is for every patient to walk away understanding our plan of action, why it's best for them, and how he or she can help the plan succeed. I also want them to feel confident in their decision to pursue their treatment with the Memorial team and myself. We're a team and we're in this journey together.

In addition to providing patient care, I am also assistant professor of surgery at Florida International University's Wertheim College of Medicine. At Memorial, I'm also assisting in the development of the new general surgery program surgical oncology curriculum, which will include several research efforts.

• Surgical Oncology