At Mass General, there are hundreds of staff members working to support cancer patients and their families every day. Some staff see patients face to face, while others may never meet the patients whose lives they improve through their efforts. Kolleen Taylor, an administrative manager in the MGH Division of Surgical Oncology, oversees support staff in surgical services for breast cancer, melanoma, sarcoma, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and endocrine tumors. She has grown the programs at Mass General, managed the Danvers surgery suite and has integrated clinics with the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center. But more than just creating strong services, she embodies a focus on the patient perspective and experience.
Ken Tanabe, MD, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology says, “Whether it is simple things, such as ensuring that our patient care coordinators think about their roles from the patients’ perspective, or more thought-provoking projects — bringing the best of our Danvers practice to downtown — Kolleen’s focus has always been on improving the patient’s experience. I remain deeply impressed by how Kolleen keeps the patient and family perspective front and center, even though she rarely has the opportunity to interact directly with patients.” According to Debra Doroni, executive director of the Transplant Center, “Kolleen is truly one of the unsung heroes of the Mass General Cancer Center.”
