How ‘getting into the weeds’ shapes strategy for this cancer leader

As associate vice president of oncology services at Phoenix-based Banner Health, Cory Jones oversees oncology services tied to the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center program, which spans 10 sites across Arizona and Colorado.

Banner is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the country, serving more than 3.5 million patients through a provider-sponsored health plan, and operating 33 hospitals and more than 450 care sites across Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska.

Mr. Jones recently joined the “Becker’s Healthcare Podcast” to discuss how targeted therapies are reshaping the oncology landscape and what innovations lie ahead for the field.

Here is an excerpt from the conversation:

Editor’s note: This response has been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

Question: What advice do you give to physicians or emerging leaders in the oncology space when it comes to making an impact in care or innovation, like research?

Cory Jones: I’ve been in the oncology world for over 20 years, and I recognize that the oncology ecosystem is very complex. But the value of that complexity is that there are individuals and care team members alike that really care about what they do.

Coming together from an interdisciplinary and a multidisciplinary standpoint is so important. The most important thing I can do as a leader is to understand the dynamics of that ecosystem intimately in the sense of understanding how things are connected, how they work and how they need to be supported. Getting into the weeds a little bit more is a critical part for any leader, and recognizing where you fit within that ecosystem is such an important part.

Listen to the full conversation here.