Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

WHO: Dr. Gary Doolittle is medical director of the Midwest Cancer Alliance, a network of Kansas hospitals and physician groups involved in clinical trials for cancer drugs which is administered by the University of Kansas Medical Center. He also is a Capitol Federal Masonic distinguished professor of medicine at the University of Kansas.

BIO: Doolittle was born May 10, 1958, and grew up in Pittsburg. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at Pittsburg State University. He later earned his medical degree from the KU.

Doolittle has been medical director of Midwest Cancer Alliance since 2007.

Doolittle started on the KU faculty as a medical oncologist, with an interest in bone marrow transplantation.

Early in his medical career, both his parents were diagnosed with cancer.

“I found it a huge challenge,” to get them to appointments, he said.

It was through this experience that he became interested in oncology care, especially in rural areas. His mentors taught him that outreach and community service were important, he said.

This was about the time KU was launching the telemedicine program. Doolittle began as a practitioner in the program. In 2000, he became the medical director of the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Center for Telemedicine.

In March 1995, the telemedicine outreach clinic in Hays was opened as a part of the program. Dr. Doolittle visits the clinic about twice a month.

Doolittle said he didn’t expect the clinic to stay open as long as it has. In fact, it was only supposed to be a two year academic project.

Since the clinic in Hays opened, another was opened in Horton about 10 years ago and a third was opened in Goodland in April.

Doolittle also has studied telemedicine in Oman and Queensland, Australia.

In addition to seeing patients, Doolittle is a professor at KU. He teaches medical students for eight weeks during their first year. Third-year students see him again when they take eight weeks of hospital internal medicine.

Doolittle has three children.

INTERCONNECTS: Doolittle is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

CONTACT: Telephone: (913) 945-6733

Email: gdoolitt@kumc.edu

Address: Midwest Cancer Alliance

3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 1016

Kansas City, KS 66160

Sources: Dr. Gary Doolittle, University of Kansas Cancer Center