Chester County Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of William Luginbuhl, MD and Maureen Hewitt, MD to take the helm at the Abramson Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital.
Meet William Luginbuhl, MD
After 24 years at what is now the Abramson Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital, William E. Luginbuhl, MD, is excited about the next chapter of his career: the center’s new medical director.
First, there are the opportunities that come with expanding the office space. "Patients who are getting chemotherapy are going to have a much nicer environment to receive treatment in," he says. And there is potential for additional ancillary support — mental-health and nutritional services, massage and patient education, community outreach and support groups. "We’ll have the ability to expand the services we provide for patients, hopefully to make their experience better," Dr. Luginbuhl adds.
Next, he looks forward to deepening the close relationship with Penn Medicine. "It will allow our physicians to be more integrated at Penn Medicine, where they tend to be more disease specific, and Penn to be able to do more community-based treatment out here, including research," he explains.
As the principal investigator for cancer research trials offered through the center, Dr. Luginbuhl understands the benefits to both patients and providers, benefits that not all community hospitals can so readily access. For patients, there are often more options for treatment; for the center itself, a staff that has a much more current understanding of the science and the cancers they are managing.
It was the strength of the staff that attracted Dr. Luginbuhl to Chester County Hospital after his fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. The Vermont native considered community practices all along the East Coast before becoming the third physician at the center in 1993. “Chester County Hospital has a pretty significant depth of quality,” he says. 'Pathology is outstanding, the Radiology Department is great, and we also have very good sub specialties.'
Once here, his responsibilities grew along with the practice: leading the research department, managing the nursing group, aiding in the development of programs for patients such as the Art Therapy Group. "Art gives people an outlet to express themselves and reduce the anxieties and fears they had regarding cancer," Dr. Luginbuhl conveys. "Patients find that very therapeutic."
And it is the patients who are the heart of his practice. "I enjoy seeing patients, taking care of them, developing relationships with them," he said. "It’s a pretty small community so not only do you get to know your patients but you know their families as well — and you also are often taking care of the family and friends of your patients."
Meet Maureen Hewitt, MD
Maureen Hewitt, MD, learned of the cancer program at Chester County Hospital from a patient. She was a first-year fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania talking to a man in the acute leukemia unit. He described his difficult diagnosis and treatment, but noted one bright spot: meeting Dr. Dennis Berman, director of the cancer program.
"I thought, 'Wow, that’s a pretty powerful thing to say'," Dr. Hewitt recalls. "And it stuck with me."
After her fellowship, Dr. Hewitt wanted to focus on seeing patients, and sought advice on community practices. The colleagues she respected all recommended Chester County Hospital, which she joined in 2007. In August of 2017, she was named assistant medical director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital.
"It’s been a really fulfilling 10 years," Dr. Hewitt adds. "The physicians and nurses at the Cancer Center are really dedicated to bringing the best care to patients. We have a very collaborative work environment and I learn something new from my colleagues every day."
At a time when new treatments are producing significant advances in care, the West Chester center is making significant advances as well. In addition to doubling the size of its office space, the practice also plans to increase the availability of clinical trials. "We are a multi-disciplinary group offering subspecialty surgery, radiation oncology and the latest in medical oncology therapy for our patients. Our relationship with the University of Pennsylvania ensures our patients have access to the most relevant clinical trials available," Dr. Hewitt says.
The center’s staff and its commitment to personalized care impressed Dr. Hewitt from the start, and that continues. Everyone, she says, goes "above and beyond to ensure that our patients’ cancer journey is the most positive experience possible."
And that commitment includes personally volunteering with local community organizations. Dr. Hewitt trains volunteers and is an adviser for Cuddles My Kids, an in-home, no-cost support program that offers play, enrichment and educational resources for the children of families coping with cancer treatments. Founder Cathy Gabrielsen waged her own successful battle against breast cancer. "Cathy is an incredible person who turned her experience with cancer into an organization to help others. She asked, 'What can I do to make other people's lives easier knowing what I've been through,'" explains Dr. Hewitt.
That same compassion drives the efforts of the Abramson Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital staff.
"People diagnosed with cancer spend a great deal of time with their oncologist," Dr. Hewitt says. "The relationships we have with our patients make the practice of oncology different from other forms of medicine and what makes taking care of cancer patients tremendously rewarding."