Thomas W. Burke, MD, Oral History Interview, March 11, 2014
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Description
Major Topics Covered:
- Personal and educational background
- Military service
- A portrait of a clinician with an “entrepreneurial spirit”
- Research: combination therapies for gynecologic cancers
Identifier
BurkeTW_01_20140311
Publication Date
3-11-2014
Publisher
The Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas Cancer Center
City
Houston, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Topics Covered
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas System. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute at Houston, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute
Disciplines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oncology | Oral History
Recommended Citation
Burke, Thomas W. MD and Rosolowksi, Tacey A. PhD, "Thomas W. Burke, MD, Oral History Interview, March 11, 2014" (2014). Interview Sessions. 215.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewsessions/215
Conditions Governing Access
Open
About the Interview
About the Interview Subject:
Dr. Thomas Burke (b., 8 May 1953, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania) joined MD Anderson in 1988 as a faculty member of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. In the eighties and nineties, Dr. Burke became known for developing combination-treatment alternatives to radical surgery for uterine and vulvar cancers. His administrative career began with his role as Medical Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Center in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine from 1989−1998. In 1998 he also began to serve as Vice President of Medical Affairs, rising through several leadership roles until he became Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief, a role her served from 2005−2013, when he was appointed Vice President of the MD Anderson Cancer Care Network.
Interview Profile #50: Thomas Burke, M.D.
Submitted by: Tacey A. Rosolowski, Ph.D.
Date revised: 7 May 2014
This interview with Dr. Thomas Burke (b., 8 May 1953, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania) takes place over three sessions in spring of 2014 (approximate total duration, five hours). Dr. Burke joined MD Anderson in 1988 as a faculty member of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. For many years Dr. Burke served as Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief. In 2013 he appointed the Executive VP overseeing the MD Anderson Cancer Care Network. This interview takes place in Dr. Burke’s office in the Mid-Main Building of MD Anderson. Tacey A. Rosolowski, Ph.D. is the interviewer.
Dr. Burke received his Bachelors of Science in biology from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1974 and continued at that institution for his M.D., conferred in 1978. He did his Clinical Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda (1984-6/1986) and then went to the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu Hawaii for his Clinical Residency and Clinical Internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology (7/1979-6/1982 and 7/1978-6/1979, respectively. Dr. Burke was an Instructor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, first at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS from 1982 to 1984 and then at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, 1984−1986. He then joined the faculty and served as an Assistant Professor until 1987, when he became a Clinical Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. In 1988 Dr. Burke joined the faculty of MD Anderson as an Assistant Professor and Assistant Gynecologist in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine.
In the eighties and nineties, Dr. Burke became known for developing combination-treatment alternatives to radical surgery for uterine and vulvar cancers. His administrative career began with his role as Medical Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Center in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine from 1989−1998. In 1998 he also began to serve as Vice President of Medical Affairs, rising through several leadership roles until he became Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief, a role her served from 2005−2013, when he was appointed Vice President of the MD Anderson Cancer Care Network.
In this interview, Dr. Burke provides a portrait of a clinician with a self-described “entrepreneurial spirit” and a tendency to “remake himself.” He discusses his research and discusses the evolution of combination therapies for gynecologic cancers. He also discusses how Gynecologic Oncology at MD Anderson was practicing multi-disciplinary care before it was an institution-wide protocol and commitment. These sessions also bring out Dr. Burke’s capacity to develop and leverage networks for the benefit of MD Anderson and its mission. In the process of describing his administrative roles, he provides insight into the context of financial challenge and change that MD Anderson is now confronting, and details initiatives that the institution has in place to navigate this stressful time.