In honor of Neil Hayes, MD
Dr. Neil Hayes likes solving problems. And he sees no bigger one than cancer. At UNC, he brings together teams of doctors, nurse practitioners, and other health care professionals from across all departments to help cure patients through clinical trials. This team also sees patients who have incurable tumors. And for them, Dr. Hayes tries to bring therapies that prolong life and relieve suffering.
“In the cancer hospital, we’re not satisfied with standard of care,” he says. “It’s about the research mission, too. We try to have a clinical trial for every disease category; clinical trials for as many of these groups of patients as possible.”
Dr. Hayes is passionate about his work, and this dedication dates back to his early days.
“I’ve always had an interest in science, and I’ve always liked working on complex problems and solving situations with people,” Dr. Neil Hayes says. “These two things seemed to connect in medicine.”
He came to UNC for two main reasons: the quality of life in Chapel Hill and the great medical staff. And now he works in a great new building.
“This new cancer hospital is a modern facility,” he says. “It’s for the people of North Carolina. And it’s a building that reflects the quality of the team of doctors caring for the people.”