Complex Surgical Oncology Services

Surgical Cancer Care

Our surgical oncology team offers comprehensive, expert care for patients needing advanced and complex cancer-related surgery close to home. The team has extensive experience in robotic surgical techniques and specializes in treating many metastatic cancers of the pancreas, liver, stomach, colon and rectum, as well as melanoma and sarcoma skin cancers.

Treatments

Skin and Soft Tissue Surgery

  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy
  • Extended lymph node resections for skin and soft tissue cancers
  • Melanoma 
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Basal cell carcinoma
  • Sarcoma of the extremity and trunk
  • Desmoid tumors
  • Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TILs) therapy for melanoma

Complex Gastrointestinal and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery

  • Complex gastrointestinal robotic surgery
  • Retroperitoneal Sarcoma
  • Pancreas cancer
  • Pancreatitis 
  • Benign pancreas tumors
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Metastatic cancer to the liver
  • Hepatic artery infusion (HAI)
  • Gastric cancer
  • Gastroesophageal junction tumors
  • Gallbladder cancer
  • Cholangiocarcinoma
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
  • Rectal cancer
  • Anal cancer
  • Neuroendocrine tumors
  • Peritoneal malignancy
  • Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)

Locations

Photo of SurgerySurgery

3rd Floor

325 North State of Franklin Road, Johnson City, TN, 37604

Providers

Photo of Dr. Jennifer Whittington, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, FSSO

Dr. Jennifer Whittington, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, FSSO

Personal tragedy started a journey that became a calling: to ensure her community had access to state of the art, advanced cancer care close to home.

Serving as caregiver to family members and losing them at a young age to battles against cancer sparked within her a passionate desire to change the scope of cancer care within our region.

Dr. Jennifer Whittington, M.D., Ph.D., specializes in treating cancers of the pancreas, liver, stomach, colon and rectum, as well as melanoma and sarcoma. She has extensive experience in robotic surgical techniques and specializes in caring for patients who have cancers of the pancreas, liver, stomach, colon, rectum and those with melanoma and sarcoma skin cancers.

Photo of Trevy Ramos, D.O.

Trevy Ramos, D.O.

Dr. Trevy Ramos wants patients to know that she is here to help. Patients do not have to leave the Tri-Cities to get the HBP (liver, pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder) surgical services that they need. She chose this field to assist patients with relatively rare conditions. She intentionally brought her unique training to this region to meet the need and help her patients avoid unnecessary travel to receive care.

Dr. Ramos chose a career in surgery for the people, the art and the opportunity. A multitude of surgeons and non-surgeons fueled her path, helping her along the way. She found a quiet grace in the precise decision-making needed to result in a successful surgery that cures a patient of an ailment. She also saw opportunity for growth and improvement in the field. After completing a general surgery residency with ETSU's Quillen College of Medicine, she and her husband bonded with the area and its exceptional people. She loves the great outdoors, the surgeons who work alongside her, and the opportunity for growth and development that academic medicine offers. 

Why ETSU Health?

After completing prestigious advanced training and seven years of surgical oncology practice, Dr. Jennifer Whittington chose to return to her home community to provide expert, compassionate care. With her broad and specialized training, she is able to offer cutting-edge surgical cancer care close to home, reducing the need for patients to travel and ensuring our community has access to the latest treatment options.

Dr. Whittington will also provide regional therapies, including heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and hepatic artery infusion (HAI) for some stage 4 cancers. These therapies allow for targeted chemotherapy treatment, helping protect other systems from the side effects of chemotherapy.

Manage Your Health with MyChart

ETSU Health’s MyChart provides you with secure 24/7 access to your health records, plus many other helpful features to manage your care. Through MyChart, you have access to upcoming appointments, provider notes, test results, health records, and medications. MyChart also allows you to message your provider, view and pay your bill, and request medication refills.