John P. Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD

I'm a radiation oncologist, and I specialize in treating brain, base of skull and spine tumors, as well as tumors that arise in the body but go to the brain or the spine, as in certain cases of lung, breast and kidney cancer and melanoma. When I meet with a patient, it’s important for me to introduce them and their family to our team of doctors, therapists, nurses and treatment planners. The patient and their family will also become members of this team – truly the most important part - so we can work together to tailor care based on their wants and needs. At Duke, we’ve developed techniques to precisely and accurately treat small, complex lesions and tumors. We can minimize the amount of radiation that goes into normal tissues and at the same time maximize the amount of radiation where it is needed. Our team is geared to delivering every treatment to each patient exactly as planned, especially in complicated and difficult situations. As a patient or a physician, I think there’s no better place to be than Duke. I love my work, feel honored that my patients place their trust in our team and me and work hard to earn that trust.