Douglas J. Rivera, MD

“Cancer is an enormous health problem, and it affects many, many people’s lives each year. My own experience with a loved one who had cancer forever made me aware that this disease is as personal as it is significant. And it helped motivate me to become a physician and cancer specialist. In particular, I wanted to help people heal... both physically and emotionally.

“As an experienced oncologist, this is still my motivation. And I find it both an important responsibility and a real privilege to play a role in caring for people who battle this disease. This is why I commit myself completely, and I’m proud to do it. While the challenge is tremendous and the involvement in the lives of patients and their families is often intense, I find it very rewarding. Each new person with cancer I meet represents an opportunity for me to make a real difference and to help turn a cancer patient into a cancer survivor. For that reason and many others, I strive to provide the most attentive, effective and advanced care possible. And I do it with heartfelt empathy, guidance, and support.”

Board-Certified: Radiation Oncology, 2006
Residency: Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 2005
- Chief Resident, 2004
Internship: Internal Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY , 2001
MD: University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 2000
- Harvard/MGH – Clinical research fellow, 1998
- Mayo Clinic – Clinical research fellow, 1997
BS: Cum Laude, Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, 1996
Member: American College of Radiology, American Society for Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology, American Brachytherapy Society, American Medical Association
Author: Articles published in International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, 2004, Surgery 2000, Transplantation Proceedings 1999.
Awards: American Brachytherapy Society – Seattle Prostate Brachytherapy Fellow Award, 2005. Outstanding student in rural health, 2000. American Federation for Medical Research – Gastroenterology Research Award, 1998, American College of Physicians – National student abstract award, 1998, Excellence in Research – Western Student Medical Research Forum, 1998.