S. Michael Shlaer, M.D., Board Certified

As founding partner of MOA, Dr. Shlaer laid the foundations for this unique practice approach to the whole-person treatment of cancer. Believing that cancer is not a definition of who you are, but rather a description of one's current experience, Dr. Shlaer leads his team of professionals in their various fields of compassion to help each patient realize the best of their lives.

Born in Brunswick, Georgia, and educated in Georgia medical schools and residencies, Dr. Shlaer is unquestionably dedicated to the healthcare of local patients. Dr. Shlaer has a strong reputation in Augusta's medical community and the organizations with which he has worked as the patients' advocate.

Dr. Shlaer has directed and participated in many clinical trials for cancer treatment. His research has spanned such topics as nutrition and its impact on infection and the treatment of cancer and combination chemotherapies. He has published numerous articles on his research and also participated as a member reviewing various medical trials pursued by other physicians in local hospitals.

Ever dedicated to his patients and his profession, Dr. Shlaer has served as chairman of various hospital committees and as a member of several peer review and physician oversight committees at University Hospital and in the state oncology professional societies. He also served on the board of directors for the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Shlaer received an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Georgia (where he was Phi Kappa Phi) and continued on to the Medical College of Georgia to complete medical school. He then completed his internship and residency at MCG. Dr. Shlaer completed a hematology and medical oncology clinical fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. At Emory, his diligence earned him the Housestaff Science Award for his cancer research projects. He was named an American Cancer Society Fellow also while at Emory.

Dr. Shlaer is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, with a subspecialty certification in medical oncology. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology, and Medical Association of Georgia.

Dr. Shlaer stays current with new cancer treatments through his active roles in local, state and national oncology professional societies. He has strong interests in the ethics of medical care, end of life care and palliative care.

Donald C Townsend, Jr., M.D., Board Certified

Dr. Townsend is one of the partners in Medical Oncology Associates of Augusta. Dr. Townsend attended Vanderbilt Medical School and received his oncology training in San Antonio, Texas. He is honored to have an opportunity to care for people who have cancer, and their families. Dr. Townsend is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has subspecialty certification in Medical Oncology. He is published in professional, peer-review journals for his work in clinical drug trials.

Silvana Z. Bucur, M.D., Board Certified

Silvana Z. Bucur, M.D., is one of the partners in Medical Oncology Associates of Augusta. Dr. Bucur was born in Romania and received her medical school degree from the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacology at Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She completed her internship and residency at the University of Connecticut in Farmington, Connecticut and her fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

During her stay at Emory University, Dr. Bucur was awarded two consecutive research fellowships. Finding that academic medicine was such a convenient marriage of her compassion for patients and her insatiable curiosity for research, Dr. Bucur stayed at Emory as an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Emory's Winship Cancer Institute. During her years at Emory, Dr. Bucur carried on research in blood abnormalities and disorders related to HIV, stem cell transplantation, and malignancies of the blood and lymphoid organs. She has made several presentations at scientific assemblies and written numerous original research articles and abstracts for professional and scientific journals. Additionally, she wrote many chapters in several clinical hematology textbooks.

Currently, Dr. Bucur has shifted her focus from research and teaching the next generation of hematologists and oncologists to focusing on her doctor-patient relationships through private medical practice.

Dr. Bucur is board certified in hematology, medical oncology, and also internal medicine. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Bucur has conducted Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III clinical research and is currently involved in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials through Medical Oncology Associates.

Nurses

Each of the nursing staff at MOA has achieved the designation of Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) by the end of the first year of employment, which means he/she has completed a formal program of preparation and testing provided by the Oncology Nursing Society. Always striving for excellence, we maintain oncology certification every four years while pursuing ongoing continuing education opportunities. In addition, each nurse is chemotherapy and biotherapy certified by the Oncology Nursing Society (renewed every two years).

Our nurses have 65 years of combined experience in the administration of chemotherapy and oncology/cancer care, always providing individualized attention. The unique aspect of MOA's nursing staff is the ability to work together toward one goal - excellent care delivery. Because of the long tenure of our nurses, patients begin to see them as an extension of their own family, something we encourage at Medical Oncology Associates.

Nursing/patient education is a dynamic entity, continuing from before treatment through the completion of treatment. This education is holistic, involving the whole family. As we have learned - cancer is a family disease, affecting the physical, emotional, spiritual and financial spheres of the family. Through MOA's Relationship-Centered Care, the patient and family are included in all decision-making throughout the cancer care continuum.

MOA's nurse's skills are comforting to our patients through their experience in peripheral, as well as central lines, IV starts and maintenance.

We provide experienced personal phone triage that utilizes same day sick appointments when necessary. This triage is extremely expedient for our patients due to our extensive use of electronic medical records - having all pertinent medical information available upon receipt of the call.

Chaplain - D. Alan Faulkner, M. Div., BCC, Board Certified

Alan Faulkner, a Board Certified Chaplain and a member of the Association of Professional Chaplains, is an essential member of our practice team. While it is unusual for a full time chaplain to be part of an oncology practice, our patients and families know that dealing with cancer can consume a patient and family. Alan brings a much needed perspective to our practice and helps promote healing both in patients and in families. He is available to you in the treatment area, for private consultation, hospital visitation and home visits upon request.