Nataniel H. Lester-Coll, M.D., has been appointed Division Chief of Radiation Oncology at University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UVM Health Network,

Each day, people throughout Vermont and northern New York find out they need radiation treatments to give them their best shot at beating cancer. Such a life-altering diagnosis can create fear and uncertainty about everything they will face during treatment. Delivering an exceptional patient experience following such a life-altering diagnosis is what drives Nataniel H. Lester-Coll, M.D., every day.

“As a clinician, my philosophy centers on providing compassionate care, fostering strong relationships with patients and colleagues, and advocating for evidence-based, individualized treatment,” says Lester-Coll, who is an associate professor of radiation oncology at the Larner College of Medicine and a member of the UVM Cancer Center. “I want to make sure patients receive high-quality cancer care that is respectful of and responsive to each person’s needs, preferences and values. I value the relationships I establish with my patients, and I believe that goes a long way in helping to improve their health.”

Leaders at University of Vermont Health Network and Larner College of Medicine say that deep commitment to patient care and a blend of clinical excellence, leadership experience and academic expertise are what led them to appoint Lester-Coll as the chair of Radiation Oncology at University of Vermont Health Network and division chief at Larner. Following a national search with many highly qualified candidates, the appointment took effect July 15. Lester-Coll succeeds H. James Wallace, M.D., associate professor of radiation oncology, who will remain with the health system as a physician.

In this role, Lester-Coll leads a prominent department of administrators, dosimetrists, medical assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, physicists, radiation therapists and social workers at the health system’s locations in Vermont and northern New York, building on the momentum of a successful Radiation Oncology program. His work will support making the health system a national leader in comprehensive cancer care while contributing to UVM Cancer Center’s goal of achieving National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, which recognizes centers around the country for meeting rigorous standards in state-of-the-art research, education, clinical care and service to the community. Attaining the designation is considered a clear demonstration of a center’s dedication to developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer, placing these organizations among the top four percent in the nation.

“I am delighted that we have recruited Dr. Lester-Coll to serve in this important role for our college and the health system. As part of this recruitment, in partnership with UVM Cancer Center and UVM Health Network Medical Group, we are investing to support Dr. Lester-Coll’s leadership of the research mission in Radiation Oncology. This will translate to enhanced access to clinical trials, to the benefit of patients throughout the region,” says Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine.

“Dr. Lester-Coll, and our radiation oncology team across Vermont and northern New York, are demonstrating how to deliver the latest cancer treatments in a rural region and close to home,” says Jason Sanders, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of UVM Health Network Medical Group, executive vice president and chief physician officer of UVM Health Network, and senior associate dean of clinical affairs at Larner College of Medicine. “Dr. Lester-Coll’s leadership in radiation oncology systems and technology is integrating the patient experience across each of our locations.”

Lester-Coll specializes in treating patients with various cancers, including in the chest, urinary systems of men and women, and reproductive organs in men. He has served as the primary physician involved in researching linear accelerators and software to replace and upgrade the equipment at four sites across the health system. This is part of a multi-year plan to provide patients an integrated, academic oncology care experience across all of its facilities offering this treatment, which he says will shape all clinical operations in radiation oncology in Vermont and northern New York for the next decade.

A nationally renowned physician and scientist with more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, Lester-Coll’s research interests include clinical trials and health services research focusing on decision modeling and cost-effectiveness. He serves as an associate editor of Advances in Radiation Oncology, the official journal of the national American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) specialty society. He is a frequent presenter at national and international scientific gatherings.

Lester-Coll earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2012. He joined University of Vermont Medical Center’s Division of Radiation Oncology with a dual appointment as an assistant professor at Larner College of Medicine in 2017. He was promoted to associate professor last year and is the local principal investigator of some of the largest accruing trials in the group from the National Clinical Trials Network. Prior to arriving in Vermont, he spent five years at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut for his internship and residency, ultimately becoming chief resident of Radiation Oncology. He also participated in a Quantitative Research Methods track, part of Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale University School of Medicine, during his medical residency. From 2010-2011, he was a research fellow at the Department of Radiation Oncology in collaboration with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

H. James Wallace, M.D., has headed the health system’s Radiation Oncology department since it became part of UVM Health Network Medical Group in 2011. Under his leadership, the Radiation Oncology department was opened at UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. Wallace also facilitated the private Radiation Oncology practice to join UVM Health Network Medical Group in 2011 and recruited a number of faculty, including Lester-Coll. He stepped down from his role as chair of Radiation Oncology on July 15 and will remain to continue caring for patients as a physician, with renewed concentration on patients at the University of Vermont Cancer Center.