Dr. Scott Okuno, an internationally recognized oncologist, has been named medical director of the Oncology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) in northwest Wisconsin.
He has also been appointed chair of Mayo’s system-wide Cancer Coordinating Committee.
“We are incredibly excited and fortunate to have someone of Dr. Okuno’s caliber and expertise joining Mayo Clinic Health System,” said Dr. Richard Helmers, regional vice president for MCHS in northwest Wisconsin. “Dr. Okuno is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of sarcoma and has been at the forefront of national, cutting-edge cancer clinical trials and treatments.”
For more than 20 years, Okuno served in various high-profile roles at Mayo Clinic Rochester, including as Professor of Oncology at its College of Medicine and vice chair of the Specialty Clinical Practice Committee. He has participated in nearly a dozen federal research grant studies from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health and is collaborating with investigators at Mayo and elsewhere to develop clinical trials for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas.
Okuno’s research interests include management of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas. His research encourages a multidisciplinary approach with surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and radiation oncologists. He has 55 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored or co-authored several book chapters related to sarcoma cancers.
Okuno is board-certified in medical oncology with a specialty in bone and soft tissue sarcomas. He serves as medical officer for the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration, a group of institutions in the United States and Europe dedicated to clinical trials and research for sarcoma patients.
He also chairs the group that reviews and certifies the clinical trials programs of cancer centers across the U.S.
“The addition of Dr. Okuno to lead our team of oncologists speaks to our organization’s strong commitment and vision to expand cancer treatment options and technologies here in northwest Wisconsin,” said Mayo Clinic’s vice president, Dr. Bobbie Gostout.
Okuno received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and a medical degree from the University of Chicago. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology/oncology, at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester.
In his free time, Okuno enjoys playing tennis, exercising, church activities and spending time with his family at his cabin in northern Wisconsin.