Dr. John Joseph Gullo

From the time I was in high school, I had a real interest in medicine. Several members of my family were involved in medical professions. My father was a pharmacist and my uncle was a physician. I was very intrigued by the practice of medicine, the art and science of it coupled with the opportunity to bond with patients and help them solve their problems. During my medical residency, I had the chance to study the hematologic malignancies and other blood disorders with one of my professors, Dr. Arlan Gottleib. I knew then that hematology/oncology would be my specialty. It was a challenging field, and I felt there was an opportunity to provide comprehensive care to a drastically underserved population, so my work would really make a difference. To give you an idea, in 1979, I was the first board-certified medical Oncologist in private practice in the Syracuse area. Oncology was a young and growing field. In 1982, Dr. Santo Difino and I decided to join our practices to form HOA. By joining forces, we could provide more comprehensive and diverse care to our patients. Ultimately, we felt our patients would be better served by a larger, unified, comprehensive cancer program than from two smaller, independent practices. Today, our comprehensiveness is still one of the major elements differentiating HOA from most community cancer practices. We are large enough to provide strong diagnostic capabilities including an excellent clinical laboratory, ancillary diagnostics, radiologic imaging, state-of-the-art equipment, and a comprehensive infusion center. And later, as our practice matured, we were able to integrate radiation oncology, providing many therapeutic modalities often only found at major academic cancer centers. Because we have a critical mass of physicians at HOA, we can also offer support services such as dietary services, social work, multiple support groups, and complementary/integrative therapy programs – so that we are truly taking care of the whole patient. Several years ago, we were qualified to participate in the National Cancer Institute Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). We are one of approximately 50 such participants in the United States and I believe the only free-standing private practice that has been qualified for this. Our participation in the CCOP allows us to offer our patients the opportunity to undergo many of the latest treatments available in the United States. That is a wonderful option to be able to offer to people. In treating cancer patients over the years, I have learned to deeply appreciate being alive and healthy. It really puts everything else into perspective and that’s what I want for our patients – to be “alive and healthy”. Our children are grown and independent, so these days my wife Marsha and I spend our free time participating in equestrian sports. We also love to spend time by the ocean.