Three physician-leaders reflect on past milestones, future possibilities, and what sets Sarasota Memorial apart.
A century of care is a milestone, not a destination, and the story of Sarasota Memorial is still being written every day by the thousands of employees and volunteers who dedicate their lives to caring for our community. To mark the occasion, three physician-leaders share their thoughts on the moments that make a legacy, the work yet to be done, and that special something that makes Sarasota Memorial stand out.
Dr. Joseph Seaman
Associate Chief Medical Officer
14 years at SMH
Why is a robust public healthcare system important?
As a public-facing healthcare system, we answer to the needs of the community-not shareholders-and we focus all our efforts and projects into that mission. Dedication to high quality outcomes and being there for the community is our primary purpose.
Why do you choose Sarasota Memorial as the place to serve your community?
I choose SMH because it allowed me a breadth of medical complexity and the resources needed to provide the best possible care to my patients.
When you look at Sarasota Memorial’s 100 years, what do you see?
SMH has a history of stepping up to meet the demands of the community.
When we identified the need for a more robust cardiac surgery program, we built one. When we identified the need for a trauma program in Sarasota County, we built one. When we identified the need for a south county hospital in Venice, we built one. When we identified a need for emergency care in North Port, we built a free standing ECC. And now, with the need for a hospital in North Port, we are building one.
All of these expansion efforts have been to address the growing needs of our community.
What makes patient care at Sarasota Memorial stand out?
Our quality of care, patient outcomes, and safety are among the best in the nation. These elements set us apart from other healthcare providers, just as they drive our success. If we have those, all the other elements and measures of success fall into order.
What breakthroughs in medicine excite you the most?
There will be incremental advances to technology that make everything we do better and more effective.
Artificial intelligence will be working 24/7 to review records, identify opportunities, and bring forward patients who have needs not previously identified, alongside potential treatment plans. This new and advancing process will positively impact care and outcomes for our patients and community.
What progress do you imagine we’ll see in the next 100 years?
In the next 50-100 years, we will see continued miniaturization of surgical procedures and new robotic platforms that will continue to evolve procedures that are commonplace today. This will make the procedures safer and more effective, while giving patients better outcomes.
How will Sarasota Memorial continue to lead in the next century?
With our ongoing commitment to quality, safety, and providing a system where it is the best place to be a patient, best place to work, and the best place to practice medicine, we will continue to be at the forefront of medicine. Our unwavering support and commitment to meet the demands of the community will help drive and shape our future.
Dr. Richard Brown
Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute Medical Director
35 years at SMH
Why is a robust public healthcare system important?
To provide excellent care to the community, having a robust healthcare system is essential. Healthcare is dynamic and rapidly evolving. Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System continues to keep abreast of these changes, ensuring Sarasota has access to the best care.
Looking over Sarasota Memorial’s 100 years, what stands out as a significant milestone in the system’s history?
The Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute.
The goal is to ensure that no individual in our community feels the need to leave Sarasota to receive excellent cancer care. As a result, we have advanced inpatient-centered programs, incorporated new cutting-edge technologies, and built state-of-the-art facilities, including the Radiation Oncology Center, the Oncology Tower and the soon-to-be-opened Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion, all right here in Sarasota.
What makes healthcare at Sarasota Memorial unique?
Two traits central to Sarasota Memorial’s ethos.
One is a culture of betterment. SMH does not rest on its many laurels. We are always trying to improve our patients' outcomes and experience. The second is a sense of caring, about both this community and its healthcare. These two characteristics attracted me to Sarasota Memorial 35 years ago.
What are you particularly proud of in your time here?
The development of our patient teams, which include specialized surgeons, medical oncologists, nursing expertise and clinical patient navigators, as well as oncology pharmacists, genetic counselors and nutritionists. These teams now meet daily in multidisciplinary tumor boards to discuss each patient's treatment plan.
And I am most proud of the Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion. It will bring all the pieces together to deliver the entire continuum of oncology care.
How have you seen cancer care change over the decades?
We have seen tremendous advancement in just the last 35 years.
We used to talk about metastatic disease in terms of months; now it's years. Our therapeutics have gone from sledgehammers to tweezers. We have improved the quality of our patient's lives in our supportive care, to the point that nausea, vomiting, and even hair loss are becoming things of the past.
We now look at cancer more as a chronic disease that needs to be managed, thankfully, for the long run.
What breakthroughs in oncology excite you the most? What progress do you imagine we will see in the next 100 years?
I am excited about the research helping us better understand the genetic drivers of malignancy, both inherited and acquired through environmental exposure, and harnessing the power of our immune system to fight cancer. The Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute and Kolschowsky Research & Education Institute are both involved in research to advance understanding of these genetic drivers, and we are actively participating in trials.
In 100 years, we will be able to detect those at risk for cancer earlier and even prevent cancer from developing at all.
How will SMH continue to lead in the next century? What do you hope patients will find when they walk through the doors on the 200th anniversary?
I believe Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System will continue to be the regional leader because of its commitment to serving our community and delivering excellence in healthcare. That is who we are and will continue to be.
In 100 years, I hope patients will find the same care and commitment I see today.
Dr. Kirk Voelker
Medical Director of Clinical Research
Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute
30 years at SMH
Why did you choose Sarasota Memorial as the place to serve your community?
Our exceptional public healthcare system is a core pillar of our community. For a city our size, having a hospital system of this caliber is truly remarkable.
I grew up here and, when I returned 30 years ago, it was for the same reasons so many others are drawn back: the warmth of the community, the richness of the arts, and the tremendous promise of Sarasota Memorial.
In short, I wanted to practice world-class medicine in paradise.
Looking over Sarasota Memorial’s 100 years, what do you see as significant milestones?
The easy answer would be the physical growth of the Sarasota campus, which first focused on cardiac and critical care, then more recently the Jellison Cancer Institute and the Kolschowsky Research & Education Institute-not to mention the expansion of our community clinics and urgent care centers. Now, we are extending our reach even further with SMH-Venice and SMH-North Port.
We have also grown as a medical community by developing academic programs in emergency medicine, internal medicine, palliative care, and nursing. These programs not only contribute to forming new healthcare providers but help these new providers establish a bond with the Sarasota community and become part of the fabric of Sarasota's future.
Why is it important for a public hospital to invest in research and clinical trials?
Research and clinical trials bring new, potentially life-saving treatments to Sarasota, years before they're available in most other places. That means our patients can benefit from cutting-edge therapies without ever leaving their community.
Our research program also attracts talented physicians and scientists who want both a meaningful career and a great quality of life here in Sarasota. Just as importantly, it helps our own healthcare providers stay sharp and curious-always learning, always advancing, and always focused on giving our patients the very best care.
What makes patient care at Sarasota Memorial stand out?
SMH stands out not just for its impressive facilities, advanced technology, and strong research and academic programs, but for something even more important: the culture of caring and compassion shared by everyone who works here. It's that genuine sense of purpose and connection that truly sets Sarasota Memorial apart.
What do you imagine we’ll see in the next 100 years?
We will see an evolution of personalized medicine, assisted by machine learning. We'll move beyond treating patients based on population averages and instead tailor care to each person's unique genetic and epigenetic makeup. Diagnostic testing and physiological monitoring will happen remotely and continuously, giving physicians a real-time window into health and disease.
Technology will continue to advance and, through its ongoing commitment to research, innovation, and education, Sarasota Memorial will continue to lead on the cutting edge.
What do you hope patients will find when they walk into Sarasota Memorial on its 200th anniversary?
On the 200th anniversary, SMH physical structure, technology, academic and research will have changed drastically. However, the soul of SMH-the warm, caring, compassionate and dedicated workers who love their community-will continue to define who we are and what makes this place so special.
Written by Sarasota Memorial copywriter Philip Lederer, MA, who crafts a variety of external communications for the healthcare system. SMH's in-house wordsmith, Lederer earned his Master's degree in Public Administration and Political Philosophy from Morehead State University, KY.