Leadership Team

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is one of the nation’s leading cancer centers and the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. We are part of a nationwide network of 71 select cancer research centers established by the NCI whose sole focus is to advance cancer patient care, research and treatment.

Director, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Director, Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute
William R. Jewell Distinguished Kansas Masonic Professor
Professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, anatomy and cell biology, cancer biology and molecular biosciences

Roy Jensen, MD, was named director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center in 2004. Since that time, he has recruited a world-class leadership team. With his guidance, and a broad-based university, community and regional effort, The University of Kansas Cancer Center achieved National Cancer Institute designation in July 2012. The cancer center is currently 1 of 71 NCI-designated centers across the country. 

Dr. Jensen graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1984 and remained there to complete a residency in anatomic pathology and a surgical pathology fellowship with David Page, MD. Following his clinical training, he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the NCI in the laboratory of internationally recognized cancer biologist Stuart Aaronson, MD.

After joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Jensen’s research focused on understanding the function of BRCA1 and BRCA2 and their role in breast and ovarian uncontrolled and abnormal cell growth. Genetic mutations of these genes are believed to be responsible for about half of all inherited breast cancer cases. His laboratory was instrumental in demonstrating the role of BRCA1 in the growth control of normal and malignant cells and in how loss of functional BRCA1 contributes to the development of breast cancer. He currently has more than 150 scientific publications and has lectured widely on the clinical and molecular aspects of breast cancer pathology.

Dr. Jensen is past-president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes and a member of several scientific and professional societies, including the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Society for Investigative Pathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.

Terry Tsue, MD, FACS
Vice President of Physician Services, The University of Kansas Health System
Vice President and Physician in Chief, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Douglas A. Girod, MD, Endowed Professor of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
University of Kansas School of Medicine

Terry Tsue, MD, FACS, combines his expertise as professor, surgeon and researcher to provide clinical oversight at The University of Kansas Cancer Center as physician in chief. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in microvascular reconstructive surgery for head and neck cancers and, specifically, microvascular reconstruction of the jaw.

Dr. Tsue’s clinical focus is on tumors of the mouth, throat, voice box, neck and thyroid glands. Part of his focus concentrates on the latest techniques for the preservation of tissues and function, including conservation laryngeal surgery and the endoscopic removal of head and neck cancers using laser and robotic techniques. He also works closely with a multidisciplinary team to manage tumors of the skull base, including the endoscopic removal of tumors and combined procedures involving neurosurgical approaches.

His writings on reconstructive microvascular surgery techniques and numerous ENT topics have been included in more than 90 publications and abstracts. He is often a featured presenter internationally at head and neck cancer symposia. Since 2005, Dr. Tsue has been included in Best Doctors, a renowned electronic database and consulting service made up of the best 5% of physicians worldwide.

Dr. Tsue is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has served on the faculty of the University of Kansas School of Medicine since 1996, becoming the Douglas A. Girod, MD, Endowed Professor of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and vice chairman, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 2008. In 2012, he was appointed physician in chief of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, part of the University of Kansas Medical Center.