image: Peter WT Pisters, M.D., Karen Frumovitz, Alex Frumovitz, Regina Rogers, Rosanna Morris and Tadd Pullin at the Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence ceremony on September 26, 2024.
Credit: Thomas Campbell, MD Anderson Cancer Center
HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has posthumously awarded Michael Frumovitz, M.D., with the Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence in Patient Care. The annual award recognizes employees who consistently demonstrate excellence in their work and dedication to MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer. The award’s focus rotates among the areas of patient care, research, education, prevention and administration, with this year’s award focusing on patient care.
Frumovitz dedicated more than 20 years of service to MD Anderson, most recently as chief patient experience officer and professor in Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. He passed away in July from pancreatic cancer.
“Dr. Frumovitz was an exceptional physician who committed his career to extending and bettering the lives of our patients, and he was an extraordinary colleague, friend and mentor to so many,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “His strength, his compassion, his wit and his impact will be felt for years to come. I will always be grateful for his commitment to our patients and for the example he set for us all.”
Pisters and Regina Rogers, a Life Member of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors (BOV) who established the Rogers Award, hosted a ceremony on campus yesterday naming Frumovitz as the recipient and recognizing four other finalists for their compassionate patient care. Frumovitz’s wife, Karen, accepted the award on her husband’s behalf.
The four finalists:
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Hop Tran Cao, M.D., associate professor of Surgical Oncology
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Keith B. Felder, clinical nurse
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Douglas J. Harrison, M.D., professor of Pediatrics
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Ellen E. Reynolds, child life specialist II, Pediatrics
Remembering Frumovitz’s impact on patient care
Frumovitz was known by MD Anderson colleagues as a kind, caring and knowledgeable physician with a good sense of humor.
He joined MD Anderson as a fellow in the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program. Upon completion, he joined MD Anderson’s faculty as an assistant professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine in 2005. He dedicated his career to improving patient care and outcomes and helped establish the department’s rare tumor clinic.
Frumovitz was passionate about mentoring fellows and residents, as well advancing gynecologic oncology research. He served as a leader of the fellowship program – as assistant director from 2006 to 2012, then as director from 2012 to 2019 – and helped train many current and future leaders in the field of gynecologic oncology. The Society of Gynecologic Oncology honored him with the 2024 Distinguished Service Award for his accomplishments and his commitment to training and mentoring residents and fellows throughout his career.
In 2016, he began his role as associate chief patient experience officer. In 2021, he served as ad interim chief patient experience officer before being officially appointed a year later. In this role, Frumovitz led efforts to support patient-centered, value-driven care, working with teams across the organization to continually improve the experience of patients and caregivers.
His research focused on cervical cancer, mucinous ovarian cancer and minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic cancers. He was internationally acclaimed for his work on rare tumors, especially neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix. His work included developing lymphatic mapping techniques for gynecologic malignancies and he served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on mapping studies of the vulva, vagina and cervix. He authored and co-authored more than 180 articles in peer-reviewed journals on these and other subjects.
Most recently, Frumovitz partnered with other clinical leaders to launch the institutional patient navigation program. His leadership was critical in improving the experience of MD Anderson’s patients, caregivers and providers. In 2023 and 2024, he was named to Becker's Hospital Review list of effective chief experience officers serving hospitals and health systems across the nation.
“Michael was a tremendous colleague and friend who went out of his way to always comfort others,” said Rosanna Morris, senior vice president and chief operating officer, as well as chair of the award’s selection committee. “He had a huge impact on so many teammates and patients as chief patient experience officer, and our team will always hold him close to our hearts.”
Frumovitz openly shared his personal story of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He said he chose to keep working through treatment because his work gave him purpose and he derived great joy from his colleagues, patients and caregivers.
“Michael showed us all what radical authenticity really looks like by sharing his experience as a cancer patient,” said Elizabeth Garcia, vice president of patient experience. “He shared what he learned, and that will continue to help us improve processes and polices for all patients.”
In honor of Frumovitz’s legacy of learning, the institution has established the Michael Frumovitz, M.D., Endowment for Gynecologic Rare Tumors. This fund supports clinical research and translational studies, medical education and lectures, physician trainings, and a strong, accessible rare tumor research-based registry. By enriching the research and educational experiences within the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, this endowed fund will allow MD Anderson to continue making meaningful advances in the study of rare gynecologic cancers. Gifts to this fund may be made in memory of Frumovitz.