West Cancer Foundation Board of Directors

Dr. West says he knew when he was “commissioned” to enter the world of cancer care.  While a senior in high school, his beloved mother, Margaret Hoath West, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  While she was treated with the best care that was available at the time, as Dr. West was finishing his undergraduate degree at Harvard, her cancer returned, and she passed away the week of his graduation. This set him on a trajectory that has changed the way cancer patients are treated today. In 1979, he opened a two-room oncology clinic in downtown Memphis, the highly successful West Clinic (now West Cancer Center) with his wife Carole at his side. Over a ten-year period when he was leading West Clinic, Dr. West was the Director of the nation’s largest stem cell treatment network with affiliates in over 50 U.S. cities. Standards set by that network still guide bone marrow transplant procedures for over 20,000 Americans each year.

And though he no longer actively practices there, it continues to bear his name in recognition of his immensely valuable past service and contributions in the treatment of cancer.

In 2005, Dr. West diversified into preventive care with the formation of The Prevention Group and the purchase of the physical exam center Lifesigns. Under Dr. West’s direction, Lifesigns has tripled its annual patient volume and has moved beyond examination centers to become a full-service employer-focused primary care provider. Lifesigns maintains a commitment to minimal wait times, quality time with the attending physician, and robust reporting via a proprietary electronic health portal.

More recently, The Prevention Group has launched a mobile division doing business as “HealthyHere” to provide preventive care services at the worksite for employees who lack a relationship with a clinical provider. In conjunction with this mobile effort, Lifesigns/HealthyHere has developed and is continuously improving a no charge 4-month diabetes prevention program for patients found to be prediabetic. This program involves scientifically developed nutrition plans with text and email support.

He is married to his high school sweetheart Carole Wilson West and they have two daughters, Lee and Meg.