Taylor Orellana, M.D.

Jessica Brister, MSN, FNP-C is from New Jersey and recently relocated to Charleston with her family. She graduated in May of 2022 with her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). Her first degree was a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Exercise Science from the College of Charleston. She moved back to New Jersey after her first degree and worked as a Rehabilitation Assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in NYC. She then went on to pursue a career in nursing and completed an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at Rutgers University. She went back to MSKCC to begin her nursing career as an inpatient nurse on the women's oncology unit. After several years working as an inpatient nurse, she transferred to the perioperative unit within MSKCC and cared for a broader range of oncology patients. While working in the perioperative area, she attended graduate school at Fairleigh Dickinson University in NJ and completed her MSN. After working at MSKCC for seven years, she knew she wanted to continue caring for oncology patients. She is excited to be back in Charleston caring for oncology patients with the MUSC community.

As part of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, South Carolina's only NCI Designated Cancer Center, the MUSC Health Radiation Oncology team is committed to providing the best evidence-based care. Patients are often faced with a difficult decision regarding cancer treatment using surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Using our multidisciplinary approach to cancer care, we will work to determine the best treatment recommendations and deliver the highest quality care. Our staff of physicians, nurses, physicists, dosimetrists, therapists and clinical support staff are ready to answer any questions you have. Welcome and thank you for allowing us to participate in your care.

William G. Hawkins, M.D. is a surgical oncologist with 20 years of experience treating patients with some of the most challenging abdominal cancers. His clinical practice focuses on surgery for abdominal cancers, including pancreas cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, and sarcoma. Dr. Hawkins also cares for patients with complex benign abdominal cases, such as those in need of surgical intervention for bile duct injuries. With a longstanding commitment to leadership, patient care, education and research, Dr. Hawkins has spent 20 years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and its Siteman Cancer Center, where he obtained and directed a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to conduct multiple projects investigating pancreatic cancer. While there, he served as the chief of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery. In his administrative leadership role, Dr. Hawkins is the deputy director of the Hollings Cancer Center, where he focuses on strengthening translational research, increasing clinical trials across South Carolina, and assisting Jason Newman, M.D., FACS, chief of the Oncology Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence, with making clinical operations more efficient. He also serves as the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the MUSC Department of Surgery. Dr. Hawkins completed fellowships in surgical oncology and research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; served as chief during his surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and received both his medical and bachelor's degrees at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.