Harvard-Trained Oncologist Brings Expertise to Baton Rouge & Hammond

Konstantin Kovtun, M.D. Joins Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Medical Staff

(Baton Rouge, La.) Mary Bird Perkins is pleased to announce the addition of radiation oncologist Konstantin “Kos” Kovtun, M.D. to its medical staff. Beginning, Aug. 1, Dr. Kovtun will practice at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, La. and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Hammond, La. location. Dr. Kovtun is a magna cum laude graduate of Cornell University’s College of Engineering University in Ithaca, New York, where he transferred from Tulane after Hurricane Katrina. He earned his Medical Doctorate degree from Harvard Medical School before completing his internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Medicine and his radiation oncology residency at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, all in Boston, Mass. Dr. Kovtun has also completed the Harvard School of Public Health Program in Clinical Effectiveness. Dr. Kovtun is a founder or the Augmented and Virtual Reality in Oncology Lab at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is the creator of a new software technology aimed to improve the speed, quality, and precision of image-guided treatment planning. “DICOM VR,” a novel technology will enable clinicians to intuitively view and manipulate medical images in a 3D virtual reality environment, as well as enable effective communication between providers and patients. His work has received grants from a Brigham Research Institute and the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy to aid in its development. “We are honored and thrilled that Dr. Kovtun is joining our oncology team,” said Jonas Fontenot, Ph.D., chief operating officer and chief of physics, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “We look forward to the innovation and expertise that Dr. Kovtun will add to the already significant breadth and depth of knowledge that exists within our medical staff.” Radiation oncology is a medical specialty using various forms of radiation in treating cancer. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 45 years. With five centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales, its service area encompasses 18 parishes across southeast Louisiana. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.