The Arizona Beta Chapter of
Sigma Phi Epsilon
The University of Arizona
Brother Staren is a native of the Chicago-area, born in 1957 in LaGrange, Illinois. He joined Arizona Beta in 1976. In 1982, he graduated from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He received his general surgery training at Rush University Medical Center and in 1988 completed a surgical oncology fellowship at Rush and Cook County Hospitals. Additional graduate education included a Ph.D. in tumor immunobiology from Rush University in 1991 and in 1999, Dr. Staren completed an MBA from Benedictine University.
From 1988-1998, Dr. Staren was a faculty member at Rush Medical College and attending surgeon at Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Hospital. In addition, from 1995-1998 he held the positions of Assistant Dean for Clinical Curriculum and Associate Dean for Medical Student Programs at Rush.
As one of its founding organizers, between 1999 and 2005, Dr. Staren was Professor and Medical Director of the Medical College of Ohio (MCO) Cancer Institute. Between 1998 and 2004, Dr. Staren was Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Surgery Clinical Service Chief at the Medical College Hospitals. From 2004-2005 he was the Acting Medical Director of the Medical College Hospitals and Clinics.
From 2005-2011 he was the Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. In this role he was responsible for organization-wide clinical service development and quality, clinical leadership, information management and strategic planning, and clinical and basic research. In June, 2011 he was appointed the President and CEO for Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Staren is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of numerous academic organizations including the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, the American College of Medical Quality, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American College of Physician Executives, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a Past President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. He was President of the Rush Surgical Society and the Toledo Surgical Society. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and served as its President at MCO in 2001. Dr. Staren has received several teaching excellence awards, both from Rush Medical College and from the Medical College of Ohio. He has been regularly listed in “America’s Top Doctors”, “Best Doctor’s in America”, “America’s Top Surgeons”, and “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer”. In 2002 he received the Association of American Medical Colleges Humanism in Medicine Award from MCO.
From 2008-2011, Dr. Staren was the Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Fighters Thrive; he is currently on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Surgery, the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Current Cancer Therapy Reviews, and has served as a reviewer on over 20 additional journals. He has published extensively with over 250 scientific works; including more than 130 manuscripts, 60+ abstracts, 45 book chapters, and 12 books on subjects including the diagnosis and management of breast, endocrine, gastrointestinal and other malignancies, healthcare management and information technology, and mechanisms of graduate and continuing medical education. He is frequently invited to be a distinguished speaker having given nearly 150 visiting professorships or lectures.
Brother Staren and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of six children (five boys-Eddie, Danny, Johnnie, Tony, Mikey and one girl-Helen) ranging from 26 – 12 years of age.