A groundbreaking ceremony officially kicked off construction on the state-of-the-art Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (FCS) in Clermont. The building will be located at 1350 N. Hancock Rd. and will replace the existing FCS location at 1920 Don Wickham Way, Clermont.
The one-story, 7,500 square foot building will have 8 exam rooms, 25 infusion chairs, medical oncology/hematology, infusion therapy, mobile Pet/CT (Radiology), Lab services, Rx To Go (oral oncolytic pharmacy) and incorporates advanced technologies and state of the art electronic medical record system.
The facility will be constructed using evidence-based design to enhance safety, efficiency and patient comfort. Colors, fixtures/furnishings and layout have been carefully planned to reduce stress and contribute to a more positive overall experience for patients, providers and staff.
Schmid Construction will be overseeing the construction of the facility which is scheduled to open in April 2022.
FCS is dedicated to treating cancer and taking care of patients within their local hometowns, where they live and work and where their loved ones and support networks are close by.
With the greatly expanded space, the new FCS Clermont Cancer Center will offer greater comfort for patients, staff and visitors to enhance their patient experience, and enable FCS-Clermont to keep pace with ongoing growth in Lake County and surrounding communities.
Medical oncologists at the Clermont location are Meera Iyengar, MD; Ahmed Al-Hazzouri, MD; Vasundhara G. Iyengar, MD, FACP.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Hazzouri earned his medical degree from Aleppo University Medical School in Aleppo, Syria. After completing his residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, which is where he was awarded a fellowship in experimental therapeutics. Later, he was awarded another fellowship in hematology/oncology from St. Francis Medical Center through the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining FCS, Dr. Al-Hazzouri cared for patients at Lake County Oncology and Hematology and the Florida Hematology and Oncology Specialists.
Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Clinical Oncology and Hematology, Dr. Al-Hazzouri has a strong interest in research with a focus on renal cell carcinoma and lung cancer. He has given presentations at conferences including the NKCA and American Society of Hematology (ASH), and published his research in peer-reviewed journals such as the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, Humana Press and the European Journal of Cancer Supplements.
Dr. Al-Hazzouri is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, and the American Medical Association.
Meera Iyengar, MD joined Florida Cancer Specialists after completing her fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is Board certified in Internal Medicine, Clinical Oncology and Hematology.
For the past ten years, Dr. Iyengar has been active in clinical research. She has held various research positions, and her work has been published in such prestigious journals as the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Journal of Surgical Research and the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Iyengar has also presented on both targeted therapies in lung cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma. She is a past recipient of the University of Florida College of Medicine Creativity Award & Scholarship and the Society of Rhode Island Clinical Oncologists Fellows Oncology Grant.
Fluent in four languages (Spanish, Kannada, Tamil, and English), Dr. Iyengar is also passionate about volunteering, cooking, Indian classical singing and dance, theater and travel.
Vasundhara G. Iyengar, MD, FACP is board certified in five different specialties, Dr. Iyengar has been practicing for over 30 years. After completing her education in India and moving to the U.S., she joined the US Army as a pathologist. When she realized that she missed interacting with patients, she decided to pursue a career in Hematology/ Oncology. Dr. Iyengar attained the rank of Lt. Colonel and was honorably discharged from the US Army in 1987, after which she set up her practice in Central Florida. She joined Florida Cancer Specialists in 2011.
Outside of her medical practice, Dr. Iyengar’s passion is music. She is a classically trained South Indian vocalist and has performed both locally and internationally. Dr. Iyengar is also a dedicated humanitarian who regularly volunteers as a physician in India.
The groundbreaking proved to be a community effort
Florida Cancer Specialists is at the forefront of cancer care and research, serving patients at nearly 100 locations, more than 72 thousand new FCS patients in 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, FCS continued operating with no disruption to patient care. For the safety of its patients and staff, it enacted and maintained stringent safety protocols, masks required, temperatures taken and screening, distancing, plexiglass barriers installed, etc.
FCS physicians co-authored a national study that details the devastating effect the pandemic has had on cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment, resulting in later-stage diagnosis. FCS has partnered with organizations across the U.S. to encourage all Americans to schedule and not delay vital cancer screenings.
The American Cancer Society is estimating that approximately 148K Florida residents will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
Despite all of the rapid advancements, cancer treatment can be complex and span months and years. That’s why it’s so important for patients to have access to the comprehensive care they need close to home and close to loved ones.
