Cancer physician to join Bothwell Regional Health Center
Dec. 30, 2024
Kristen Strasser, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist, will join Bothwell Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center this month.
Strasser has been a physician since 2010. She received her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in Chemistry and her medical degree from University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed an Internal Medicine residency and Hematology and Oncology fellowship at University of Missouri-Kansas City. Strasser is board certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Always curious about the human body and the reasons behind its many different functions, Strasser said it was the impact cancer made on her family that sparked her interest in becoming a cancer specialist.
“My love for medicine started at age 5 when I received a Charlie Brown encyclopedia about the human body,” she said. “When my parents died fairly young from cancer, there were many aspects about their care that I didn’t like and I wanted to do better. I am passionate about ensuring quality of life for cancer patients.”
Strasser said she chose Bothwell because the health center’s values aligned with her own, and she enjoys being approachable and accessible to her patients.
“I treat my patients like I would my parents or a sibling,” she said. “I am easygoing and will always advocate for my patients to help them receive the best care possible. I build and maintain trust by listening and addressing their concerns.”
Strasser will see patients in the Cancer Center in person and virtually using telemedicine tools. Bothwell received a $188,000 grant to purchase the technology that will allow clinicians to replicate the clinic experience with remote physical exams while still providing highly personal care.
Marvin Smoot, Bothwell’s Clinic Operations vice president, is excited for Strasser to join the Cancer Center team and be integral to the implementation of the new virtual care tools.“Dr. Strasser is an experienced and empathetic cancer physician and a wife and busy mom of five children,” he said. “We’re delighted she said ‘yes’ to us, and I’m confident patients will appreciate and enjoy her down-to-earth philosophy of patient care. Being in a rural area, we need to always consider how we can break the boundaries of traditional physician visits and provide work-life balance for our providers. This telemedicine option will allow Dr. Strasser to see patients in person as well as virtually in the Cancer Center without compromising the critical physician-patient relationship and interactions.”
Strasser lives on a farm with her husband, three daughters ages 13, 11 and 8, and 2-year-old twin sons. Outside of work, she likes to cook, write, plant herbs and vegetables, fish and watch Chiefs football.
The Bothwell Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center is located in the Canon Center on the east side of Bothwell Hospital. Strasser joins Dr. William Decker, Dr. Michael Trendle, Dr. Lara Briseno-Kenney and Nurse Practitioner Dee Dee Gilmore. For more information or to make an appointment, call the Cancer Center at 660.829.7792.