FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital was ranked 5th best hospital in North Carolina, awarded top performer in 9 service lines including cancer. Let’s meet the individuals who make this program outstanding.

1. Meet the Team
This past year FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital was ranked fifth best hospital in North Carolina. The
rankings were based off of various criteria and FirstHealth was strong enough to place fifth in not just
one service line, but nine. Moore Regional was recognized as a high performer in cardiology and heart
surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, geriatrics and
cancer just to name a few.
As one of the top cancer programs in the state, FirstHealth’s Comprehensive Cancer Center treats over
20 different types of cancer and has the latest surgical technology. Having the latest technology is great
but having an excellent staff is what makes it remarkable. Let’s take a moment to introduce the staff
members that make the cancer program what it is.
Physicians
Jeffery Acker, M.D., Radiation Oncologist: Dr. Acker graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.,
with a B.S. in engineering sciences and earned his M.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine. He
completed his residency program at Duke in 1994, serving as chief resident from 1993 to 1994. Dr. Acker
has been affiliated with FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital since 1999 and with Duke University
Medical Center since 1990. He is medical director of the Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer
Center at Moore Regional.
Stephen King, M.D. Radiation Oncologist: Dr. King received a B.S. from Davidson College in Davidson,
N.C. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed his
residency in radiation oncology at Duke University School of Medicine, serving as chief resident from
1992 to 1993. Since 1994, Dr. King has been an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the Radiation
Oncology Department at Duke University. He serves as medical director of Radiation Oncology at
FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.
Charles S, Kuzma, M.D., Hematologist/Medical Oncologist: Board certified in hematology, medical
oncology and internal medicine, Dr. Kuzma earned a B.S. degree in chemistry summa cum laude from St.
Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and received his medical degree from Philadelphia’s Temple

2. University School of Medicine. After joining the U.S. Navy, he completed a residency in internal medicine
at the Naval Hospital of Oakland (Calif.) and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Naval
Medical Center of San Diego/University of Southern California.
Todd A. Moore, M.D., Hematologist/Medical Oncologist: Board certified in hematology and medical
oncology, Dr. Moore is a native of Galveston, Texas. He earned a B.S. degree from Mississippi College in
Clinton, Miss., and his M.D. from the University of Mississippi in Jackson. He completed an internship at
the University of Texas in Dallas and his residency in internal medicine at the University of Mississippi
Medical Center in Jackson. He specialized in hematology/oncology during a three-year fellowship at
Brown University in Providence, R.I.
Sushma M. Patel, M.D. Radiation Oncologist: Dr. Patel is board certified in radiation oncology by the
American Board of Radiology. A native of Philadelphia, Pa., she earned a B.A. degree in chemistry from
Bryn Mawr College and received her medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of
Medicine in Hershey. She completed an internship year and then her residency in radiation oncology at
the University of Cincinnati. She has been treating patients at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital since
2003.
Robert A. Pohlmeyer, M.D., Hematologist/Medical Oncologist: Dr. Pohlmeyer received a B.S. degree in
biology summa cum laude from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and his medical
degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. He completed his internship
and a residency in internal medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C.,
where he was chief fellow while completing a fellowship in hematology and oncology. He is board
certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine.
Ellen Willard, M.D., Hematologist/Medical Oncologist: Dr. Willard is board certified in internal medicine,
hematology, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative medicine. A native of High Point, N.C., she
earned a B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her medical degree from
the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. She completed a residency in
internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Alabama-
Birmingham. She has practiced in Pinehurst since 1991.
Nurses
Susan Bazinet, MSN, OCN, C-FNP, Oncology Nurse Practitioner: Susan Bazinet is a certified family nurse
practitioner and an oncology-certified nurse. She earned a B.S. degree in nursing summa cum laude
from the University of Arizona and an M.S. degree in nursing, also summa cum laude, with the Family
Nurse Practitioner Option from the University of Arizona. Certified as a family nurse practitioner by the
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, she has practiced as an advance practice nurse in both
Massachusetts and Texas.
Susan Beaty, R.N., BSN, Director, FirstHealth Outpatient Cancer Center: Susan Beaty earned her
associate degree in nursing from Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and her B.S. in nursing
from SUNY College of Technology in Utica, N.Y. She began her nursing career at Duke University Medical

3. Center as a staff nurse and then director in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic, and has worked in
various leadership roles at Scotland Memorial Hospital, FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital and
FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. She is ONS chemotherapy/biotherapy certified.
Margie Thomas, BSRT, (R)(T), Director, Radiation Oncology: A nationally registered radiation therapist,
Margie Thomas received a B.S. degree in radiological technology from Northwestern Louisiana
University and did her post-graduate work in radiation therapy at the Central Arkansas Radiation
Therapy Institute in Little Rock. She spent two years working in Mississippi and seven years in Tennessee
before she joined FirstHealth of the Carolinas in 2003. She is a member of the Society for Radiation
Oncology Administrators.
Lynn Lanier Agee, R.N., BSN, Oncology Patient Navigator: Lynn Agee earned her B.S. in Nursing from
UNC-Charlotte and is currently enrolled as a graduate student in UNC-Charlotte’s MSN program with an
emphasis on Community and Public Health Nursing. She is a registered nurse with nearly 25 years of
experience in various FirstHealth services. In 2011, she completed the Guided Care Nurse training from
Johns Hopkins Hospital and University and received a Certificate in Guided Care Nursing through the
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She is a member of the National Coalition of Oncology
Nurse Navigators (NCONN).
Accompanying the physicians and nurses is an outstanding group of individuals who make up the
oncology support staff at FirstHealth Moore Regional, Gayla Comer R.D., LDN Dietitian, Beth Dietrich,
MSW, LCSW, Cancer Support Services Program, Polly H. King, Cancer Care Coordinator, Outpatient
Oncology Care, and Laura Kuzma, CARE-Net Coordinator. The top treatment presented at FirstHealth
Moore Regional’s Comprehensive Cancer Center would not be possible without the combined talent and
hard work from all of these individuals.
FirstHealth offers cancer treatment and support to patients and their loved ones in the Pinehurst,
Raeford, Sanford, Lumberton, Laurinburg, Rockingham, and Troy regions of North Carolina and beyond.
To learn more about the services that the FirstHealth Comprehensive Cancer Center provides, please
visit nccancercare.org.