photos by Jeff Harbin, Life of Riley Photography

Dr. Shane Holloway, surgical oncologist

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As an Amarillo resident for only two years, Dr. Shane Holloway is still learning his way around town. With him from Pittsburgh, he brought his wife, Melissa, two boys, Jonathan and Jackson, and surgical skills Amarillo didn’t yet have.

“I wanted to add to the community, not be a surgeon they already had,” says Shane.

His interest in medicine came early, while growing up in Salmon, Idaho. Always fascinated by science, Shane originally planned on a career in pediatrics. After graduating from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Shane moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, School of Medicine. It was there that he realized his personality and interests were more compatible with surgeons – the acute attention to detail and finding satisfaction in the meticulous. Shane graduated in 1999 and moved to Dallas to begin his five-year surgical residency at the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

“Since I had decided to focus on oncology surgery, I took two years off during my residency to do research, specifically in pancreatic cancer,” he says.

He met Melissa, a teacher, on a blind date. The two married in 2003 and moved to Pittsburgh in 2006 for Shane’s surgical oncology fellowship where he focused on gastrointestinal malignancies and cutting-edge minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedures.

“Pittsburgh was very different from Dallas but it was the best place I could’ve ended up,” says Shane. “They really pushed my skills as a surgeon.”

When it came time to settle down, Shane’s first plan was to land somewhere in academics, but upon an invitation to the Amarillo Surgical Group, the Holloways packed up and moved back to Texas in 2008.

“Two partners were residents in Dallas, and the group I’m with is well respected,” he says. “I trust them with my patients when I’m not in town.”

What sets Shane apart is his overall forward-thinking view of surgery. He operates three and a half days a week as the only surgical oncologist in his practice (and one of two in the city). He favors the laparoscopic technique, which involves making a small number of centimeter-long incisions in the abdomen for the insertion of a lens, light source and other surgical tools instead of opening the entire cavity. These keyhole incisions are fast-healing, less painful and minimize the risk of hemorrhaging. What would usually require a four-day hospital stay and a month off of work for a patient turns into a two-day stay and a recovery time of typically two weeks.

Essentially, if there’s a method that’s more minimally invasive, even if the procedure takes longer to perform, then Shane is willing and able to take that approach for his patients. He has more technical training in the treatment of liver and pancreatic cancers than anyone else in the area and he’s currently working to make single-incision surgeries – typically reserved for appendix removals or cosmetic procedures – the norm.

“I don’t want to fall behind,” says Shane. “I want to stay current, which is why I originally wanted to go into academics. Single-incision is the next skill set but even that is continually evolving. You have to keep up with each new skill set to move on to the next one.”

Surgical oncology requires a great deal of continuity and communication between a patient’s team of doctors. Often strong relationships are formed, as Shane will follow patients for the rest of their lives, however long that might be.

“To be a good doctor you can’t put your feelings aside. Most of my patients appreciate honesty, kindness and compassion,” he says. “The hardest ones you take care of are the ones you hope you’ve cured.”

Shortly after moving to Amarillo, the Holloways welcomed twin daughters, Olivia and Sophia, to their growing family. When he isn’t in surgery, seeing patients or on call, Shane and his family escape to the mountains to fly-fish, hunt and enjoy the outdoors.

“More than anything, I want my patients to say I took care of them, that I treated them with respect,” he continues. “I want them to be glad I was their doctor.”

Next: Ray Wilson

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.