Timothy J Pluard MD

Timothy J. Pluard, MD, is medical director at Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute And the Paul Koontz Endowed Chair of Breast Disease at the University of Missouri- KC School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Saint Luke’s has launched two new signature centers, offering a level of cancer expertise not found within 450 miles of Kansas City. 

In 2016, Saint Luke’s Hospital launched its innovative Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer, one of the few centers nationally, and the only in the Midwest, dedicated exclusively to the care of patients with metastatic breast cancer. 

In 2017, Dr. Pluard led the creation of Saint Luke’s Center for Precision Oncology, the only center within a 450-mile radius that brings together experts in clinical oncology, tumor genomics, and computational biology. This unique multidisciplinary team has the expertise to identify the exact genomic alteration causing a patient’s tumor, and find the best possible treatment—even if it has never been used on that kind of cancer before. 

Prior to joining Saint Luke’s, Dr. Pluard served as associate professor of medicine at Washington University in Saint Louis, and clinical director of the breast oncology program at Siteman Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

He has published extensively on new therapeutic approaches to breast cancer and the care of metastatic breast cancer patients.