Na Tosha N. Gatson, MD, PhD, FAAN is the mother of three children ages 24, 15, and 7 – and they are her greatest achievements. She is the Director of Neuro-Oncology at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Phoenix, AZ; Associate Professor of Medicine University of Arizona. Na Tosha also continue to serve as Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean of Equity and Inclusion at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, PA. She completed her MD/PhD, neurology residency, and NIH/R25 neurosurgery research post-doctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH prior to completing a neuro-oncology fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
Dr. Gatson chose a career in neurology with a mission to preserve the most basic elements of what it means to be human (thought, speech, movement, sensation, and emotion) adapted from the spirited words of neurologist, Dr. N. Mejia. Brain cancers risk the slow deterioration of these neurologic functions, and she endeavored to fight alongside her patients to preserve, recover, or transition these abilities. Her practice philosophy is based on extending not just the length of life, but also the quality of life. Life is not short – the time from our birth to the time of our death is calling living. Living is the longest thing we will ever do! However, the time we have with our children or loved ones, the time we have in our careers, and the time we have enjoying the universe with clarity of mind is short relative to the length of our lives. Dr. Gatson aims to make the short times most valuable when she design her patient treatment. She enjoys population science and brain tumor imaging research as well as innovating in women’s concerns in neuro-oncology and trainee education. Excellence in these areas is important to her career satisfaction. Educating herself, her peers, her partners, and her colleagues is as important as how she delivers patient care.
As part of her contribution to the field and in continuing her own education and professional development, Na Tosha maintains active leadership roles within the following organizations: American Brain Foundation, American Academy of Neurology, Society of Neuro-Oncology, NRG Oncology, and the Society of Clinical Neurology.
