Even though they are a year apart, Drew Dill and his brother have often been mistaken as twins. A mistake that is easy to make, they were both drawn to science, went to the same college and medical school and are both oncologists in Tennessee. Dill is a hematologist/oncologist in Memphis and his brother is a radiation oncologist in East Tennessee. Besides his practice in Collierville, Dill spends one day a week treating patients at the Darrell Worley Cancer Center in Savannah, Tennessee. A place he feels called to serve that keeps him on his toes.
A fourth generation native of Orlando, Dill says his introduction to oncology and his mentor is a real fish tale. “We were in the Florida Keys and struck up a conversation with the guy in the boat next to us who was a radiation oncologist in Orlando. Our families became friends. Since my brother and I were both interested in medicine, we looked to “Dr. Bob” as a mentor. He let us do research and even sent us to shadow other specialties to see what we wanted to pursue,” he said. “Another close family friend was a fishing guide and when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Dr. Bob treated him for free because he had no insurance or any means to pay for healthcare. We were both drawn to oncology and the technical advances in the field, and we both knew that is what we would pursue.”
Drew studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Rollins College. He also followed his brother to the Medical College of Virginia. “We roomed together and we kept each other accountable to our studies,” said Dill. “We understood how hard we were both working. We’re best friends and were a great support for each other. He initially went down the track of radiation oncology, however I was drawn more to hematology/oncology because I really enjoyed therapeutic options and myriad of diagnoses, benign and malignant.”
While the brothers share quite a bit, Dill did get a one up on his brother in matters of the heart. “A common family friend had wanted to set one of us up with the daughter of someone my father had done business with,” said Dill. “My brother was supposed to meet her first, but I beat him to it because I got home two weeks earlier than he did from medical school. We quickly fell in love and got married in 2007. She dropped everything to marry a fourth year medical student and has been so proud of me and such a huge support to me and our family.”
After completing an internship and residency in internal medicine, Dill took a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and West Clinic. “I worked my rear end off, even moonlighting two extra jobs to help support our family which had grown to include three boys by the time I was in my fellowship,” said Dill. “I finished my training in three years. While we thought we would return to Florida, every time we visited, it didn’t seem like home. We really had grown to love Memphis and thought it a great place to raise our family.”
During his fellowship, he worked with Dr. Weeks who trained him in bone marrow transplant and recruited him to join Integrity Oncology in 2014. “Dr. Weeks had been instrumental in starting the Darrell Worley Cancer Clinic in Savannah in 2012,” said Dill. “As I was starting my practice, he wanted me to go down there since it is very different from practicing in a larger city. While we have many subspecialists here that see specific types of cancer, there I am the specialist for it all. I take care of complex malignancies to run of the mill things. Seeing such a wide range of things forces me to stay up to date on everything.”
Dill finds his day away from the big city to be one of his favorites due largely to his patients. “Folks there are so receptive to my being there. They are so nice and show how much they appreciate what I do. It is not unheard of for them to bring me pies or food. In fact I have one patient that has been known to bring moonshine,” said Dill. “We have a great support staff in the clinic and the other doctors are fantastic. There is great heart and soul there among so much unmet need in the area.”
With a high incidence of tobacco use in the area and economic barriers to preventive screenings, Dill finds himself often faced with more advanced disease in his patients than should be there. “A lot of my patients could have been screened as a preventive measure, but due to the economy in the area, many do not,” said Dill. “I see a lot of head and neck cancer, as well as lung cancer, which are mainly tobacco related cancers. There is also a high incidence of advanced colon cancer, which is due to a lack health prevention education and access to health insurance resulting in patients not receiving a screening colonoscopy.”
While he sees an average of 25-30 patients in Savannah, Dill says that he often has to take on the role of a primary care giver for the patient which can take a lot of time given their lack of insurance. “It is the most rewarding place to be, and I have built wonderful relationships,” he said. “It can be mentally exhausting because it is not routine and it keeps me on my toes. I come away from it tired but feel like I am making a difference and the patients are so grateful for the help.”
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