Kathryn Chan, M.D. received her medical degree from Santos Tomas University Hospital. Her Internal Medicine internship and residency training were at Albert Einstein Medical in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her fellowship training in Hematology-Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Chan received the Dimitri Stavropoulos, M.D. Memorial Award for clinical acumen, compassion, empathy and passion for the preservation of life.

Dr. Chan is board certified in Medical Oncology and Hematology.

Dr. Gu received her doctor of medicine from Beijing Medical University in Beijing, China. She has a PhD in Biophysics from Purdue University and worked in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, specializing in computational chemistry/biology, to rationally design oral receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors as cancer drugs. She did her internship in Internal Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA and was a resident in Internal Medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. Dr. Gu completed a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. She was an attending physician medical oncologist at University of Massachusetts Medical School prior to joining NMCCA in January 2016. Dr. Gu has cared for patients at both the Santa Fe and Los Alamos locations.

Her hobbies include skiing, hiking, camping, going to concerts and the Santa Fe Opera.

Scott M. Herbert, M.D. is a graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas prior to completing his Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Indiana University. He is double-boarded in both Hematology and Oncology. He previously worked for the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center which specializes in bleeding and clotting disorders. His academic interests include cancer and the immune system, emotional complementary medicine, and health care information technology. Dr. Herbert received his MBA from the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management.

He and his family have been in Santa Fe since 2007.

Clifton ‘Kip’ Layman, D.O. graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine*. He earned a full academic scholarship from the US Army where he went on to complete residency in Internal Medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii and fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at San Antonio Military Medical Center. He served as a hematologist/oncologist in the Army at the rank of Major for an additional five years, during which time he was the Chief of Hematology, Oncology, & Infusion Services for Tripler Army Medical Center and officer in charge of hematology & oncology at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He has a broad range of experience treating multiple tumor types including solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Dr. Layman’s research interests include emerging cancer treatments such as immunotherapy & precision medicine. He is also dedicated to a holistic approach to patient care incorporating emotional & spiritual care along with the physical care provided. Dr Layman is fluent in Spanish having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in undergraduate studies.

Dr Layman comes to Santa Fe with his wife, son, & daughter from Hawaii after completing 11 years of service in the US Army. They are excited to call Northern New Mexico their home and look forward to being a part of and serving our community for many years.

*WVSOM was ranked one of the nation’s top medical schools for the 24th consecutive year and is #1 in the nation among all medical schools graduating physicians who practice in rural areas (U.S. News & World Report)

Karen LoRusso received her M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She completed an Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. She did her fellowship training in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology. Her academic interests include Clinical Research Trials for new cancer treatments, Cancer Survivorship, Breast Cancer and Myeloma. She has enjoyed being part of the Santa Fe community since 2005.

When not in clinic, she enjoys spending time with her family and playing with her dogs

David Snyder, M.D. is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He completed his training in Medical Oncology at the University of Kentucky and joined the largest oncology practice in the U.S. in Midland Texas. He was a founding member of Texas Oncology and practiced in Midland, Texas for twenty years, where he was the Medical Director of Allison Cancer Center.

He moved to Santa Fe in 2000 and joined New Mexico Cancer Care Associates, where he continues to practice.

Ryan V. Commiskey is an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specializing in oncology. He received a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and a Master of Science in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University in his hometown of Muncie, Indiana prior to a 10 year run in consulting and project management roles in the web development and software industries. Along the way, Ryan and his wife relocated to the Land of Enchantment in 2006, ultimately settling in the East Mountains outside of Albuquerque. Eventually, upon realizing a major change was due, Ryan pursued his BSN from the University of New Mexico, graduating at the top of his class. He worked the cardiac telemetry unit at Presbyterian Hospital in downtown Albuquerque, followed by a research coordinator role with Presbyterian Heart Group. Ryan then completed his MSN from the University of Cincinnati. His first role as Nurse Practitioner was in an outpatient Endocrinology clinic in Albuquerque. With a growing family, the time felt right to make a move to Santa Fe, a community they could truly invest themselves in. Ryan has been with New Mexico Cancer Care Associates since 2019, where he is passionate about understanding and applying the latest clinical evidence to his patient-centered care.

Outside of the clinic, Ryan stays quite busy with his wife and two lovely daughters. In those rare free moments, expect to catch him out on his mountain bike.

Sara White received her nursing degree from Walla Walla University and worked as an RN on a stroke unit in Portland, Oregon for roughly four years before pursuing her Nurse Practitioner degree. In 2018 she decided to move to Santa Fe in search of some much needed sunshine.

She worked at both Presbyterian and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center while earning her graduate degree. After obtaining her Masters of Science in Nursing in 2021 from Grand Canyon University, she then became board certified as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. After doing a rotation in hematology/oncology, she realized this was the field she was passionate about and wanted to pursue. She began working at New Mexico Cancer Care Associates in October 2021.

In her free time she likes to travel, kayak, play soccer, and spend time with her fur kids.