Changes Coming to Our Oncology Program

New Physician, Same Great Care

Continuity is important in any healthcare situation — especially for cancer patients and their families. That’s why Aspen Valley Hospital (AVH) is working to ensure a smooth transition to our new oncology physician, Stephen Mayer MD, PhD, FACP.

We are extraordinarily grateful to Douglas Rovira, MD, our staff oncologist for many years, as he leaves the Aspen community for another opportunity. His commitment to our patients has been unsurpassed. Dr. Rovira will remain in his current position while Dr. Mayer joins us in late May and begins to establish relationships with our patients.

Dr. Mayer earned his medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical oncology at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Mayer is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. Since 2015, he has served as a physician at Kaiser Permanente Lone Tree Oncology and as a staff physician at Sky Ridge Medical Center, both in Lone Tree, Colorado.

During the transition, all of AVH’s other highly trained and experienced oncology program staff members will remain in place, helping to ensure that patients experience no disruption in their care.

“As our new oncologist, Dr. Mayer will pick up where Dr. Rovira leaves off, and I’m sure our patients will immediately feel comfortable and confident with him and his medical expertise,” said Nancee Dodge, FNP-C, AOCNP, an oncology-certified nurse practitioner and an AVH employee since 1996. “Our clinic will continue to see patients as usual, and we’ll all work closely to ensure that we don’t miss a beat during the transition.”

Dodge noted that while the staff oncologist is in the hospital one day a week, the clinic is open five days a week — implementing the physician’s orders, treating side effects, managing medications and more. “It takes a team,” she said. “All of us in the AVH oncology program look forward to continuing to serve the Aspen community with high-quality care.”