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It's 5 a.m… do you know where your doctor is?

If it were several years ago and his name were Neil Finkler, chances are he'd be body checking an opponent in the "Over-40" hockey division at RDV Sportsplex's ice rink before making rounds at Florida Hospital.

Since knee trouble shelved his "hockey career," these days Neil J. Finkler, MD, is already making rounds at the hospital at 5 a.m. before heading to the OR or to his office by 7:30 to begin his demanding day.

His patients love him. His staff refuses to leave him — many have been with him for more than a decade. His nurse, Pat Faust, RN, has been helping him treat patients almost since the day he opened the doors of his practice 14 years ago.

As Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute in Orlando, Finkler's impressive resume speaks for itself; but his dedication to his patients, his buoyant personality, and his intense passion for this subspecialty have crafted the successful and highly regarded physician he is today.

One patient, successfully undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, praises Finkler not only for his skills; but for the honesty, care, and support he consistently provides to her. "He always takes the time to answer all my questions and to explain things to me. When I found out I had ovarian cancer, I asked him for complete honesty; and he assured me that I would always get it from him. And I do. I just love him to pieces. He saved my life."

Finkler says he believes, "You've got to be realistic with people, and you've got to tell them that if something's not working, it's not working; and that if it's time to stop, it's time to stop. But that doesn't mean that you ever pull the rug out from under people… You never remove all the hope away from anybody, ever."

Finkler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University in New York, where he received the Stuart A. Fenniman Scholarship — an honor bestowed upon a student who exhibits high character and ability.

After graduating cum laude from Colgate, Finkler achieved his medical degree from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where his fourth-year gynecologic oncology rotation decided his future. What captured his attention were the challenge and the intellectual fascination of the gynecologic oncology disease process, and the dynamically changing technology, he says.

After medical school, Finkler served an internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology, and a subsequent three-year staff appointment as a gynecologic oncologist at Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital.

He then spent two years as Director of Gynecologic Oncology at Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University Hospital, and Boston City Hospital.

Finkler also served as Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at both Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine.

In 1992, Finkler relocated to Florida to launch and direct the Gynecologic Oncology Program at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute in Orlando — formerly The Walt Disney Memorial Cancer Institute at Florida Hospital — where he specializes in the treatment of cancers of the female reproductive tract.

Finkler says he has long-believed that having an internist diagnose a problem, a surgeon operate on the problem, and a medical oncologist or radiation therapist treat the problem, was incredibly fragmented, difficult and cumbersome. GYN oncology, however, streamlines this multidisciplinary process, with one person skilled in the various aspects of the process.

Finkler's perspective is that, unless you subspecialize within hematology- oncology, it's exceedingly difficult to really be at the top of the game and know everything that's going on. "As a result," he says, "I think women with gynecologic cancers have a true advantage seeing a gynecologic oncologist."

Finkler's GYN oncology program maintains four full-time attending physicians — all of whom hold academic appointments at Duke University — and two gynecologic oncology fellows.

Finkler, 49, and his colleagues, Robert W. Holloway, MD, and B. Hannah Ortiz, MD, are solely responsible for the teaching of their fellows, as well as for GYN oncology residents from Michigan, and family practice residents from Florida Hospital.

Finkler sees approximately 100 patients weekly in his outpatient facility; and he and his three associates each perform 350 to 400 major surgeries per year.

His office actively participates in ongoing clinical trials; and a major contribution that resulted from one trial showed first-time improved survival rates for metastatic cervical cancers using a certain combination of drugs, versus standard therapy.

"This may be a small, little, private practice in the middle of Central Florida," says Finkler, "but it has had fairly important ramifications with regards to the impact in the treatment of gynecologic cancers."

Among the chief technological advances Finkler has witnessed, was the recent FDA approval of Gardisil, a vaccine to prevent the vast majority of cervical cancers.

Yet, despite advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer, the "Holy Grail" — a methodology to keep patients in remission — remains elusive, as does an adequate screening test that could dramatically decrease the death rate. And the difficult-to-treat recurrent uterine cancer still lacks adequate second-line options.

Finkler refers to these insufficiencies as "probably the biggest holes in our armamentarium today."

Outside of work, Finkler is open about his interests and personal life. "What you see is what you get," he beams; radiating his upbeat, perpetually optimistic, "clearly, the glass is half-full" personality.

On his days off, Finkler enjoys quietly reading the newspaper at home, tinkering around the house, and spending time with his wife of 24½ years, Tina, and his three children: Lyle, 23; Elissa, 20; and Rustin, 15.

How has his profession shaped his perspective on life? "I think it's had profound effects on me … There's very little that gets me upset. I personally see, almost on a daily basis, how fragile life is … and, as a result, how important it is to not let the little stuff get you down … I always tell everybody, 'Go have fun.'"

In spite of the often draining aspects of his work, Finkler is genuinely passionate about his profession.

"There are days where, emotionally, you're a wreck because you failed and you've lost somebody … but it's the people who you see that are 10, 15, and 20 years out that have survived an otherwise deadly illness that keep you going," he says. "That is the reason you wake up the next morning and go back to work — because you know that person is out there, and there are people that you can still help."

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