Making a Difference, Changing the Narrative for Lung Cancer

Dr. Michael Gieske is a family practitioner practicing in Erlanger, KY. Dr. Gieske specializes in comprehensive health care for people of all ages. In addition to diagnosing and treating illnesses, family practitioners also put focus on preventative care with routine checkups, tests and personalized coaching on how to maintain... more
Michael R. Gieske, MD:
Dr. Gieske graduated from the University of Louisville Medical College in 1984 and then completed his Family Practice Residency at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood, Kentucky, in 1987. Though, as of December 2022, he no longer sees patients in the office, he has found plenty of opportunities to fill his time. He is the primary care advocate for the Low Dose CT (LDCT) Lung Cancer Screening Program at community-based St. Elizabeth Healthcare as the Director of Lung Cancer Screening. This program has evolved into one of the country's most successful lung cancer screening initiatives. In October 2019, the program hit a phenomenal milestone of 10,000 LDCT lung cancer screens. His team has now surpassed 40,000 lung cancer screens as of February 2024, in the top 4% of healthcare systems in the country/world! Over 625 lung cancers have been discovered; now, over 71% are in stage I. Together, they are working to defeat the nihilism and stigma associated with lung cancer, and turn the script on this silent #1 cancer killer. With his team and state-based collaborations, KyLEADS Collaborative, Ky Cancer Consortium, and Kentucky Health Collaborative, he has helped move Ky. to the top of the list of states with the highest percentage of lung cancer screening, now #2 in the country! Ky. is setting the bar for saving lives from lung cancer. He has become involved in patient advocacy and works very closely with The White Ribbon Project, Lungevity, and others. He has extended his influence to include policy and government relations. He sits on committees with the American College of Radiology, GO2 Foundation, Lung Ambition Alliance, NLCRT, LungCan, and the Rural Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, Ky. Lung Cancer Screening Advisory Committee, Kentucky Cancer Consortium, White Ribbon Project, Breathe NKy, NCQA Technical Expert Panel, among others. He is the co-chair of the Ky. Lung Cancer Screening Advisory Committee. His interests include gardening, oil painting, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and travel, as well as spending time with his family, including his wife of 35 years and his 29 and 31-year-old daughters and two grandchildren.