An oncologist calls this her 'most special honor' since arriving at Cape Cod Hospital

When Cape Cod Hospital medical oncologist Jaclyn Flanigan, MD, learned she had been named this year’s medical honoree for the annual Soiree for Alice’s Classroom, she said she was “surprised and flattered,” calling it “the most special honor I’ve had since I’ve been at Cape Cod Hospital.”

The Soiree, an annual fundraiser to support cancer care on Cape Cod, will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 at Oyster Harbors Yacht Club in Osterville. The event includes a cocktail reception, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and a chance to win a Roberto Coin Jewelers shopping spree.

Funds raised will provide much-needed support for a variety of cancer services.

The Soiree is named in honor of Alice O’Neill, who was the organizing committee’s longest-serving member. An elementary classroom teacher for over 40 years (primarily at Osterville Elementary School), she dedicated her life after her retirement to helping cancer patients, all while navigating her own journey with cancer, before passing away in 2021. Alice’s Classroom, an endowment fund established to provide educational support for oncology patients and clinicians on Cape Cod, was founded in her honor in 2019.

“Alice is the heart of our committee, still,” said Sharon Kennedy, a member of the Soiree organizing committee. “We continue her dedication to helping cancer patients.”

From left, James Chingos, MD; Beth Herrick, MD; Chris Davenport, RN; Jaclyn Flanigan, MD; Pamela Barbey; Peter Barbey; and Molly Sullivan, MD. Past medical honorees Dr. Sullivan, Dr. Herrick, Dr. Chingos and Mr. Davenport attended the pre-Soirée reception. Photo by Melissa Marchand.

Dr. Flanigan, who has been at Cape Cod Hospital since 2013 and is chief of medical oncology for Cape Cod Healthcare, said she had met and been impressed by Alice O’Neill, and had attended past Soirees and seen other colleagues honored.

“I really felt like I understood what this event means and what it represents, which makes (the designation as medical honoree this year) all the more meaningful and special,” she said.

A Different Level of Care

The members of the Soiree committee have “worked tirelessly to not only have this event succeed but thrive,” said Christopher Lawson, senior vice president and chief development officer for Cape Cod Healthcare, at a pre-Soiree reception recently. “With the opening of the new (Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion), we’re making a difference at a different level now in cancer care on the Cape.”

With the new Barbey Pavilion, Kennedy said “it feels even more perfect to have Dr. Flanigan as our honoree.

“Dr. Flanigan’s philosophy of care to treat the whole patient perfectly aligns with our mission, which is to ease the cancer journey for as many patients as we can,” she said.

Past medical honorees who attended the pre-Soiree reception were Molly Sullivan, MD; Beth Herrick, MD; James Chingos, MD; and Chris Davenport, RN.

In addition to Kennedy, the Soiree committee members are Phyllis Connelly, Jennifer Cummings, Barbara Dunn, Susan Ellis, Melissa Marchand, Kathryn Norton and Diane Salomone.

Tickets for the Soiree can be purchased online.

Note: Cape Cod Health News writer Bill O’Neill was Alice O’Neill’s stepson.