David John Tate, MD

I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. My mother was a nurse working in a family practice, so I was introduced to the medical field at an early age. I had a doctor who was a great influence on my life. He was like a grandfather to me. He later died of leukemia and seeing that process is part of what really inspired me to be a doctor and in particular to specialize in the treatment of cancers.

As a board-certified radiation oncologist, I treat and care for patients using radiation therapy. This mostly involves the treatment of solid tumors which can appear in many places in the body: the lungs, prostate, brain, head and neck.

Typically, the patients I treat range in age, though they tend to be in their later years (50 – 80).

Radiation therapy involves the targeted use of radiation. It is delivered right to the tumor and the area around it. This can be done in connection with chemotherapy or is done before or after other cancer treatments. It is an effective way to kill tumors and give the patient an excellent quality of life.

Getting to know my patients and interacting with them is an important part of my practice. In fact, it is the part of my work that I enjoy the most. I particularly enjoy when I see my patients health improve. Some of the biggest successes are the most unexpected. When you see a patient who has the odds stacked against them, beat those odds, that's a real delight. It's what keeps me going.

When you are fighting cancer, you want to find providers and a center that has the most advanced training and technology and that treats cancer with a multi-disciplinary team approach. That is what I help bring to the NorthBay Cancer Center. I was attracted to this team because of the talented people who work here and because the center offers the latest technology, including the TruBeam linear accelerator, which allows for the most accurate, precision radiation treatment available.

When I am not working, I spend a lot of time focused on my own health and wellbeing — spending time with my family, swimming, biking, running and just enjoying the outdoors.

Physician Practice Organization

NorthBay Healthcare Group