Elizabeth Kent, MD

Dr. Kent, MD is a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute in Duval, Clay and St. Johns Counties.

Dr. Kent grew up in southeastern Michigan and was the fourth of six daughters. After earning her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Dr. Kent completed her internship and residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota and a summer externship in hematology/oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She was then awarded a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Upon completion of her training, she began her private oncology practice at the Kansas City Cancer Center and later practiced at the Freeman Cancer Institute in Joplin, Missouri, where she served for two years as medical director before moving to Florida with her family in 2013.  Dr. Kent has particular interests in breast cancer, cancer genetics and prevention in high-risk patients.

Dr. Kent enjoys educating and interacting with residents as a member of the teaching faculty for the Orange Park Medical Center. She is also currently the chief of the Department of Medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital Clay County and cancer liaison for the Commission on Cancer at Orange Park Medical Center. Continuing in the tradition of her academic training, she is involved in clinical research and has been published in numerous peer reviewed journals, including Urology and Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Practicing oncology has been a lifelong passion for Dr. Kent. To her, cancer care is not about the disease, but about the person who has it. “While a patient is sent to us for a specific diagnosis, they come to us with a life,” she says. “They have families, jobs, bills, upcoming graduations or retirements, and simply selecting treatment A from a list is not enough. I believe the most important part of my job is to get to know the person, their priorities and goals, and help them live their life despite cancer, rather than being a ‘cancer patient.’”

Outside of work, she loves her life with her husband and four children, gardening, sports and enjoying outdoor life in Florida.