CyberKnife® Doctors: The Team at Baptist
The CyberKnife team at Baptist Medical Center includes neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, nurses, and medical physicists.
Eric Lee Balfour, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Dr. Balfour earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. He then completed his internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, followed by his residency in Radiation Oncology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. While there, he served as Chief Resident in Radiation Oncology.
Board certified in Radiation Oncology by the American Board of Radiology, he is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, the Southern Oncology Association and the American Medical Association.
Elio D. DeMeira, M.D., FACS, Neurosurgeon
Dr. DeMeira earned his medical degree from University of Santa Maria Faculty of Medicine in Santa Maria, Brazil. He completed a surgical internship at Watts Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, followed by his neurosurgery residency at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He also completed a neurosurgery fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA.
A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. DeMeira has practiced at the Hospital da Cidade in Passo Fundo, Brazil; at the Horizon Hospital System in Greenville, Pennsylvania; and at Saint Vincent Health Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he served as the neurosurgery section leader.
Richard B. Friedman, D.M.D., M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Dr. Friedman earned his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and then completed a degree in dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania before serving as Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He earned a master’s degree in Health Policy and Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then served as Chairman of the Division of Dental Medicine and Director of the General Practice Residency Program at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals and Associate Professor at MCV/VCU Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. He earned his medical degree and completed his internship and residency at the Medical College of Virginia and served for 21 years in the U.S. Army Reserve.
He is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Radiology and is Board Certified in Radiation Oncology.
Sidney Albert Johnson, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
A Jackson native, Dr. Johnson earned a double major in Physics and Chemistry at the University of Mississippi before earning his Medical Degree at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. He has been in private practice as a radiation oncologist since 1990. Dr. Johnson is board certified in radiation oncology and is a member of the American Board of Radiology.
Moses C. Jones, Jr., M.D., FACS, Neurosurgeon
Dr. Jones is a native of Alabama who grew up in Uniontown. He graduated from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and attended medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.
He served his internship at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota and did residency training at New York University - Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York and the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Dr. Jones is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and holds membership in numerous professional organizations. These include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Mississippi Neurological Society. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).
In addition, Dr. Jones holds an MBA degree from the University of Alabama Culverhouse School of Business.
John (Jack) Moriarity, Jr., M.D., Neurosurgeon
Dr. Moriarity earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biology from Stanford University where he graduated with honors. He completed his internship at Johns Hopkins where he also finished his residency in neurosurgery, serving as Chief Resident. In 2001 he completed a Neuro-oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins. He has been the recipient of many honors and awards including the Johns Hopkins Hunterian Research Award, Johns Hopkins Faculty Teaching Award, and Medical Scholars Award.
David A. Wahl, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Dr. Wahl earned his medical degree, with honors, from the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, before completing both his internship and residency at the Medical College of Virginia. He has served as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Virginia. He is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
Dr. Wahl is a member of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the American College of Radiology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Medical Association. He is a fellow of the American College of Radiation Oncology, a member of the Mississippi Radiological Society, the Mississippi Oncology Society, the Southern Association for Oncology and the Southern Medical Association.
At Baptist, Dr. Wahl has served on the Medicine Selection Quality Assurance Committee, the Radiation Safety Committee, Chief of the Oncology Subsection and Chairman of the Cancer Committee. He is Medical Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Deniece Ponder, RN, OCN, Neuroscience Coordinator
Deniece Ponder, RN, serves as the Neuroscience Service Line Coordinator and is the initial point of contact for potential CyberKnife patients, physicians and their staff. She is Oncology Certified by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation and a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, American Society of Pain Management Nurses and Central Mississippi ONS Chapter currently serving as Secretary. Deniece can be reached at 601-973-1580 or via email at dponder@mbhs.org.
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