Azra AI is proud to honor Dr. Matthew Kurian, Staff Oncologist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, as our June 2025 Oncology Hero of the Month. Known for bridging academic innovation with community care, Dr. Kurian exemplifies what it means to provide compassionate, equitable, and technologically advanced cancer care in a rural setting.
Bringing Academic Excellence Home
Originally from southwest Ohio, Dr. Kurian returned to the region with a clear purpose: “I really wanted to improve the opportunities for folks within the rural Kentucky area to have the same access to treatment as...the Cleveland Clinic or MD Anderson.”
After completing his fellowship at Case Western, he joined St. Elizabeth to strengthen the breast and genitourinary programs and bring cutting-edge clinical trials to patients who might otherwise face long travel times for care. “That’s really been my whole goal,” he shares, “to bring an academic touch into the community.”
Oncology as a Calling
Dr. Kurian's path to oncology was deeply personal. “I had two or three different family members diagnosed with colon cancer, breast cancer...and then even my own journey,” he reflected. “I truly think medicine, in whatever form it is...is a calling.”
That sense of calling is mirrored in the strong patient relationships he’s built: “I get to know everything about that person...they become family.” For young professionals exploring careers in oncology, Dr. Kurian offers this advice: “Be patient...the journey to become an oncologist takes time, but that investment will pay off.”
Building Equity Through Innovation
From launching clinical trials to growing St. Elizabeth’s precision medicine team, Dr. Kurian has championed innovation. “We’re one of the earlier adopters...to integrate a lot of newer things that help us understand what treatment is right for what patient. It's not a one-size-fits-all anymore.”
AI and advanced technologies are already supporting their cancer screening programs such as lung, colorectal, and breast, as well as post-treatment surveillance. “The technologies are not there to replace clinicians. They’re there to aid them...to be superhumans.”
In his widely cited JAMA article, Dr. Kurian explores AI’s potential and challenges. “AI can really improve the understanding of patients...and help with clinical trial innovation and drug development,” he explained. But he cautioned: “Your AI is only as powerful as the data that feeds into it...we need to keep data quality, privacy, and affordability front of mind.”
Hear more about Dr. Kurian’s journey, innovations in AI and precision medicine, and why he believes community cancer care deserves every bit of the spotlight.
In addition to the Oncology Hero recognition, Azra AI has made a contribution to the charity of Dr. Kurian's choice, the Pink Ribbon Good Cincinnati Chapter. Please join us in donating to this organization!
