FirstHealth of the Carolinas is expanding services offered in Cumberland County with the addition of FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology located at FirstHealth’s Fayetteville Specialty Center at the corner of Morganton Road and McPherson Church Road.

Gynecologic Oncologists Michael Sundborg, M.D., and Brian Burgess, D.O., Ph.D., began seeing patients in Fayetteville on June 26. FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology offers the full scope of gynecologic cancer care including diagnosis, surgery, medical oncology, surveillance and support care.

Dr. Sundborg joined FirstHealth of the Carolinas in 2013. He spent 33 years in the U.S. Army, completing his service as a colonel in the Army Medical Corps. Prior to joining FirstHealth, he served as chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and director of medical education at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg (now redesignated as Fort Liberty).

Dr. Sundborg earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Fayetteville’s Methodist College and his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He interned at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology with the National Capital Area Consortium in Obstetrics and Gynecology comprised by Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.

He was fellowship trained in gynecologic oncology at the National Capital Area Consortium in Obstetrics and Gynecology program that includes the National Cancer Institute as well as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.

Dr. Burgess joined FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology in July 2020. Prior to medical school, he worked for nine years as an engineer with Merck and Company, Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Florida. He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in chemical engineering from the University of Florida.

While he enjoyed his time at Merck, Dr. Burgess shared in a press release that he felt a deep sense of being called to do something else. “I truly felt led to pursue medicine, and God opened the doors for me to train to become a doctor.”

Dr. Burgess attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C., and completed a gynecologic oncology fellowship at the University of Kentucky.

In addition to the Fayetteville location, FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology has locations in Lee County and in the new FirstHealth Cancer Center in Pinehurst.

The FirstHealth Cancer Center opened on March 27 and offers state-of-the-art treatment facilities, palliative care services, research and clinical trials, navigation and support services for patients and caregivers, nutrition services and a dedicated wellness center with a well-equipped Yoga room. A healing garden outside the building offers a place for patients and their families to connect and relax.