Lillian Rinker, MD

Lillian Rinker, MD, is a Radiation Oncologist with West Cancer Center. She is married to Dr. Bentley Burnham and is the loving mother of three children.

Titles and Roles

• Radiation Oncologist, West Cancer Center
• Assistant Professor, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine

Areas of Expertise

• Gynecologic Cancer
• Breast Cancer

Biography

Dr. Rinker is an American Board of Radiology certified radiation oncologist with West Cancer Center. After her fellowship with the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC, she served as a radiation oncologist with Memphis Radiological Professional Corporation for 16 years. She then joined West Cancer Center’s team in 2014. Dr. Rinker is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Radiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine and sits on the Methodist University Hospital Cancer Committee. Every month, she participates in or presents at multidisciplinary conferences to stay up to date on the latest research and procedures. She is a member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Brachytherapy Society, and the American College of Radiation Oncology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, playing piano, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Education and Training

Dr. Rinker completed her undergraduate education at North Carolina State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Dr. Rinker received her medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. She also completed her training in Radiation Oncology with an internship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, followed by her residency at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC, and a fellowship in radiation oncology research in hypoxia at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.

Awards

• NCSU Fellows Board of Directors, 1996-1997
• Chief Resident, University of North Carolina Hospitals, 1995
• M. Robert Cooper, M.D., award for outstanding senior medical student in oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 1992
• Full-merit Fullerton Scholarship to Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Research

Dr. Rinker’s current research projects include:

• Determination of hypoxia/hypoxic fraction and proliferation in human squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix and head and neck tumors using immunohistochemistry with pimonidazole/PCNA
• 3D Image Registration project comparing conventional human tumor registration of CT/plain films with computerized manual tumor registration using MR/CT data
• Interaction of HAM-56 monoclonal antibody with various cell lines including macrophages and mesotheliomas

Publications

Dr. Rinker has been published multiple times, with the most recent being presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting on physicians’ influence on breast conservation therapy. To view Dr. Rinker’s recent publications, click here.