In the middle of 2014, Daron Gribble received some unexpected news: a persistent sore spot under his right cheekbone had tested positive for nodular melanoma. When his local dermatologist urged him to find an oncologist, he knew exactly where to turn. Daron’s sister, a nurse in the Houston area, referred him to her close friend, Randal Weber, M.D., chair of Head and Neck Surgery at MD Anderson.

“Dr. Weber’s compassion reassured...