TUPELO, Miss. – The North Mississippi Medical Center Hematology Oncology team has recently expanded to meet the needs of cancer patients across the region.

Two physicians and four nurse practitioners have joined our Tupelo and Starkville medical oncology teams, which guide patients and families through the cancer journey from diagnosis to survivorship. 

“We want to ensure our community has access to expert oncology care without leaving home,” said Daniel Lenard, vice president for oncology services at North Mississippi Health Services. “These committed doctors and nurse practitioners are wonderful additions to our dedicated Cancer Care team.” 

Dr. Mythri Mudireddy aims to empower patients and leverage research and clinical trials to improve outcomes. She sees patients at NMMC Hematology Oncology in Tupelo and Starkville.

She completed her internal medicine residency at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland and her hematology oncology fellowship at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia. She also served as a research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and as a clinical instructor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Dr. Rana Usman brings a passion for science and a deep commitment to helping others to NMMC Hematology Oncology. He sees patients in Tupelo and Starkville.

Dr. Usman completed his residency and hematology oncology fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. He also holds a master’s degree in epidemiology. During his training, he participated in cancer research with UT Health Science Center, VA Medical Center in Memphis and Cleveland Clinic.

Nurse practitioner Olivia Bennett has a background in assisting patients with prostate cancer. She served as a nurse navigator for patients with prostate cancer before becoming a nurse practitioner and joining the NMMC Hematology Oncology team in Tupelo.

Bennett started her nursing career as a critical care nurse at NMMC-Tupelo in 2013. Her nursing career has encompassed several roles in hospital, clinic and data analysis settings. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing science from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. 

Nurse practitioner Mallori Watson McBryde, who will see patients at NMMC Hematology Oncology in Tupelo, has a broad experience with caring for patients in hospital and clinic settings.  

McBryde began her nursing career at NMMC-Tupelo in 2013, caring for patients in the Pulmonary Step-Down Unit. She went on to work in surgical intensive care and interventional radiology in Tupelo and Jackson. As a nurse practitioner, she worked in primary care before joining the Cancer Care team. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from MUW. 

After serving in a part-time capacity, nurse practitioner Kayla Warner has joined the Hematology Oncology team in Starkville full-time.

She began her health care career as a physical therapy technician before becoming a registered nurse in 2013. She served patients in hospital and emergency medicine settings as a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner. She earned her associate nursing degree at East Mississippi Community College. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing at MUW. 

Nurse practitioner Shaneeka Hamlett returns to the NMHS team after serving as the lead nurse practitioner at Oncology San Antonio in Texas. 

During nearly two decades in nursing, much of her focus has been caring for cancer patients and administering chemotherapy. She has also worked in critical care, orthopedics, nephrology and rehabilitation roles. At NMMC-Tupelo, she served as a registered nurse and nursing leader between 2011 and 2019, before becoming a nurse practitioner. 

She earned her associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from MUW and her master’s degree from Walden University School of Nursing. 

The new providers join hematology oncology physicians Jiahuai Tan, Rebecca Cody, Amit Correa, Amit Jain, Usman Khan, Paschal Wilson and Benton Wheeler, and nurse practitioners Melinda Clark, Angela Eaton, Tiffany Gillespie and Angela Taylor in caring for patients. 
For an appointment, call (662) 377-4550. NMMC Hematology Oncology is located at 961 S. Gloster St. in Tupelo and 1205 Hwy. 182 in Starkville. For more information, visit nmhs.net/cancer.