Blog

By Dr. Les Busby, Chief Medical Officer, The Network

Accelerate 2025 was more than a conference—it was a focused effort to define the future of community oncology. Over three days, leaders from across the country shared strategies, explored innovations, and aligned on what progress should look like for patients and practices. And if you ask me what stood out most, it’s this: 

1. Growth Is More Than Numbers

Sometimes growth can be perceived as a metric—a line on a chart, a quarterly report. But at The Network, growth means something deeper. It’s about making community oncology the best place for patients to receive care. It’s expanding service lines, investing in advanced capabilities, and creating spaces that reflect confidence and compassion. Growth isn’t speed for speed’s sake—it’s acceleration with purpose, turning possibility into progress for patients and practices alike.

History reminds us that true progress has always been more than velocity. When Gutenberg introduced the printing press, the breakthrough wasn’t just faster printing—it was democratized knowledge. It was access. It was transformation. That’s the kind of growth we’re driving: not just more, but better.

2. AI Is Redefining the Possible

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and yet at Accelerate it felt less like a buzzword and more like a quiet revolution. Not the flashy kind—the kind that hums in the background, shaving hours off documentation, matching patients to trials, smoothing the jagged edges of complexity. We’re not just watching this happen; we’re shaping it. We’re asking the hard questions about trust and transparency, about ethics and equity. Because acceleration without intention is chaos. And intention is what gives us purpose.

Think of the printing press again: it didn’t just speed up copying; it rewired society. AI is our printing press moment. It’s changing how we work, how we think, how we care. And like every great leap forward, it demands stewardship. We must be pilots, not passengers.

3. Partnership Is Co-Creation

If there was a refrain running through every session, every sidebar conversation, it was this: We don’t want to build for you; we want to build with you. Partnership isn’t a service line—it’s a stance. It’s sitting at the same table, sketching the same future, sharing the same risks and rewards. It’s the belief that the next decade of cancer care won’t be written by a single hand, but by many—clinicians, administrators, researchers, advocates—all co-authors of a story that matters.

History is full of inflection points where collaboration changed the course of progress—the salons of the Enlightenment, the drafting rooms of the Renaissance. Accelerate felt like one of those rooms: ideas colliding, partnerships forming, futures being drawn in real time.

1. A Final Thought on Why Happiness Matters

As we talked about growth, technology, and partnership, one truth became clear: progress isn’t just about systems and strategies—it’s about people. Thriving practices start with thriving leaders. That’s why we closed Accelerate with a conversation on something fundamental yet often overlooked: happiness.

Keynote speaker Neil Pasricha, author of The Happiness Equation, The Book of Awesome, and 2-Minute Mornings shared a simple but powerful message: happier people feel better, live longer, and lead with more impact.

He shared practical tips to boost happiness, including:

• Charge your phone away from your bedside to sleep better and start the day without doomscrolling.
• Take two minutes each morning to write down:
  1. I will let go of… (acknowledge and release yesterday’s mistakes)
  2. I am grateful for… (relive a moment that brought joy)
  3. I will focus on… (set clear priorities to reduce decision fatigue)

Small habits, big impact—because thriving as leaders starts with thriving as people.

Because acceleration isn’t only about moving faster—it’s about moving forward with clarity, resilience, and purpose. When we invest in our own well-being, we lead better, innovate more boldly, and create the kind of future we imagined together at Accelerate.