Team Ilyas

Can “John” Ilyas MD

Dr. Can (pronounced “John”) Ilyas came to the U.S. after graduating from medical school and completing a pathology residency training program in Turkey. He did an Internal Medicine Residency at NY Methodist Hospital, and became interested in Oncology during a rotation at Memorial Sloan Kettering. This led to a Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology.

Dr. Ilyas joined New England Cancer Specialists in 2008, and is on staff at Southern Maine Health Care and Maine Medical Center. He is a member of ASCO and ASH.

He feels incredibly privileged to be treating his patients and helping them during a difficult time in their lives. Dr. Ilyas is a strong believer in personalized care. As he notes, “Patients typically have so many treatment options for any given type of cancer. I try to guide them through this maze of options and educate them and their families to make sure that they understand the potential risks and benefits of one treatment versus another.”

Dr. Ilyas lives in Kennebunk with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, playing tennis and traveling.

Call (207) 303-3300

Melanie Cogan OCN, ANP

Melanie grew up in Maine and attended Portland schools. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine in nursing and worked at Maine Medical Center on the oncology floor before moving to North Carolina, where she worked on the bone marrow transplant unit at Duke University Hospital for eight years. She went back to school and earned her Master of Science in Nursing at Duke while working full time, before she and her husband decided to move home to Maine to raise their family. They reside in Scarborough with their two daughters. Melanie enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Renate Repele-Bailey NP

Renate has lived in Maine for over 20 years. She grew up in Latvia and still has family there.

She worked as an oncology nurse for 11 years, which helped her develop a deep appreciation for the profession and an admiration for the patients and their families. She had the privilege of getting to know most of the oncologists at NECS over the years working as an oncology nurse. Their dedication, knowledge and compassion inspired her to continue her education to become a nurse practitioner. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining NECS, Renate worked as a geriatric nurse practitioner. She always strives to provide the best possible comprehensive and compassionate care to patients.

Renate is a member of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology, Oncology Nurses Society and Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association.

When she isn’t working, she enjoys traveling and visiting family in Latvia. She is grateful for everything that Maine has to offer—the great outdoors, gardening, swimming, fishing, camping, snowmobiling and animals, among many other nature-related pastimes.