What inspired/inspires you to work as an oncologist?
I think it is such a privilege to care for patients at such a vulnerable time in their lives. It’s so important to take the time to listen and get to know people and make sure that they understand what is going on with their disease and how their lives may be impacted. It’s also important to convey hope and how research at Yale is helping us to understand disease better and improve outcomes.
How do you collaborate with other specialties at Smilow Cancer Hospital to care for your patients?
It is so important to work as a multidisciplinary team. We start out every Monday morning tumor board with a team meeting of 30-40 specialists who focus on lung cancer and collaborate to develop the best plan for our patients. Many of our treatment plans involve systemic therapy, radiation, and surgery, so it’s important to have the team working together to make it seamless and easy for our patients. Comprehensive cancer care also means that we work with specialists along the continuum of care, from pulmonologists who focus on screening to palliative care specialists. And of course, our nurses and research staff, pharmacists, lab and administrative staff are all key to making patients feel supported and that they are getting the best care.
Clinical trials are an important part of cancer care, especially for lung cancer. What role have they played and are there any ongoing studies you are excited about?
Clinical trials have changed how we view a diagnosis of lung cancer and given hope and led to advances that benefit all lung cancer patients. When I started at Yale, we thought that chemo was the gold standard therapy, and now many patients are treated with immunotherapy and avoid chemo. We still need to do better for all our patients, so please ask about clinical trials when you see your doctor. There are many very exciting ones that we are opening at Yale.
How do you see the entire Smilow Cancer Network improving access to care for all patients with lung cancer?
Patients in all corners of the state and in southern Rhode Island have the option of seeing a Smilow Cancer Network oncologist close to home and to their support systems. We are also working to provide access to key clinical trials in all of our Care Centers, which will ensure that every patient receives state-of-the-art care.