Surgeon-scientist: ‘MD Anderson is unique’

As a head and neck cancer surgeon and researcher, my day-to-day goal is to offer the best quality cancer care to every patient I see. 

However, I recognize that the way we treat cancers is not always ideal. We can do better. That’s why my long-term goal is to change how we treat cancer over time.

Here’s how my career at MD Anderson is allowing me to make headway on both goals.

My approach to cancer care as a physician 

MD Anderson is unique in that it’s a hospital that only treats cancer. While walking into a building that has ‘cancer’ written on the side of it can be terrifying, every person working at MD Anderson wants the best for patients. We understand where they're coming from and what they're going through. We’re there to meet a patient’s needs throughout their cancer care.

We do this by meeting patients where they are. MD Anderson patients come from all over the world and bring many different perspectives. Everybody has their own story and their own needs. It's our job to find out what those are and to deliver expert care that prioritizes what is important to each patient. 

Most head and neck cancer patients coming to MD Anderson will start by seeing a head and neck surgeon like me; we're with patients the entire way, from that first appointment until they transition to survivorship. It gives me the unique opportunity to have a window into a patient’s life and experiences. I learn something from every patient that I meet, and I'm inspired by them and their strength. It's a real honor, a privilege and something that I’ll never take for granted. 

Your care team may also include other experts such as ophthalmologists, dermatologists, oral oncologists, speech and swallowing therapists, medical oncologists and radiation specialists. Cancer is already cumbersome for patients, so our teams have a special focus on coordinating care. This allows patients to access the specialists and treatments they need, when they need them. That's the magic of multidisciplinary care that’s offered to MD Anderson patients at a level that is not seen elsewhere. 

My approach to cancer care as a researcher

MD Anderson is a research giant, so it provides tremendous opportunities for me as a physician-scientist. My research focuses on two areas. The first is studying the use of immunotherapy to shrink advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma tumors before surgery. My second research focus is exploring minimally invasive surgery and novel treatments for patients with HPV-associated cancers of the throat. The goal of both projects is to deliver better survival outcomes while at the same time maintaining or improving quality of life for patients.

MD Anderson’s sole focus on cancer allows us to stay laser-focused on improving outcomes for patients. Here, our coordination of care and spirit of innovation allow us to advance cancer research at unparalleled speeds. We're able to reach across disciplines, coordinate care among teams and really think outside the box for our patients. 

We know that the way we treat cancers today will not be the way we treat cancers in the future, and we want to drive that change. Patients treated at MD Anderson are seeing the next generation of cancer treatments being tested in beta mode. 

It's amazing to see research in action and how it impacts patients’ lives every day at MD Anderson. I've seen us find ways to treat patients with cancers that a decade ago were incurable. Now, these patients are living full lives. To witness the arc of change and the impact it can have on individual patients and more broadly across the world is really humbling and tremendously exciting.

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