Medical Experts in Cancer Care
The doctors, nurses, and care team at the hospital or clinic are an integral part of the cancer experience. Hear directly from those who have worked in the industry for years on what you can ask them about, their guidance on navigating a cancer diagnosis, and what got them passionate about working with patients in the first place.
We have interviews with oncologists from across all cancer specialities, including breast, colorectal, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, kidney, leukemia, multiple myeloma, lung.
Also explore interviews with the medical staff members you’ll most likely see and interact with the most, including nurses and social workers. While doctors have answers to your medical questions, this part of the care team will often be the go-to people for navigating the day-to-day life with cancer.
For stories from the people who’ve been in your shoes right now, don’t forget to check out our extensive library of cancer patient stories, and those from our wonderful personal caregivers.
Oncologists
Breast Cancer
Doug Blayney, MD
Oncologist: Specializing in breast cancer | HER2, Estrogen+, Triple Negative, Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy
Experience: 30+ years
Institution: Stanford Medical
Blood Cancers (Hematology)
Rafael Fonseca, MD
Role:Interim executive director, hematologist-oncologist
Focus:Multiple myeloma, new drug development
Institution:Mayo Clinic
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Farrukh Awan, MD
Role:Hematologist-oncologist, associate professor
Focus:Leukemias, Lymphomas, BMT
Institution:UT Southwestern
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Nina Shah, MD
Role:Hematologist-oncologist, researcher
Focus:Multiple Myeloma
Institution:University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
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Kerry Rogers, MD
Role: Hematologist, researcher
Focus: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL)
Institution: OSUCCC-The James
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David Miklos, MD
Role: Chief of BMT & Cell Therapy, Clinical Director of immunotherapy program
Focus: Blood cancers (lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma), CAR T-cell therapy, blood and marrow transplantation
Provider: Stanford Medical
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Tim Fenske, MD, MS
Role: Hematologist-Oncologist
Focus: chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) & leukemia and lymphoma | CAR T, targeted therapy
Provider: Medical College of Wisconsin
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Irene Ghobrial, MD
Role: Clinical investigator and professor of hematological oncology
Focus: Multiple myeloma, Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, early screening, clinical trials
Provider:Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
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Edmund Tai, M.D.
Role: General oncologist, hematologist
Focus: Specialist in treating Chinese-speaking patients
Provider: Sutter Health (Bay Area, CA)
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Jacqueline Barrientos, MD
Role: Hematologist, researcher
Focus: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lymphoma, 17p Deletion (Ibrutinib, Acalabrutinib, Venetoclax), IgHV mutation
Provider: Northwell Health (NYC)
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James Berenson, MD
Oncologist: Specializing in myeloma and other blood and bone disorders
Experience: 35+ years
Institution: Berenson Cancer Center
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Babis Andreadis, MD
Oncologist: Specializing in blood cancers like lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma
Experience: 20+ years
Institution: Univ. of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
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Gastrointestinal Cancers
Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH
Role: Gastrointestinal oncologist
Focus: Young-onset colorectal cancer, microbiome
Provider: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
Mark Lewis, MD
Role:Director of Gastrointestinal Cancer, also cancer patient, himself
Focus:Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (colorectal, liver, pancreatic, stomach, etc.)
Provider:Intermountain Healthcare (Utah)
Lung Cancer
Dr. D. Ross Camidge, M.D., Ph.D.
Role: Thoracic oncologist, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Research Programs
Focus: Lung cancer, small cell (Immunotherapy), EGFR (Osimertinib), ALK (Alectinib), ROS1 (Crizotinib), BRAF (Dabrafenib & Trametinib), NTRK
Provider: Univ. of Colorado
Radiation
Dr. Kenneth Biehl, M.D.
Role: Radiation oncologist
Focus: Specializing in radiation therapy treatment for all cancers | Brachytherapy, External Beam Radiation Treatment, IMRT
Provider: Salinas Valley Memorial Health
Urological Cancers
Dr. Christopher Weight, M.D.
Role: Center Director Urologic Oncology
Focus: Urological oncology, including kidney, prostate, bladder cancers
Provider: Cleveland Clinic
Nurses and Nurse Navigators
Bernadette Lucas-Burch, Nurse Navigator
Nurse Navigator: help cancer patients and caregivers at diagnosis through treatment.
Experience: 35+ years
Hospital size: Mid-range but largest in the region
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Brianna Banachoski, Hem-Onc Nurse
Nurse: works 12-hour shifts on blood oncology floor
Experience: was a lymphoma patient, became a nurse in early 2019
Hospital size: mid-range
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Jennifer Hagerty, Cancer Clinic Nurse
Clinic nurse: works mostly outpatient
Experience: 12 years
Hospital size: Large teaching institution
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Genetic Counselors
Angela Brickle, Genetic Counselor
Genetic counselor: helps cancer patients and their families with genetic testing
Experience: ~5 years
Hospital size: Mid-sized edu
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Social Workers
Lia Akhilanda, Social Worker
Social worker: help cancer patients & caregivers on issues like insurance coverage, disability, and housing during treatment.
Experience: 10 years
Hospital size: Large teaching institution
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Oncology Clinical Trial Program Managers
Kris Curl Johnston, Program Manager
Program Manager: primary contact for area oncologists and patients needing a phase I trial.
Experience: ~20 years
Hospital size: Large teaching institution
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Naturopathic Doctors
Yelena Deshko, N.D.
Naturopathic Doctor: Part of integrative cancer care, help with complementary therapies
Experience: 10+ years
Treatment Center: Integrative Clinic
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Dr. Heather Paulson
Naturopathic Doctor: Part of integrative cancer care, help with complementary therapies
Experience: 15 years
Treatment Center: Integrative Clinic
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