Surgical Fellowship, 2004-2005

I have been on staff at the University of Michigan since 2005. I often tell other Memorial Sloan Kettering alumni that my current clinical practice is somewhat reminiscent of the GMT (Gastric Mixed Tumor) service and focuses on the care of patients with upper GI malignancies, melanoma, and sarcoma. Since our Multidisciplinary Sarcoma Team is very busy, I am constantly building upon everything I’ve learned about these cancers during my fellowship.

Though it is extremely rewarding to take care of individual patients, my research has a more global focus– improving the quality of cancer care for all patients. I obtained additional statistics and epidemiology training through a Masters program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, which I completed in 2007. Our health services research group has interests in exploring the wide variations in outcomes following surgery in the United States, and I have a specific interest in exploring those variations in cancer surgery. My work has examined how current scientific evidence is applied in clinical practice and how best practices should be determined and implemented. Currently, I am working on a national project in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer to determine what specific factors drive favorable outcomes for cancer patients.

I have been on staff at the University of Michigan since 2005. My clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with GI malignancies, melanoma, and sarcoma. Since our Multidisciplinary Sarcoma Team is very busy, I am constantly building upon everything I’ve learned about these cancers during my fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. It is the challenge that sarcoma patients bring to our clinics and operating rooms that led Dr. Brennan to remind me of the writings from an 87 year old Michelangelo. Ancora imparo– still I am learning—and truly, we must all keep learning from and working for our patients.

In that spirit of discovery, I am also a health services researcher with interests in quality of care and outcomes in cancer surgery. I obtained additional statistics and epidemiology training through a Masters program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Our research group has interests in exploring the wide variations in outcomes following surgery in the United States. I am working specifically to determine what factors drive these outcomes for cancer patients in order to improve the overall quality of cancer care. My work has also examined how current scientific evidence is applied in clinical practice and how best practices should be determined and implemented.