Women in Oncology: Bringing Advances From the Lab Into the Clinic

Catherine E. Lai, MD, MPH, an associate professor and physician leader of the Leukemia Clinical Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, moderates a discussion with Selina M. Luger, MD, FRCPC; Gail J. Roboz, MD; and Wendy Stock, MD, on what motivated them to continue working toward improvements in the leukemia field, even when outcomes were dismal and treatment options were scarce.

Luger is an attending physician, professor of medicine, and interim director of the Penn-Vinmec Oncology Center of Excellence at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Roboz is a professor of medicine and the director of the Clinical and Translational Leukemia Program at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Stock is the Anjuli Seth Nayak Professor of Medicine and a professor in the Comprehensive Cancer Research Center at the University of Chicago Medicine.

In this episode, Luger, Roboz, and Stock discuss the importance of building on the concepts of already-effective treatments when innovating new therapies, and how the simultaneous evolution of technology and supportive care gave them hope for the future of leukemia treatment. They also reflect on their formative experiences with translational research as a valuable tool for learning more about the disease with each patient they treated, either through predicting a patient’s response to therapies or studying their response to determine next steps.

Additionally, the 3 experts highlight how being involved with clinical trials made them feel that there was always progress on the horizon in leukemia. They also give advice to current oncology fellows on how to take initiative during their fellowship and pursue a variety of opportunities for the beginnings of a well-rounded career.