Episode 6 with Alexis LeVee – Cancer Through My Eyes

In this sixth episode of Cancer Through My Eyes, we explore purpose, persistence, and progress in the fight against one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. This series continues to spotlight the personal stories that drive scientific discovery and the people reshaping oncology with both heart and vision.

Today’s guest is Dr. Alexis LeVee, Chief Hematology/Oncology Fellow at City of Hope. Her journey into oncology began early, shaped by a strong family history of breast cancer and the BRCA1 mutation. That connection set the stage for a career focused on triple-negative breast cancer, with a special interest in immunotherapy, microbiome science, and translational research.

From high school advocacy to leading-edge clinical trials, Dr. LeVee has remained committed to advancing care for high-risk patients. Her work explores the influence of the gut microbiome on treatment response and pushes clinical research to be more inclusive and patient-focused.

Her story is one of clarity and drive — shaped by experience, strengthened by mentorship, and defined by a belief that research can change lives.

Dr. Alexis LeVee’s Story

Dr. Alexis LeVee is the Chief Hematology/Oncology Fellow at City of Hope. Her path into oncology was deeply personal, rooted in a strong family history of breast cancer and the discovery of a BRCA1 mutation on her maternal side. Early exposure to advocacy and patient support led her to leadership roles in breast cancer initiatives while still in high school, and that passion has continued to guide her through medical training and beyond.

After medical school — and a brief experience in management consulting — she returned to medicine with a renewed focus, inspired by her patients and mentors alike. Under the guidance of leaders like Dr. Heather McArthur, Dr. Joanne Mortimer, and Dr. Sumanta Pal, she became immersed in breast cancer research, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer and the emerging role of the gut microbiome in shaping immunotherapy outcomes.

Dr. LeVee is investigating the gut microbiome through several correlative studies and is currently leading a prospective observational trial exploring the role of the microbiome in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. She brings a strong sense of organization, resilience, and realism to her work, managing clinical responsibilities alongside a growing research portfolio.

Outside the clinic and lab, she is passionate about wellness and enjoys running, tennis, and spending time with a strong support system that keeps her grounded through the emotional challenges of oncology. Her commitment to mentorship, innovation, and patient-centered research is helping to build a future where care is not only advanced — but more compassionate, inclusive, and informed.

Q&A with Dr. LeVee:

1. Reflecting on your journey so far, what originally drew you into oncology, and how did that initial spark evolve into a deep commitment to treating and researching triple-negative breast cancer?

My family has a strong history of breast cancer, which sparked my interest in oncology from a young age. Multiple family members struggled with breast cancer, with several passing away at an early age. This ultimately led to the diagnosis of a BRCA1 mutation on my maternal side.

Wanting to help patients similar to my family and improve breast cancer outcomes, I became involved in breast cancer advocacy and research early on. In high school, I served as president of the Pink Ribbon Club, which raised awareness and support for breast cancer initiatives.

During medical school (and after a brief stint at management consulting!), my commitment to breast cancer was further reaffirmed by a deep empathy and passion for treating patients with breast cancer. Patients with the BRCA mutation tend to be younger, have triple-negative breast cancer, and often have aggressive disease.

This caused me to have a profound desire to want to improve their outcomes. In residency, I was also fortunate to have a wonderful mentor, Dr. Heather McArthur, who reinforced my commitment to breast cancer research. She demonstrated to me that research can have a direct and meaningful impact on patient care, which solidified my goal of becoming a clinician-investigator in breast cancer.

2. As an early-career oncologist leading a groundbreaking microbiome study, what key lessons or experiences helped prepare you for both the scientific and emotional demands of your role?

During my internal medicine residency, I had one experience that I felt particularly prepared me for a demanding research life. During the COVID-19 pandemic – which hit while I was an intern in 2020 – I played a key role in a pilot study investigating the safety and feasibility of administering multiple doses of convalescent plasma to COVID-19 patients.

For this study, I helped consent patients, entered and analyzed clinical data, assisted with the Office of Research Compliance’s monitoring visits, and helped write the manuscript. Balancing these research responsibilities while also being on various inpatient rotations including medicine wards and the ICU was challenging.

Looking back on this experience, I think it prepared me well for the demands of running a clinical trial while also maintaining clinical duties. Although the workload can often be demanding, this balance of clinical and research responsibilities is what excites me most about my career: it allows me to offer my patients opportunities to access novel treatment options and hope for improved outcomes.

3. Young oncologists often worry about finding their unique niche in the field. How did you discover yours and what advice do you have for others searching for theirs?

Mentorship is key for aspiring researchers. I have been very fortunate to have outstanding mentors throughout my training. In residency, I worked closely with Dr. Heather McArthur, whose research interest focuses on novel immunotherapy strategies in breast cancer.

She has designed and led multiple clinical trials investigating the addition of immunotherapy to breast cancer treatment, which deeply influenced my research interest. In fellowship, I made a strong connection with Dr. Joanne Mortimer, who further excited me about breast cancer research and inspired me to keep asking questions.

One afternoon at a research showcase at City of Hope, I was speaking with Dr. Sumanta Pal about his work on the gut microbiome and immunotherapy outcomes in genitourinary cancers. Together, we realized the limited studies investigating the gut microbiome in the setting of immunotherapy in breast cancer.

This conversation sparked the development of a prospective, observational study investigating the impact of the gut microbiome in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy – which is the current standard-of-care regimen for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. Since then and with the help of Dr. McArthur, we have developed several other correlative analyses utilizing fecal samples from clinical trials investigating the addition of immunotherapy in breast cancer.

By developing strong relationships with mentors and asking unique research questions, I have been able to carve out a unique niche for myself in breast cancer research. My advice to any budding researcher is to seek mentors who can support and empower you and to pursue unique ideas that can have a direct impact on cancer care.

4. Balancing a leadership position, a demanding research schedule, and clinical responsibilities can be overwhelming. Could you share strategies or habits that have helped you maintain resilience and well-being?

The past three years of fellowship have undoubtedly reinforced the importance of time management as well as preserving time for wellness. Balancing multiple clinical and research responsibilities at once requires staying as organized as possible. I keep an organized planner using Google Calendar to schedule dedicated times that I will work on specific research projects, often detailing specific hours, days, or weeks I will work on a project.

I also keep reminders of key deadlines in case my schedule needs to be rearranged accordingly. In addition, as part of Dr. Pal’s research group, his research team is encouraged to track their research progress using Powerpoint, with each research project on a different slide showcasing updates and next steps. I absolutely recommend this strategy to any budding researcher as it has allowed me to manage and stay on top of multiple research projects at once.

Maintaining personal wellness is also incredibly important and I make it a priority to set aside a certain amount of free time per week to relax. Running is a major stress reliever for me (although my pace may be better characterized by jogging or speed walking!), which I try to do at least three times per week.

I also enjoy other hobbies outside of work, including playing tennis, hiking, and skiing. I eat dinner with my husband at home most nights during the work week, often trying to cook healthy meals. I also rely closely on family and friends to talk to whenever I have a tough day. Lastly, I think it is important to have time with co-fellows as sharing experiences has helped me decompress and reminded me that I am not alone in whatever challenges I may be dealing with.

5. Immunotherapy is an evolving frontier in cancer care. What excites you most about its potential for breast cancer treatment, and how can aspiring oncologists stay on the cutting edge of these developments?

Immunotherapy, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), is currently approved for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and metastatic, PD-L1 positive (CPS>10) triple-negative breast cancer. There are, however, lots of exciting therapeutic strategies involving immunotherapy in breast cancer on the horizon. For example, trials are expanding ICI to other breast cancer subtypes and showing encouraging results. In addition, novel combination strategies with ICI, such as with antibody-drug conjugates, are being explored in both the early and metastatic settings, as well as strategies for a chemotherapy-free regimen in select patients.

Furthermore, there are other immunotherapies beyond ICI which are exciting, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, cancer vaccines, bispecific antibodies, and oncolytic viruses, which are all being investigated in breast cancer. Biomarker strategies to predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy are being developed, along with strategies to mitigate immune-related adverse events.

For aspiring oncologists, I think one of the best ways to stay informed of these cutting-edge developments is to attend as many conferences as possible during training.

I would recommend trying to attend the major national meeting of your chosen field, such as the national meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) or American Society of Hematology (ASH), as well as the subspecialty conference of your field, such as San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium or ASCO GU.

These meetings are a great way to learn more about ongoing trials and can provide an excellent opportunity to network with other fellows and faculty. I also think it can be helpful to look at drugs that are in the pipeline of pharmaceutical companies and engage with medical science liaisons (MSLs) to learn more about drugs that are in development.

6. Your research aims to integrate gut microbiome insights into personalized treatment. For younger physicians exploring translational research, what challenges should they anticipate, and how can they best navigate them?

Translational research comes with various challenges, such as long timelines (often extending longer than a fellowship duration) and understanding complex datasets. From protocol development and IRB submission to patient accrual and sample analysis, a translational study can often take many years to complete before culminating in a publication. Managing expectations is essential, as I have often underestimated the time required for a project to complete.

In addition, having a focused research question is incredibly important. With large datasets, such as gut microbiome data, there is a lot of noise that one can see in the results. By having a well-defined question grounded in the existing literature, this data becomes much more manageable to understand and relay into meaningful results.

7. Looking back on your medical training, is there a defining patient story or pivotal clinical moment that reinforced your resolve to continue pushing boundaries in oncology research?

Within my first few weeks of fellowship, I met a 28-year-old female who was diagnosed with de novo stage IV triple-negative breast cancer. She came to City of Hope for an initial consultation alongside her mother and fiancé. Recently engaged, she shared her immense challenges with coping with her new diagnosis and its impact on her relationship.

We initiated first-line treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, but unfortunately, her disease progressed rapidly. It felt extremely unfair to me that some women face breast cancer at such a young age and that certain types of breast cancer can be especially aggressive. This experience deepened my commitment to improving outcomes for patients with aggressive forms of breast cancer.

8. Collaboration is key to innovation. What advice would you give to new oncologists about finding the right mentors, building strong research networks, and fostering interdisciplinary partnerships?

As I mentioned above, mentorship is incredibly important for any budding researcher. Finding the right mentor involves finding someone who you work well with and who has the capacity to support you. Ensuring your mentor has the time and commitment to mentor you, as well as ensuring their own expectations for your time and commitment, is critical to a successful mentor-mentee relationship.

Building a research network has also provided me with a number of research opportunities. Through meeting other fellows and faculty members at conferences and workshops, I have had the wonderful opportunity to engage in studies across multiple institutions. I have also partnered with basic and lab scientists, which has allowed me to engage in research I wouldn’t have otherwise been involved in.

I encourage any new oncologist to actively participate in institutional networking events, local and national conferences, and workshops, as these opportunities help foster meaningful relationships and collaborations that can have a significant impact on one’s career.

9. Oncology can be both profoundly rewarding and emotionally taxing. How do you process the emotional highs and lows, and what can younger oncologists learn about staying compassionate without burning out?

That is absolutely right – oncology truly is both profoundly rewarding, but it can also be emotionally taxing. This is one of the main reasons I was drawn to the field – I wanted a career where I could make a meaningful impact on the lives of my patients. I have to admit, however, that the start of fellowship was challenging. While I had rotated in several hematology/oncology rotations as a resident, the daily responsibilities of treating cancer patients as a fellow felt much more difficult to me.

Processing my experiences with my family and friends was incredibly helpful. Exercise is also important for me, which gives me time to think and process some of my emotions. I think it is important to recognize and admit feelings of burn-out and seek support if necessary, whether from a coworker, supervisor, or mental health professional. A compassionate oncologist cares deeply for his/her patients, but must also find the right balance with maintaining wellness to order to provide high-quality care.

10. With immunotherapy and microbiome-focused treatments on the rise, how do you see the future of oncology evolving, and what should the next generation of oncologists do to shape, or even lead, those advancements?

There is so much to learn about the gut microbiome! We are only beginning to understand how gut bacteria influence cancer outcomes. In terms of its impact on immunotherapy outcomes, ongoing research aims to determine how the gut microbiome can serve as a biomarker to predict treatment response. We are also exploring how the gut microbiome can be modulated to improve treatment response and minimize side effects. Strategies such as dietary interventions, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) are all being investigated as treatment options to improve cancer immunotherapy.

However, these studies in breast cancer are limited, leaving lots of room for the next generation of oncologists to answer these questions. Plus, immunotherapy is being investigated in other subtypes beyond triple-negative breast cancer, which provides ample opportunities for further research. There are also novel immunotherapies that are being investigated in breast cancer, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and oncolytic viruses, which may also be influenced by the gut microbiome.

For future studies in breast cancer investigating immunotherapy, I hope that stool samples will be routinely collected to allow us to learn more about the connection between the gut microbiome and immunotherapy outcomes.

Dr. Alexis LeVee shows us that purpose in oncology often begins with a personal question — and grows through determination, community, and the courage to think differently. Her commitment to advancing breast cancer research, supporting patients with compassion, and building collaborative networks speaks to a new generation of oncologists ready to lead with both intellect and empathy.

Want your question featured in a future episode? Drop it in the comments on our social channels or send it our way — your curiosity could help shape our next conversation.

Stay tuned as Cancer Through My Eyes continues to follow the people, passions, and pivotal moments moving oncology forward.

By Semiramida Nina Markosyan, HBSc.

Read and watch more dialogues and series by OncoDaily.

Episode 1 with Dr. Hadeel Hassan – Cancer Through My Eyes

Episode 2 with Ziad Abuhelwa – Cancer Through My Eyes 

Episode 3 with Jasmin Hundal – Cancer Through My Eyes

Episode 4 with Angelo Pirozzi – Cancer Through My Eyes

Episode 5 with Dr. Soirindhri Banerjee – Cancer Through My Eyes