What does a cancer doctor’s working day look like through the eyes of an eight-year-old child? In an interview published by Medscape on February 1, 2019, David J. Kerr, Professor of Cancer Medicine, found himself answering questions from an interviewer who knew him not only as an oncologist, but also as her father.
His daughter, Solace Kerr, took on the role of interviewer, asking about multidisciplinary team meetings, the doctors who work alongside him, his busiest clinic days, and even why he no longer wears a white coat.
The conversation offered an unusually personal account of clinical oncology, explaining the responsibilities of cancer specialists through the direct and often amusing questions of a child.
A Different Kind of Interview: When the Interviewer Is Your Daughter
Rather than discussing the latest developments in cancer treatment or presenting clinical research, David Kerr began the conversation by introducing his eight-year-old daughter, Solace.
The interview opened with a question about multidisciplinary team meetings, commonly known as MDTs.
Solace wanted to understand what her father and his colleagues discussed during these meetings and why so many doctors needed to be involved.
Kerr explained that multidisciplinary discussions bring together specialists with different areas of expertise to determine the most appropriate management plan for each patient.
He described the importance of combining professional experience and clinical perspectives, emphasizing that decisions about cancer treatment benefit from collaboration rather than the judgment of a single physician.
When Solace asked whether he had the best teammates, Kerr introduced the different specialists involved in oncology care.
Surgeons, radiation oncology specialists, pathologists, and radiologists each contribute essential information to the treatment process. Pathologists examine tumor tissue under the microscope, radiologists interpret medical images, and surgical and radiotherapy specialists contribute their expertise to treatment planning.
Together, these professionals help establish an individualized approach to patient care.
Behind the MDT Doors: How Cancer Treatment Decisions Are Made
Solace continued by asking whether multidisciplinary meetings were held for every patient and how frequently her father attended them.
Kerr explained that, in the United Kingdom, every new cancer patient is discussed by a multidisciplinary team, regardless of cancer type.
He described his own weekly schedule, which included two regular MDT meetings: one dedicated to bowel cancer on Monday mornings and another focused on hepatobiliary cancer on Friday afternoons.
When explaining the latter to his daughter, Kerr simplified the terminology by describing hepatobiliary cancer as involving the liver.
The discussion provided a straightforward explanation of a central principle of modern oncology: cancer management requires coordinated input from multiple medical disciplines.
It also demonstrated how complex clinical processes can be communicated in language that patients and their families can understand.
Friday at the Cancer Clinic: His Busiest and Happiest Day
One of the most revealing moments came when Solace asked whether Friday was her father’s busiest working day.
Kerr confirmed that it was, but described it as his happiest day as well.
Friday was his clinic day, when he worked directly with patients alongside his medical colleagues.
He explained that the clinic operated with three consultants and two junior doctors, using five consultation rooms. Together, the team typically saw approximately 30 to 40 patients during a clinic session.
Solace was curious about whether all the doctors worked with the same patient.
Her father explained that each doctor generally saw different patients, while junior doctors could approach senior colleagues whenever they needed advice or assistance.
The exchange illustrated another important aspect of clinical medicine: the relationship between experienced consultants and doctors in training.
Although consultations take place individually, medical decision-making often involves discussion, supervision, and shared clinical experience.
Kerr’s description also offered a glimpse of the workload involved in a busy oncology service, where patient consultations and multidisciplinary discussions occupy much of the working day.
A Sandwich Between Patients and Meetings
Solace then turned to a practical question: did her father have time to take a break on Fridays?
His answer was that he rarely did.
After completing the clinic, which frequently finished later than scheduled, Kerr and his colleagues moved directly into their multidisciplinary meeting.
Lunch was often limited to a sandwich eaten during the discussion.
The detail introduced a familiar aspect of hospital life into the conversation: the challenge of balancing clinical responsibilities, meetings, and personal breaks.
For Solace, it was another discovery about how her father spent his working hours. For healthcare professionals, it was a recognizable description of the demands of clinical practice.
Despite the busy schedule, Kerr’s enthusiasm for his clinic day remained evident throughout the interview.
The Missing White Coat: A Doctor’s Unexpected Confession
The conversation eventually moved away from cancer treatment and toward something Solace could easily recognize: the traditional doctor’s white coat.
When she asked whether her father wore one, Kerr replied that he did not, although he wished he could.
He recalled wearing a white coat as a young doctor and keeping his stethoscope, medical books, and other belongings in its pockets.
He explained that his current clinical practice required him to roll up his sleeves and remove his watch and tie as part of infection prevention measures.
Solace responded by explaining that her teacher wore a white coat during school science experiments.
Kerr jokingly admitted that he was jealous.
His daughter then pointed out that her teacher was not even a doctor.
The exchange became one of the most amusing parts of the interview, contrasting a child’s understanding of medical clothing with the practical requirements of contemporary hospital care.
It also gave Kerr an opportunity to reflect on a familiar symbol of the medical profession and how clinical practices had changed since his early career.
The Stethoscope, a Little Brother, and the Final Question
As the interview approached its conclusion, Solace asked whether her father had kept his “heart-thing” in his white coat.
Kerr explained that she was referring to a stethoscope, the instrument doctors use to listen to sounds within the body, including those from the chest.
Their discussion was briefly interrupted by references to Solace’s younger brother, Jim Bob, whom Kerr described as stamping and shouting.
The conversation then ended with a final request from Solace, who asked the Medscape audience to leave positive comments, noting that her father had received only 15 comments on a previous occasion.
Kerr thanked his daughter for the interview and humorously summarized what they had discussed: the workings of multidisciplinary teams, his hurried Friday lunches, and his continued affection for the white coat.
The closing moments reflected the informal character of the conversation, which had moved naturally between oncology practice and everyday family life.
Beyond Clinical Practice: The Personal Side of Oncology
Published as part of Medscape Oncology’s Colorectal Cancer Updates With David Kerr series, the February 2019 interview presented a different perspective on the work of a cancer specialist.
Through Solace’s questions, Kerr described the structure of multidisciplinary cancer care, the importance of medical teamwork, the responsibilities of junior and senior doctors, and the realities of a demanding outpatient clinic.
What distinguished the conversation was its simplicity. Questions that might appear elementary to experienced clinicians encouraged clear explanations of practices that are fundamental to oncology.
The interview also revealed Kerr’s personal attachment to his profession, particularly his enjoyment of seeing patients and working with colleagues.
Rather than focusing on scientific developments or therapeutic advances, the conversation offered an account of the people, routines, and professional relationships involved in delivering cancer care.
For oncology professionals, it was a familiar working environment described from an unfamiliar perspective. For patients, families, and readers outside medicine, it provided an accessible introduction to the daily responsibilities of a cancer doctor.
And for Solace Kerr, it was an opportunity to discover what her father actually did at work, why Fridays were so busy, and why a doctor might miss wearing a white coat.
Source: David J. Kerr. David Kerr’s 8-Year-Old Daughter Interviews Him About Life as a Cancer Doctor. Medscape, February 1, 2019.
