Mohamed Metwally, Clinical Observer of GI Oncology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, shared on LinkedIn:
“Three months at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and one lesson from Dr. Dan Zhao,’s pancreatic cancer clinic: the best teaching happens inside the clinical decision.
Three habits stood out:
- She plans the next line at the first visit. Patients start chemotherapy knowing the likely next step, why no trial fits today, and what would change that.
- She teaches mechanism, not rules. The ‘why’ behind a KRAS variant, a rare histology or a toxicity carries over to the next patient.
- She hands people tools. Patient videos, handouts and practical guides, so the knowledge isn’t only in her head.
It also sent me back to the primary literature to check what I’d heard. Bedside teaching and evidence need each other.
One idea to carry with me to my Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital: a ‘next line if progression’ sentence in every first-visit note.
Thank you, Dr. Zhao and the GI Medical Oncology team.”
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