Douglas Flora: My career changed by a few thoughtful ‘grownup’ oncologists

Douglas Flora posted LinkedIn:

“Great callout, Robin Zon! Looking back, I had two similar chance encounters that were inflection points for my professional life.

In these cases, I was the young and impressionable oncology fellow who had the direction of his career changed by a few thoughtful ‘grownup’ oncologists.

Storytime:

In 2004, I was an eager oncology fellow debating whether to take an academic job or join a large and dominant community practice in town. I needed to stay in town for family reasons, and at the time, our university program was rebuilding while the community practice was thriving, and in the process of joining SCRI as a very early research affiliate.

As a third-year fellow, I had the good fortune to encounter two community oncologists at meetings who impressed upon me what a difference an impassioned and innovative leader in community oncology can make.

These impactful conversations helped me decide to take the leap to community practice, committing myself to bringing academic-level care to patients in the communities I serve. These guys were giants, even back then, and neither needed to talk to this eager fellow about how much good you can still do in “private practice” (I always hated that term).

Those two attendings were major inspirations for me at the time and have remained so throughout my professional career.

Their names may not surprise you: Skip Burris, and Lee Schwartzberg. It was no coincidence that the latter showed me that a community oncologist could start a medical journal.

Fast-forward 20 years, and I’m the old guy. I remain passionate about my work, and have so much I still want to accomplish. In our current program at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, we have embraced doctor subspecialization and formal nurse navigation.

We have dozens of people dedicated to our Clinical Research Institute, which has developed a robust Phase I program, all available in a freestanding community cancer program.

I also serve now on the executive board of the Association of Cancer Care Centers, working to support a network of 41,000 multidisciplinary practitioners, representing 2,100 hospitals and practices nationwide.

All of this is thanks to trailblazers like Skip, Lee, and Robin, and all the other strong community oncologists who showed me the way. I’m trying to be that person today for eager trainees and young oncologists because I learned from watching the best.

Robin Zon, I am excited about your leadership, your plans for your President’s theme, and your representation of the power of community. Cancer care is a team sport; as you know, we are stronger together.”

Source: Douglas Flora/LinkedIn

Douglas Flora is the Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, overseeing clinical operations, strategic planning, and the expansion of cancer programs. He is also the co-founder of the Center for Precision Medicine; Genomic Health.

As the Editor-in-Chief of ‘AI in Precision Oncology,’ the first peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to this field, he plays a pivotal role in advancing research. He is also an active board member of the American Cancer Society and ACCC, where he contributes to advocacy, education, and innovation within the cancer community.