A Day in the Life of Dr. Roy S. Weiner, Oncologist
The First Installment of NextGen's "A Day in the Life of a Physician" Series

I am surprised and intrigued by these words: "I can devote as much time to each patient as the patient needs." Dr. Roy S. Weiner is a hematologist-oncologist, a professor at Tulane Medical School, the director of the Tulane Cancer Center in New Orleans, LA, and the co-director of the recently developed Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC). At a first glance, it may seem unclear whether his patients respect him for his title as the center's director or for his communication and clinical talents as a physician. However, the uniqueness of the relationships that Dr. Weiner builds with each patient is striking: as soon as he opens the door to a patient's room, he adapts his persona and approach to the patient's comfort and needs. As I watch him joke, pose questions, and discuss health issues with his patients, the cancer patients do not seem to feel rushed, abandoned, or patronized.

"I feel very privileged in my practice of medical oncology. I have only a small number of patients (perhaps 150). I work in a group practice with outstanding colleagues. We share the responsibility of caring for each other's patients when they are hospitalized. The small population of patients I care for would never provide me with a 'livable' wage if it were not for my other academic responsibilities of teaching, developing and managing research programs, and administration. My daily schedule, therefore, is different every day of the week."

Dr. Weiner has spent much of his career in research and clinical practice before becoming an administrator. "As a scientist, my desire is to discover the mystery of how normal cells function, what goes wrong when the cell becomes cancerous, and how to block/abort/reverse the process. As a physician, I want to relieve suffering. An oncologist needs to understand that patient suffering can be lessened, even if a cure is not possible."

When asked about the greatest challenge he has encountered in medicine, Dr. Weiner replies, "The challenge of maintaining an active research career while facing increasing administrative responsibilities was one I lost." While he misses the "excitement and heartbreaks of research," Dr. Weiner does find contentment in facilitating the development and advancement of the careers of the researchers he advises and works with. Even more than conducting research, Dr. Weiner misses teaching biology to undergraduate students and regrets the relative lack of interchange between Tulane's college and medical school faculties: "To be stimulated by the students... challenged... to compete for the attention of everything on their plates. The undergraduate years are a time to broaden the mind."

Dr. Weiner has a few recommendations for future physicians and scientists. To the next generation, he suggests: "Use the advances in science to relieve your patients' pain and suffering associated with human disease. That is a loaded sentence because it imposes the obligation to stay current with the advances in science, and it assumes the humility and judgment to use the knowledge for the benefit of patients."

All quotes are attributed to Dr. Roy S. Weiner of the Tulane Cancer Center.

Images courtesy of Roy S. Weiner, MD and the Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA.

A Brief Look at Dr. Weiner's Schedule

Monday - Tuesday, Thursday - Friday:
Program Development and Administration

- Weekly Meetings: LCRC Co-Director, LCRC CEO, Stem Cell Transplant Team to review patients and protocols, Cancer Biology Seminar

- Monthly Meetings: Clinical oncology site leaders about clinic administrative matters, Scientific program leaders of the LCRC Steering Committee, Clinical Research Advisory Board to review new clinical research protocols and select for review by the Institutional Review Board, LCRC Board Meeting

Wednesday: Clinic Day

- At the beginning of the day - Respond to e-mails received during the night
- 6:30 AM - Arrive at work and organize administrative issues
- 7:00 AM - Discuss today's schedule with Administrative Assistant
- 7:30 AM - Breast Cancer Conference with Tulane Cancer Center surgeons, mammographer, pathologist, radiation oncologist, research nurses, and psychoncologist:

"We review problematic mammograms of the week and all the new patients with breast cancer. We screen patients for protocol eligibility, and we develop treatment plans suitable for each patient."

- 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM - Begin seeing patients in the multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic; each patient's note is dictated and transcribed by an external service (a copy is sent to the referring physician)
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - General Tumor Board, attended by 50 faculty, trainees, and nurses (lunch served at the meeting); discuss 4-5 cases each week
- 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Resume clinic (seeing patients)
- 4:00 PM - Review patients with assigned nurse and schedule follow-up procedures and treatments; if needed, referring physicians are contacted on urgent matters or newly referred patients
- 4:30 PM - Return to academic office and review the day's events with Administrative Assistant
- Until 7:00 PM - Complete remaining tasks and work, then leave for home or business dinner

Lester Y. Leung is the Editor-in-Chief of The Next Generation and a member of the Harvard College Class of 2006.

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