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Q. What is the fellowship program like?
A. In our first year, we focus primarily on patient care, spending six months at each of the two Dana-Farber/ Partners campuses (Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Hospital.)
"My interest in thoracic oncology, and particularly lung cancer, stems from the fact that this is a very challenging disease in which there's been little progress in terms of prevention, screening, or treatment."
— Pasi A. Jänne, M.D., Ph.D.
The second and third year are devoted primarily to laboratory or clinical research, although we continue to follow patients. Since I'm going to specialize in thoracic oncology, I'm conducting research that will hopefully lead to clinical trials where we will be able to evaluate if drugs can prevent second lung cancers in high-risk patients — research that may also be applicable to other high-risk cancer patients. I'm working closely with Dr. Bruce Johnson, director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, who has been a wonderful mentor to me.
Bruce Johnson, M.D. (left), director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, and Pasi Jänne, M.D., Ph.D., confer about a patient.
The first year of fellowship is definitely challenging. You've got lots of patient-care responsibilities, while at the same time you must keep up with your reading, prepare and give presentations at patient conferences, and be on call regularly. It's a very intensive educational experience, but by the end of it you're very well-rounded.
The second and third year can be tailored to your individual interests. Currently I see patients about two days a week and devote the rest of my time to research. Because I've decided to focus my career on patient care and clinical research, I follow a fairly large number of patients compared to a fellow who has decided to focus exclusively on laboratory research.
Q. What do you enjoy most — and like least — about your fellowship experience?
A. The most rewarding aspect of my training is taking patients through their therapy and, when they are doing well and getting back to their normal lives, knowing I've made a difference. It's also incredibly rewarding to work and learn alongside people like Dr. Mayer and Dr. Johnson, as well as the other talented physicians, researchers, nurses, social workers, and many others who are part of the team at Dana-Farber.
Probably the most difficult aspect of this job is when you have to give patients bad news — that they've relapsed or that their therapy is not working — or when a patient passes away. You've known some of these people and their families for a long time, so that can be pretty tough.
"Last year nearly 159,000 people died of lung cancer. I believe we can do better."
— Pasi A. Jänne, M.D., Ph.D
But you have to be optimistic and look at the big picture. Overall you're helping, and many patients do get better. So this work is challenging, but it's also very rewarding.
Q. What are your plans after you complete your fellowship in 2001?
A. My goal is to practice thoracic oncology in an academic medicine setting, staying involved in both patient care and clinical research. If both my wife [a research scientist] and I can find challenging positions in Boston, we'd love to stay here. It's a great city in which to practice medicine and do research.
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