Cancer Patient Care Team

Patient care at UMGCCC is provided by teams of professionals with expertise in cancer care. Our entire team is ready to answer your questions, provide support and coordinate your care to make your treatment experience as smooth as possible.

The cancer center is part of a large teaching hospital, which means that our patients have access to the latest, most innovative treatments available.

Depending on your diagnosis and your particular needs, you may meet the following cancer professionals:

• Medical oncologists
• Surgical oncologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Oncology nurses
• Palliative care
• Genetic counselors
• Pharmacists
• Social workers
• Nutritionists

Our health care professionals strive to provide the most advanced and comprehensive treatment available in a compassionate and supportive setting.

Your Attending Physician

The physicians supervising patient care are members of the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Senior physicians are assisted by fellows (physicians in specialized oncology training), residents (physicians in advanced internal medicine training), and oncology nurse practitioners (nurses with advanced degree training).

Nursing Care

Our highly skilled staff of nurses are committed to providing patients with the best care possible. The UMGCCC nursing staff consistently receives a rating of "excellent" in patient satisfaction surveys. They play an important role in delivering patient care and in working with patients to coordinate care at home. The staff consists of nurse practitioners, inpatient staff nurses, infusion nurses, nurse coordinators, case managers and research nurses. If you or your family have questions, contact your nurse. Your nurse can help connect you with the nurse manager, social worker, case manager, or patient advocate.

Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Care

Patients with cancer often have a complex array of medical needs that may require a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Recognizing that a team approach is the most beneficial way to provide coordinated treatment for our patients, UMGCCC takes a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Our treatment programs bring together experts from Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology to develop the most effective care plan for each patient. Our coordinated diagnostic and treatment approach gives patients access to all the options available for treating their disease, with the convenience of seeing all of the oncology doctors in the same visit.

Communication

In all of our programs, we emphasize communication with patients, family members, and referring physicians. We keep all parties up-to-date on the course of treatment, and encourage patients and families to take an active part in the treatment planning process. We value the relationships our patients have with their family physicians and make every effort to ensure that patients' referring physicians are kept up-to-date on their treatment at UMGCCC. We also offer patients a convenient way to stay connected with loved ones during medical treatment, with personalized patient web pages.

Translational Research

Research is a vitally important part of our work because it leads us to new and innovative ways to diagnose and care for our patients. We have an active translational research program, and our experts are continually developing innovative approaches to diagnostic evaluation and treatment. UMGCCC physicians are active as leaders in national cooperative groups that are studying and developing treatments for different forms of cancer. Learn more about our current research studies, or clinical trials.