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Matthew S. Katz, MD
Matthew S. Katz, MD, is the medical director of radiation oncology at Lowell General Hospital and a partner in Radiation Oncology Associates, PA. He is former chair of the Communications Committee for the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and External Advisory Board member for Mayo Clinic Center for social media. He has served on ASCO's Social Media Working Group, ASTRO's Education Committee, and Massachusetts Medical Society's Communications Committee. His areas of primary interest are patient education and health empowerment. Follow Dr. Katz on Twitter @subatomicdoc.
Oct 29, 2013
When I originally posted the idea of hashtags used to organize cancer information and communities online, it was more theoretical. Over the past three months...
Aug 15, 2013
Each time I reach the point of recommending radiation treatment for someone with a brain tumor or head and neck cancer, I ask for a higher level of trust from each patient than usual: let us make a mask to keep you safe.
Jul 24, 2013
Ordering CT, MRI, or PET scans for my patients when they feel well always makes me nervous. As a radiation oncologist, I’ve chosen to frequently make observations that potentially find active, progressive cancer. And this creates an existential crisis that scares me—but not as much as it scares my...
Jul 15, 2013
I have been surprised and a bit overwhelmed by the strong positive response to my recent post suggesting that hashtags be used to facilitate cancer communities online. I’m excited, but I have to question: Should we promote and develop cancer hashtags right now?
Jul 03, 2013
For two years, I’ve participated in #bcsm, a rich breast cancer and social media community founded on Twitter. It has encouraged me to ask: why not design similar resources for people with other diseases?
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