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Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO
Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, is a professor of medicine and professor of surgery at Brown University, director of the Pelvic Malignancies Program and Hematology-Oncology Outpatient Clinics at Lifespan Cancer Institute, and director of Medical Oncology and the Sexual Health First Responders Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital. He also serves as the head of community outreach and engagement of the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University. Dr. Dizon has served as past chair of ASCO's Social Media Working Group and the Cancer Communications Committee. In addition to his regular column on ASCOconnection.org, which has been honored with APEX awards in 2013 and 2014, he is a blogger for The Oncologist and a section editor of Gynecologic Oncology at UpToDate. Dr. Dizon is a member of the JCO Oncology Practice Editorial Board, and editor in chief of the ASCO Educational Book. Follow Dr. Dizon across social media channels @drdonsdizon.
Aug 23, 2016
In oncology, many patients continue under our care for years and years. These patients become part of our clinic and, dare I say, our lives, and it is the merging of patient-person-friend where, emotionally, being an oncologist can become quite complicated.
Aug 04, 2016
A patient had the worst news delivered to her in quite possibly the worst possible way. We cannot let our patients feel like they are just a number in our calculated RVUs. They deserve our time, consideration, and empathy—even when we are covering.
Jul 14, 2016
My patient chose not to share her cancer diagnosis. She shouldered so much, and did it only with the support of her husband—no friends, no neighbors, not even her children. It was the way she wanted to get through her treatment, but it was a heavy weight to carry.
Jul 06, 2016
Medicine, in the words of my friend and mentor Larry Norton, should be a calling, not a glorified profession. Medicine isn’t done in shifts. It’s a commitment made between you and your patients, to oversee their care personally, even when you aren’t around.
Jun 08, 2016
Twitter and Virtual Meeting add new layers of depth to 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting presentations.
May 23, 2016
I have seen many patients grapple with the consequences of cancer and its treatment on their own sexual view of themselves (their sexual self-schema), and how it can impact the relationship between partners.
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