A Nine-Question Introduction to ASCO Volunteers

Senior Staff Physician, Princess Margaret Hospital; Full Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; Board Member, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC); Chair, EORTC Protocol Review Committee; ASCO Board of Directors Member

AC: What led you to oncology?

Dr. Shepherd: During hematology training, I found that I enjoyed the malignant aspects of the specialty, and so I elected to do two more years of oncology training. When I started practice at the Toronto General Hospital, I was fortunate to be working with a world-recognized Thoracic Surgical Team that was setting global standards for lung cancer surgery and leading lung cancer research studies. The North American Lung Cancer Study Group was my introduction to clinical trials, and I was "hooked" on clinical research from the beginning. To this day, lung cancer clinical trials are my passion.

AC: What's the last book you read?

Dr. Shepherd: I have just finished reading La Seduction by Elaine Sciolino. This is not what you might think from the title, but rather an insight into the French approach to life, and in particular, personal interactions at all levels: political, business, family.

AC: Who is the person you most admire?

Dr. Shepherd: I admire working mothers. Each and every working mother deserves a medal, yet most are unsung heroes.

AC: What hobbies do you enjoy?

			Circa 1802-6. Made for Ernest Augustus, fifth son of King George III.

Dr. Shepherd: I have an unusual hobby in that I collect antique armorial porcelain. These porcelain pieces come from dinner services commissioned by European royal and noble families from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s and all have the family arms laboriously hand-painted on each piece. Armorial pieces are fascinating as they document family history and provide a glimpse into European history and politics.

AC: Do you have a personal motto?

Dr. Shepherd: I don't have a motto, but I have a mantra: "See things through to the end." All of my research fellows "bear the scars of my virtual whip" as I cajole, encourage, and, if necessary, browbeat them until they take their research projects through to full publication.

AC: What is your fondest memory?

Dr. Shepherd: Fond memories all center around family life, but my fondest professional memory comes from the moment I learned the results of our JBR.10 trial that demonstrated conclusively that postoperative chemotherapy increased survival and the cure rate for lung cancer. This study changed practice globally and resulted in my first article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

AC: What career could you see yourself in if you weren't an oncologist?

Dr. Shepherd: Strangely, I might have become a French teacher. I have a passion for French culture. I speak the language; we sent our children to a French school, and we travel to France as often as possible.

AC: What changes do you envision for the field in the next 10 years?

Dr. Shepherd: Clearly the molecular era and the ability to analyze cancers for genetic mutations and drivers will change the way we practice.

AC: What would you say to a young physician thinking about entering the field of oncology?

Dr. Shepherd: Oncology offers every kind of career possibility from the most basic science to clinical, translational, health services, and even palliative care research or simply the ability to excel in clinical practice. I do not think there is any other medical specialty that has such a well-developed clinical trials network as oncology.