Division of Hematology/Oncology and Palliative Care
About the Division chair | About the division | Contact information
Faculty members | Subsections | Clinical areas | Research areas
Fellowship training programs | Other points of interest
Clinic locations | Find a physician | Clinical trials
About the Division chair
Thomas J. Smith, M.D., FACP
Dr. Smith is professor of medicine and health administration. He and colleagues are studying ways to improve the quality of cancer care, and to make it more efficient and less costly. He has chaired the American Society of Clinical Oncology Health Service Committee and is making national clinical practice guidelines for cancer treatment and follow-up care. He directs the National Quality Forum Technical Panel on symptom management and end of life care, charged with developing “pay for performance” measures for health care. He is a national expert in breast cancer care and palliative care, and directs the Thomas Palliative Care Program, winner of the 2005 American Hospital Association “Circle of Life” award for the best palliative care program in the country. He co-directs the Massey Cancer Center Cancer Control Program with research concentrations in cancer genetics, health service research, community studies of prevention, and palliative care/symptom management.
About the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Palliative Care
Clinical Hematology/Oncology training activities are focused on inpatient as well as a variety of outpatient service areas. Inpatient activities include a 26-bed inpatient specialty floor, a separate 10-bed bone marrow transplantation unit, and the 11-bed Thomas Palliative Care Unit at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Consultation services are available under continuous faculty supervision at VCU Medical Center and the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Outpatient services, including specialty clinics and consultation services, also are offered at both centers as well as in unique rural community hospital outreach sites. They offer a full range of daily inpatient and consultation rounds as well as a spectrum of weekly clinical and research conferences, and weekly journal club. These weekly conferences focus on general hematology and oncology, lymphoma, pathology, coagulation, and clinical and basic research. Most new patients are seen in one of the Massey Cancer Center multidisciplinary programs such as the Chest Tumor Center, Breast Health Center, the Hematologic Malignancy clinic, or the Pain and Symptom Management Program. There are regular Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center and Sickle Cell Anemia clinics. All programs offer training to health care professional students, housestaff, and fellows.
The Thomas Palliative Care Program offers clinical training for practicing health care professionals through the Center to Advance Palliative Care Palliative Care Leadership Program and the Virginia Initiative for Palliative Care (VIPC).
Opportunities in training for board certification include medical oncology, hematology, and palliative care.
Contact information
Division chair
Thomas J. Smith, M.D.
P.O. Box 980230
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0230
Phone:
(804) 828-9722
E-mail: tsmith5@mcvh-vcu.edu
Coordinator
Karen Scott
P.O. Box 980230
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0230
Phone:
(804) 828-9655
E-mail: kscott@mcvh-vcu.edu
Faculty members
Faculty members within the division collaborate with various departments at VCU Medical Center to develop and research new knowledge in oncology and hematology.
Subsections
Bone marrow transplantation
The bone marrow transplantation program is a member of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program for unrelated transplants, a non-Core Center for the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network and is a member transplant center for both the Cancer and Leukemia Group B and the Children’s Oncology Group. Approximately 100 to 110 transplants are performed each year involving related and unrelated matched and mismatched allogeneic transplants using conventional, reduced intensity and mini transplant preparative regimens in addition to autologous transplant approaches for adults and children. A variety of ongoing studies explore the biology of bone marrow transplantation. These include selective purging of malignant cells within the context of autologous transplantation; the utilization of growth factors in combination with antineoplastics and protein kinase modulators and ionizing irradiation in bone marrow purging; the identification of methods to separate and enrich hematopoietic progenitor cells. The Transplant program also combines immunotherapeutic and radioimmunologic methods to enhance antineoplastic therapy. The program has research and treatment protocols for a wide range of hematological and solid tumor malignancies, as well as for immune deficiency, hemoglobinopathies and bone marrow failure states. Members of the transplant program are recognized for clinical and research expertise in myelodysplasia, myeloproliferative syndromes, and lymphoma. For more information, visit the Bone Marrow Transplant Program Web site.
Clinical areas
The division is involved in clinical trials in both oncology and non-malignant hematology. Most cancer-related clinical trials are conducted in collaboration with the Massey Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center. Current activities range from initial (phase 1) clinical investigations of new agents to participation in definitive, multi-institutional studies of new agents or approaches to treatment and prevention. We are members of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Program, and other research organizations. A major emphasis has been placed upon the translation of divisional laboratory research into Phase I and Phase II clinical studies. The division also has an ongoing program in clinical research related to sickle cell disease, hemostasis and thrombosis, and in palliative care.
Research areas
Health services research
Faculty in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Palliative Care have a national reputation in the area of health services research. This group addresses issues of cancer care quality, costs, cost-effectiveness and the delivery of care to rural populations. They work with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Quality Forum, and other national organizations to develop practice guidelines and have made important contributions in technology assessment of new approaches to cancer treatment. Special expertise has developed in the costs and clinical management of death, dying and the use of claims databases to measure the cost and patterns of care, and evidence-based care of medically under-served and indigent patients.
Basic research
A number of Hematology/Oncology laboratories offer strong basic research programs that focus on the molecular level. Ongoing topics of study include the structure and function of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and DNA methylation in cell growth and differentiation, as well as immunomodulatory genes in cancer cells and globin gene regulation in erythroid cells. A major research focus is directed at understanding the role of signal transduction processes in the regulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells, with a view towards developing novel clinical approaches to therapy of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Still other studies explore the genotoxicity of DNA-directed antineoplastic agents characterizing particular types of DNA damage associated with malignant transformation and the mechanisms by which cellular processing of these lesions result in mutation and drug resistance. Finally, faculty are exploring the functional and molecular biological properties of platelets and their receptors. New techniques and instrumentation have been developed for the study of clot retraction that are being evaluated in patients at VCU Medical Center.
Fellowship training programs
Comprehensive training in Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care is available. Research training for academic career preparation is emphasized and is available in basic, clinical and palliative care areas of focus.
The Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program
The Palliative Care Fellowship Training Program
Other points of interest
Cancer prevention and control
The faculty members of the division of Hematology/Oncology are engaged in multidisciplinary prevention initiatives addressing a wide range of problems including nutritional and behavioral intervention, community/provider health behavior, cancer screening, and cancer epidemiology. The Massey Cancer Center also participates in large multicenter trials of Tamoxifen, Proscar and Aspirin as chemo preventive agents for breast, prostrate and colorectal cancer. Researchers are studying patient-provider interaction, cultural differences in the understanding and use of palliative care and cancer treatment, how patients make decisions about cancer treatment, and other communication issues
2008/01/08
Massey Cancer Center Web site