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BECKHAM MEDIA GOES ONE ON ONE WITH DWIGHT HERON, MD, FACRO WHO IS COMMITTED TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF HIS PATIENTS
Dwight E. Heron, MD, FACRO is Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Since his arrival in Pittsburgh in July 2000, Heron has emerged as an exciting young investigator. He is the primary investigator on a $5 million, five-year grant designed to assess, identify and formulate solutions to cancer disparities in Western Pennsylvania. A companion grant assists racially and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients navigate health systems to obtain timely and state of the art radiation therapy cancer care. Heron came to the University of Pittsburgh from Thomas Jefferson University where he completed his residency (including a year as Chief Resident) in radiation oncology following an internal medicine internship at Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY. Upon his arrival in Pittsburgh he first served on the radiation oncology staff of UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital, then Clinical Director at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. Heron received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Heron has published numerous articles, abstracts and presented at many national and international meetings. His research interests include stereotactic radiotherapy for benign and malignant brain tumors, evaluation of PET/CT in staging and management of a variety of cancers including the use of 4D PET-CT for thoracic and abdominal malignancies. He also has expertise in the use of stereotactic technology for the treatment of extra-cranial disease and the use of advanced radiation techniques to cure a variety of cancers. BECKHAM MEDIA: Dr. Heron tell us about your life as a Radiation Oncologist? How do you help your patients? DR. HERON: Cancer is a life threatening disease and remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. As a radiation oncologist, I use one of the most potent tools, radiation, in the fight against cancer. Like surgery, radiation can be use to destroy tumors in a very local area, or may be use all over the body, like chemotherapy. Radiation Oncology has helped to transform the modern cancer care by improving cure rates and improving the quality of life in cancer patients today. My greatest passion (and reward) is making a difference in the life of each patient. It is fair to say that each patient's life story, the relationships we form really weave the fabric of a family that is so common in radiation oncology since our patients see us every day for up to 2 months while they are being treated. BECKHAM MEDIA: What is your research focused on? Any important findings that we should be aware of specifically relating to cancer research? DR. HERON: My research has 3 foci: a. Using state of the art tools to improve cure rates in cancer-PET-CT, MRI fusion to better design radiation therapy, including stereotactic radiosurgery anywhere in the body. b. treatment of brain, head and neck and lung cancers-using innovative tools for treatment of tumors in difficult or hard to reach areas of the body with pinpoint precision. Radiosurgery, essentially bloodless surgery, allow radiation oncologist to treat tumors that were thought to be inaccessible or high-risk without the need for hospitalization. An example of some innovative research involves radiosurgery to recurrent head and neck cancers that are not amenable to repeat (salvage) surgery. Using radiosurgery, we have shown that the addition of cetuximab, a targeted biologic drug, we can treat patients and improve their quality of life and survival. c. eliminating disparities in cancer care through screening, education and outreach BECKHAM MEDIA: You stress the importance of good nutrition and continued activity as criteria and features that help ensure that patients going through chemotherapy will do well-can you elaborate? DR. HERON: Meticulous nutrition is essential in cancer care. There is increased caloric requirement by the body and poor nutrition results in increased side effects and prolonged recovery time. In most cancer centers, a nutritionist or dietician can help the patients and their families determine the right caloric requirement for each patient. BECKHAM MEDIA: What do you enjoy most about your job? DR. HERON: The relationships I have been so privileged to form. I approach each patient as a family member or friend and in doing so, we both grow. I also enjoy the opportunity to bring this world class care that we have developed in western Pennsylvania to faraway places such as Europe, the Middle and Far East as we expand the scope of UPMC Cancer Centers. BECKHAM MEDIA: In your area of expertise, what are you concerned about most when it comes to patient care? DR. HERON: Many patients are uninsured or under insured and despite our efforts to provide state of the art care, many insurers fail to live up to the expectations of the patients who they cover. As we do a better job of curing patients, and they become survivors of cancers, there is a great need for survivor programs-many will need on-going care but may be forgotten since they are "cured." BECKHAM MEDIA: Additional projects and professional goals set? Do you still have the aspiration to become Surgeon General? DR. HERON: I am quite happy in my many roles of seeing patients, directing one of the nation's largest integrated cancer center networks, expanding our reach to help patients overseas. As the stressors continue with the economy, undoubtedly we will have more pressures at home with some patients deferring screening and therefore presenting with later stages of cancer. Our goal will be to be sure that healthcare, particularly cancer care is not compromised by polices in Washington or Harrisburg. I remain passionate about my work with cancer health disparities and I should be finding out in the next few weeks whether our grant has been refunding to continue the work that we started 5 years ago in McKeesport. We have helped countless number of patients find their way through a complicated healthcare system, performed screening and outreach, cancer and general health education, participation in clinical trials etc. Information on what we have done can be found here: http://www3.cancer.gov/rrp/cdrp/index.html & ttp://www3.cancer.gov/rrp/cdrp/presentations.html Ultimately, I think Surgeon General would be a great bully pulpit to raise the level of awareness for some many of these issues that can only strengthen the health of our nation. We are only as healthy as our most vulnerable. BECKHAM MEDIA: Cancer continues to disproportionately affect blacks. Why do African Americans get cancer more often, and why are they more likely to die from it? DR. HERON: Lack of access to healthcare is a major contributor to these disparities (see CDRP reports from my disparities grant). Another major contributor is lack of screening-let's face it, many of us don't see our doctors regularly and worse yet is the stigma of cancer. In our community, cancer is whispered as the "C" word. Until we stand up and can talk freely and openly about this killer, too many of our grandparents, brothers, sisters, mothers and especially fathers will suffer the enormous consequences of late stage cancer. To be clear, cancer is not worse in African Americans-that is to say, it's not more virulent. African Americans just tend to present with later stages of disease. Why, because we don't have insurance coverage, we don't see our doctors regularly, we don't get screening, we don't do self examinations, we don't talk about the "C" word, we don't adopt healthy lifestyles like exercise, nutrition, and I can go on and one. Notice I said "we.." Truth be told, WE need to empower ourselves to get the very best. What is clear, is that stage for stage for almost any cancer, African Americas do just as well as their white counterparts. Only we can do these things and cancer and healthy lifestyle education is key. BECKHAM MEDIA: How do you accentuate the positive? DR. HERON: To be cliché, "Eliminate the negative..." LOL.. see my last comment in item #7. Probably sums it all up.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DR. HERON: Dwight E. Heron, MD, FACRO Associate Professor Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs Department of Radiation Oncology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Deputy Director, Radiation Oncology University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Director of Radiation Services UPMC Cancer Centers Chairman, UPMC Shadyside Department of Radiation Oncology 5150 Centre Avenue 5th Floor, Suite 545 Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412.623.6723 (phone) 412.647.1161 (fax)
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