Inspiring Hope
Q&A with head and neck surgeon Nicole C. Schmitt, MD, FACS
Photo: Jenni Girtman
My patients sustain me. They are the most resilient people on earth.
Winship Magazine: Why did you choose to work at Winship?
Nicole C. Schmitt: Winship is an extraordinarily collaborative place, where everyone is working together to help the patients and advance the science like no other place I’ve been.
WM: Could you describe the considerations you must weigh in designing optimal combinations of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for head and neck cancer? Are these combinations essentially tailored to the individual patient?
NS: Our work has expanded to include a lot of novel treatment combinations, with the goal of helping the immune system fight harder while decreasing toxicity. As we learn more about the immune systems of individual patients, we are getting much better at understanding who will respond to different types of combination therapies, which is really exciting.
One review by a patient says that you made them feel comfortable “even during bad news.” Do you have a “recipe” for making your patients feel safe and comfortable?
NS: I prefer to tell patients everything, with empathy but also complete transparency. Once they feel comfortable and empowered by a strong understanding of their individual situation, I like to sprinkle in a little humor and try to make them smile. This reminds them (and me) that life continues to offer joy even after a cancer diagnosis.
WM: How do you inspire hope in your patients?
NS: I like to emphasize how many of our patients have done really well and how much support we will provide as a treatment team. It is important that patients and families feel that they are not alone.
How do you sustain your own hope as you treat your patients?
NS: My patients sustain me. They are the most resilient people on earth. Watching them survive their cancers and return to their work, families and hobbies makes me believe that anything is possible.
Nicole C. Schmitt, MD, FACS, is a head and neck surgeon and physician-scientist at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She is co-director for translational research in Winship’s Head and Neck Cancer Program and associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine.
