Savage.MD Blog

Last week I had my first ever opportunity to spend time learning about radiation oncology. It was super informative! Monday I spent the day in the control room of the treatment rooms learning how treatment plans are delivered. I also learned about the simulation and masking process. On Wednesday I spent time with a radiation dosimetrist to learn how targets outlined by a radiation oncologist are translated to a plan in the planning software. I learned how a dosimetrist carefully outlines critical structures near a treatment target so that they can be protected from the radiation treatment beam. Thursday I learned how follow-up and new consult care works in the radiation oncology clinic. A radiation oncologist gets many referrals, but has to use his/her knowledge to decide who is appropriate for treatment and then how that treatment should be delivered. Friday I spent my morning in the multidisciplinary clinic learning how the medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and surgeon work t...

In 2020 I lost one of my best friends, a very accomplished physician, to suicide. Drew and I worked together in a summer research program in 2005 at our small liberal arts college. I was a rising junior and he was a rising sophomore. We were both type A and both premed. We clashed some at first, but soon enough we became best friends. Drew was always super serious and meticulous, and I made it my task to bring levity to situations and try to make him laugh. One of my favorite memories is us sitting in the common equipment room of the chemistry department running biochemical assays together. We would play alt rock music on the stereo while sunlight streamed in from outside during the hot Texas summer. He would prepare the samples under the vent hood and I would collect data on the computer. In the meantime, I would read him articles out of the Wall Street Journal to pass the time. It was such an easy-going time in life! I went to work for a company after college, but Drew went straight ...

Earlier this year I met a middle-aged man with newly diagnosed high risk AML. He spent a month in the hospital starting induction treatment and I got to know his wife and him very well throughout that process. Thursday I was in the BMT clinic and saw that he was on our schedule. It was such a treat seeing him again! He's now post-allogeneic transplant and is doing really well. The patient's wife thanked me for my care this summer and specifically thanked me for helping them negotiate the medical leave process with the patient's employer. She said, "Dr. Savage, you told me to tell his employer that he has acute leukemia, that it is a life threatening condition, and that it will require many months of ongoing treatment and follow-up to save his life. I told them this verbatim and they have given us all the time we've needed for his appointments." I was so happy to hear this because I know that it reduced at least some stress for this family. It's always grat...

Today was not quite what I expected. It turned out okay, but it was WAY busier than expected. This morning I had to take someone to the airport at 7:30 am. On the way there, I got a call from my Program Director. I was needed for “Jeopardy” coverage because one of our junior fellows had a family emergency. I was asked to cover the consult service at one of our hospitals. Any other day this would not be a problem. However, today I already had several things planned. I needed to get my home ready for a dog sitter for the weekend. I had a flight to Texas planned at 7 pm for a wedding this weekend. I also had a video interview and onboarding for a moonlight job. It was “off to the races” as my PhD advisor used to say. After returning from the airport, I connected to 8 am Division rounds by Zoom. That ended at 9 am, at which point I started the notes on the consult patients. Fortunately, there were only a couple of people who needed to be seen today. At 10:30 am, I had an informational meet...

Last weekend I had the chance to visit my alma mater for Homecoming 2022. It was my first time back to campus in 5 years. It's now been 15 years since I graduated! My college opened a new science center called the IDEA Center (Inquiry, Discovery, Entrepreneurship, and Access) in fall 2013. I had not seen it since it opened, but this weekend I got to tour the beautiful building. The labs, study spaces, and faculty offices were so nice! One of the display cases in the IDEA Center had pictures of the college majors from 2005, 2006, and 2007 that include me. These used to be on the wall in the chemistry student lounge of the now retired chemistry building. I have so many memories of late night studying in that old room. It brought back a lot of great memories from early in my academic career to see these pictures again. 2007 2006 2005

Today I finished a month on the palliative care service. It was a really great rotation. I spent the first two weeks at Scripps Mercy doing consults and the last two weeks in the palliative medicine clinics in La Jolla and downtown San Diego. A few things I did/learned this month... Received mentorship in leading Goals of Care conversations Learned about symptom management - especially pain, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and insomnia Learned about Advanced Care Planning Learned how to explain a POLST (Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment) Learned how a palliative physician approaches a new consult with a patient and their family Learned about how physician-assisted end of life care works in California One of the most touching patient encounters happened this week. I met a patient with metastatic esophageal cancer and his wife. They have been married 50+ years and had a beautiful relationship with one another. They were answering questions for one another, while also respe...

When I was in graduate school I worked after hours as an MCAT teacher for the Princeton Review. I really loved teaching. I especially enjoyed when I met and connected with students who stayed in touch after the class was finished. One such student was named Luna and we met in Spring 2015. At the time that she was in my class, I was really into podcasts and had just started listening to the short series "Serial" about a man wrongly convicted at age 18 of murder. The story was well told and I mentioned it to my MCAT class one evening. Luna started listening and told me that she enjoyed the podcast as much as I did.  After the class finished I lost touch with Luna. Like many students, I wondered how she did on the MCAT and whether she achieved her dream of getting into medical school. She wrote to me in 2018 after seeing me on LinkedIn. I let her know that I was almost finished with my MD/PhD program and would soon be headed to Ohio for residency. Today I got a surprise email fr...