Savage.MD Blog

This week, I’ve had the privilege of attending a research conference in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona—an event co-sponsored by Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and the University of New Mexico. The goal of this gathering is clear and inspiring: to increase exposure, interest, and opportunity in the fields of science and medicine, particularly for students from underrepresented backgrounds. It has been a joy to speak with several of these students—each bringing fresh energy and curiosity as they consider careers in research, medicine, or both. Yesterday, I participated in a small group discussion, and someone asked me how I first got started in science. That question sparked a memory I hadn’t reflected on in quite some time: my very first research experience, exactly 20 years ago. That summer, I was a rising junior at Austin College, a small liberal arts school in Sherman, Texas. I spent 10 weeks in a biochemistry lab, working closely with one other student and a...

This morning I saw the last patients of my fellowship. It's been a fun three years! The Scripps hem/onc fellowship program was the perfect place to train to be an oncologist, and it helped set me up for a really exciting university position. I will start as a melanoma and sarcoma specialist at the University of New Mexico in August. The people in the picture below (and the two classes that preceded them) were great colleagues and friends during my journey, and I will remember all of them fondly.  This is also the end of my journey as a Chief Fellow. I really enjoyed giving back to the program this year and helping to make it a better place for all of us. Our program director announced a few months ago that she is also leaving to take a new opportunity at the University of Minnesota. We are all very happy for her, but she will be missed. She did an exceptional job leading this program and advocating for the needs of trainees.  It seems like just weeks ago that I was writing my ...

One month ago, we had the annual Scripps hematology oncology updates conference in La Jolla. It was a great opportunity to learn about advancements in our field and to reconnect with friends. We had several current and former hem/onc fellows at the conference. On Saturday of the conference, we all had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. The host of the conference was Dr. Kosty. He is one of our hem/onc faculty members and will be retiring this Friday, March 1 after 35 years of service as an oncologist. I was particularly touched by his speech the opening day of the conference. He explained that when he first started treating patients with lung cancer in the 80s, the outcomes were often very poor. However, now in the era of immunotherapy and targeted therapy, it is very reasonable for a person with stage IV lung cancer to live a long time. You could tell from his reflections he's proud of his contribution to this field, and had enjoyed seeing incredible advancements in treatment ...

I have now completed the first month of 2024 in my hem/onc fellowship. This is also the start of my final six months in my program. It has flown by quickly and I will miss it! It's been an honor getting to serve in a leadership capacity this year to make the program better. I have a lot of exciting (and stressful) milestones coming up in the 12 months ahead of me.  Our new chief fellow will be selected soon. I will work with her to coordinate the handoff of duties for 2024-2025. I will return to Cleveland in March 2024 for an immunotherapy toxicity conference. It'll be my first time back to the Cleveland Clinic since spring 2020. I will become a father. We will welcome our baby girl into the world April 2024.  I will graduate in June 2024. This marks 15 years of my training in medicine.  We will move across the country to Albuquerque in July. I will start my new position as an Assistant Professor in melanoma/sarcoma care at the University of New Mexico's Comprehensive Can...

Last Thursday we had the holiday party for our fellowship program. All of our first year fellows, half our second year fellows, half our third year fellows (and their families), and several beloved staff members were present. It was a really nice time to catch up with one another over a nice meal and drinks. This is the first time since before the pandemic that I've been able to have a work-related holiday party. Back in 2018 as an intern, and then in 2019 as a second year resident, the Cleveland Clinic IM program staff hosted a really nice holiday party for us at a local brewery. None of us could have imagined that just two short months after that 2019 party we'd be headed toward a pandemic and > 3 years of social distancing. 2023-2024 Scripps fellows and staff This month also marks the midway point through my final year of fellowship. The whole experience has gone by so quickly and I am so thankful for my program at Scripps. It's given me a chance to learn about care f...

This past weekend I was in Dallas for my college's homecoming weekend. I have been on the Austin College alumni board the past three years, and we had our board meeting last Friday. Sunday I made my way back to the DFW airport. My car rental location was close to the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) station, so I decided to take the train to the airport. When I boarded the train, it brought back lots of memories. The first year that I lived in Dallas after graduation from college in Fall 2007, I often took the DART train to my job at a software company. The smells and sounds on the train yesterday reminded me of what it used to be like riding the train. That was before the smartphone was readily available, so I would often bring magazines to read on my journey. The train's first stop yesterday was at the University of Dallas. During Fall 2007 I was teaching a MCAT prep course for Princeton Review at that campus. I still remember driving across Dallas from Plano to Irving, often...

Friday marked the end of the fourth month of our academic year. The time has passed quickly and there is much to look forward to in the months ahead. Last weekend, I was able to go to Albuquerque, NM to see the 51st Annual Balloon Fiesta. It was a lot of fun! I've enjoyed being the Chief Fellow this year. It’s been so much fun working with our program leadership to make the program even better. Scripps has been a really great place to train the last 2.5 years, and I’ll miss it once I graduate. I remember feeling a bit anxious about starting back in July 2021. It seemed like three more years of exhausting training back, but it has been a really fun experience with lots of work-life balance. The time has marched on quickly and I’ve made lots of great memories along the way. This weekend would have been the annual meeting of the California Medical Association’s House of Delegates at LA Live in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, I found out a week ago that this was cancelled due to a service ...