Clinical
CLINICAL: Hematology & Oncology
Division faculty provide care for patients with a wide range of hematologic and oncologic diseases and in a variety of settings, including: a 29-bed hematology/oncology inpatient unit; an 8-bed stem cell transplant unit; a consult service for patients with hematologic disorders admitted by other teams at UVA Hospital; and a robust outpatient practice that is concentrated in the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center (ECCCC). The two-year-old, $74 million, 150,000 square-foot cancer center houses clinics in benign hematology, malignant hematology, medical oncology, and stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy is administered at the ECCCC Infusion Center as well as on the hospital inpatient unit, and bone marrow biopsies are performed by many members of the division faculty on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.
The division’s Hematologic Malignancy Team specializes in cancers of the blood and lymphatic systems. Dramatic advances have been made recently for many of these disorders, arising from new insights into their molecular biology and the application of novel targeted therapies, which complement or replace traditional chemotherapeutic and radiotherapy approaches.
The division conducts a wide range of clinical trials, with a special focus on monoclonal antibody, vaccine and novel targeted therapy approaches: its treatment program in high-dose interleukin-2, an immunotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, is the only one of its kind in the state of Virginia.
The division’s faculty work extremely hard; in FY 2013, 79% exceeded UHC benchmarks for clinical productivity. Plans and goals for the clinical enterprise include extended infusion hours — as of September 2013, infusion will be offered Saturdays and Sundays; additional nurse practitioner staff to allow physicians to achieve maximum productivity in patient care; development of new service lines; and streamlining of clinical and billing operations.