Stephen Douglas Smith, MD

Why did you decide to become an oncologist?

I settled on becoming a doctor while studying biology as an undergraduate. I was interested in applying science to directly help people, and I wanted to be part of the revolution in medicine related to advances in molecular biology. Oncology interests me because, more than any other field of medicine, it combines the essential skills of doctoring, the use of rapidly improving treatments and the opportunity to forge deep bonds with patients.

What is your approach to care?

Rapid advancements have turned hematologic cancers into very treatable conditions, but these diseases still require individualized care. My approach is to design a treatment plan tailored to your specific situation, which includes offering you the newest, most promising therapies. I also believe it’s essential to provide you with all the information you need to make the best treatment decisions for yourself. Sharing thorough, up-to-date information to support your decision-making is at the core of our relationship.

Provider Background

Specialty: Medical Oncology

Area of clinical practice

Hematologic malignancies

Lymphoma and blood disorders

I am a medical oncologist who cares for patients with lymphoma and other blood disorders and a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. My research focuses on developing and testing new drugs for hematologic malignancies. I’m especially interested in how the immune system works and how we can modify it when it goes awry — in particular, how we can use immunotherapies to treat blood-related cancers like lymphomas. I’m hopeful that, through research, we will find better ways to eradicate these diseases. And, for those diseases that we can’t cure, we should be able to control them with well-tolerated medicines over a person’s normal lifespan.