Katherine Harris, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist, Cancer Center

“Our Cancer Center has the research opportunities and advanced treatments I was looking for.”

Clinical research opportunities were part of the reason medical oncologist Katherine Harris, M.D., decided to leave biotechnology leader Genentech and come to the Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. The Cancer Center is a founding member of the Penn State Cancer Institute, an affiliation that gives patients access to research, treatment and clinical trials not otherwise available in the region.

The Cancer Center also stays on the leading edge of research and treatment through memberships in national organizations such as the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG).

"On a global scale, you don't make advances in cancer treatment without clinical trials," Harris says. "For the patients you care for, clinical research opportunities give you the ability to offer new and potentially lifesaving options without them traveling to New York or Philadelphia."

But Harris found more than research opportunities and advanced treatments at the Cancer Center. She found a compassionate approach to cancer care and a level of patient support that she says makes Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network a special place for cancer care.

"We have a cancer support team that is as good as it gets, with nutritional and financial counseling, education, emotional support, and valuable hospice and palliative care programs," she says. "And all of my patients comment that their caregivers were very nice. That kind of compassion makes a tremendous difference in a patient's experience."

Cancer Care Our Cancer Center’s team approach to care includes experienced doctors, the most advanced technology and access to clinical trials, providing you with more hope More >>

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