A prominent physician and research scientist has joined City of Hope as chair of the recently formed Department of Supportive Care Medicine.
Jay R. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., a highly regarded biochemist, internist and leader in palliative care medicine, was previously associate clinical professor of medicine at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and clinical medical director of San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care.
 Jay R. Thomas (Courtesy of Jay R. Thomas) |
He becomes chair of City of Hope’s Department of Supportive Care Medicine and associate professor of medicine as of July 1.
“Dr. Thomas will be a tremendous asset not only to physicians and researchers, but also to our patients and their families,” said Alexandra Levine, M.D., chief medical officer. “He brings a well-rounded background as a rigorous scientist and as someone who truly understands what seriously ill patients experience and struggle with every day. He will set the tone for our mission of compassion and total patient care.”
Thomas praised City of Hope’s tradition of compassionate care and commitment to enhancing the delivery of “whole-person support” to patients and their families. “Simply put, the goal is to be the best palliative medicine team in the world,” he said, “and I want to be part of that vision.”
As chair of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, Thomas leads a diverse and growing group of faculty members and health-care professionals. The department unites all of City of Hope’s palliative care and psychosocial support programs under one multidisciplinary umbrella.
The department embodies a growing national movement to treat and support all aspects of patients’ cancer experience, from physical and mental health to emotional and spiritual issues. It encompasses a wide variety of professionals including pain physicians, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists and spiritual care providers.
Thomas noted that patients need experts from many disciplines to deliver care to prevent and relieve suffering on levels ranging from the physical to the spiritual. “Although there is beginning to be a widespread recognition of these needs, City of Hope’s commitment to create a new department to address these needs is a first,” he said.
The Department of Supportive Care Medicine grew and developed from the Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center, the face of supportive care for City of Hope patients and their loved ones. The center brings together and coordinates much-needed services and aims to ensure that all patients and their families get the tools they need to fight cancer and get healthy — right from the beginning.
“We’re very fortunate to have a leader like Dr. Thomas joining us,” said Matthew Loscalzo, M.S.W., co-chair of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine and administrative director of the Biller Patient and Family Resource Center. “He has vast experience in the science behind palliative care. He is also a compassionate, caring professional, which reflects the nature of our group and our work so well.”
Thomas began at UCSD as assistant clinical professor of medicine in 1997, after completing his internal medicine residency at UCSD. He moved to the affiliated San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care service in 2000.
Much of his research deals with ways to control pain and reduce complications of cancer or its treatment that can interfere with quality of life in seriously and terminally ill patients. He has written extensively, both in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks.
He has served as a reviewer for journals including Cancer, the Journal of Palliative Medicine and Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Thomas earned both his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, and his master’s degree in biochemistry from Harvard University. He received his medical degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco.
