Specialized Cancer Care Teams | Treatment |UNM Cancer Center

Entire Teams Provide Your Cancer Care

The order in which you get your care matters. The sequence of your treatment can help you greatly to overcome your cancer and get you back to your life. That’s why our providers work as a team to create a treatment plan just for you.

Our multidisciplinary teams pool the expertise of our providers and the many other healthcare professionals who work closely with them. The teams include oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, nurses and pharmacists. But they also include other providers who round out your care and support you and your family. Cancer genetic counselors, nutritionists, oncology social workers, chaplains and patient navigators provide important pieces in an approach that considers not just the body, but the mind and spirit as well.

Our teams create a treatment plan tailored to you — focusing on your needs, honoring your wishes, providing the right treatment at the right time — that will give you the best chance for overcoming your cancer.

Find out more about our teams by clicking the links below:

 


UNM Health is Delivering More: Comprehensive Cancer Care


English

 

 


UNM Health is Delivering More: Atención del Cáncer


En Español

 

The UNM Cancer Center is home to New Mexico’s largest and most experienced team of cancer experts. Our 130 board-certified oncology physicians represent every cancer specialty and are recruited from some of the world’s leading cancer institutions. In addition to providing comprehensive, compassionate cancer treatment, our physicians collaborate with the UNM Cancer Center’s internationally recognized team of researchers to translate cutting-edge discoveries into the most advanced cancer care available in New Mexico.

Because the UNM Cancer Center is a teaching facility, your care team may include physicians at many levels of training. An attending physician closely oversees the team. Your team may also include nurses and mid-level providers.

Attending Physicians have successfully completed all facets of their medical training. Recognized internationally for their achievements, our physicians have earned impressive awards and honors. Many have been recruited from prestigious institutions around the country.

Fellows have completed their residencies and are pursuing additional, highly specialized training in a very specific area of oncology. A fellowship is the most advanced training a physician can receive. All of our attending physicians have completed fellowships in their area of expertise.

Resident Physicians have completed their intern year and focus on their field of interest under the close supervision of a fellow or attending physician. The majority of our residents are specializing in Internal Medicine with an emphasis on hematology or oncology.

Interns have earned a Medical Degree (MD) and are in their first year of residency. Attending physicians, fellows and residents closely supervise interns.

Medical Students have graduated from college and are in medical school. Most medical students that you will come into contact with have completed their first two years of schooling. Attending physicians, fellows and residents closely supervise medical students.

Physician Assistants (PAs) have completed intensive medical training and are licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. PAs can conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, and write prescriptions.

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have training beyond that of a Registered Nurse. Many NPs have completed specific advanced graduate-level work and provide high-level, quality healthcare in cooperation with physicians. NPs can conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, and write prescriptions.

Registered Nurses (RNs) treat patients, provide education about various conditions and give advice and emotional support to patients and family members. RNs take medical histories, record symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests, and administer treatment and medications.

Radiation Physicists, Dosimetrists and Therapists work as a team alongside Radiation Oncologists to design and deliver customized treatment plans using radiation therapy. Physicists calibrate the equipment used in treatment, Dosimetrists calculate the optimal dosage for each patient and Radiation Therapists administer treatments and monitor patient progress.