Xuejun Alice Wang, MD Owner verified

About

Xuejun Alice Wang, MD, is an attending hematologist-oncologist at the Northwell Cancer Institute in Westchester, which covers Northern Westchester Hospital and Phelps Hospital. She specializes in lung cancer. Dr. Wang always loved science and considered a career in research but felt that working as a clinician was the best intersection between pursuing science and having a direct impact on people's lives. Oncology called to her because of the pace of innovations in the field. Chemotherapy used to be our only choice for metastatic lung cancer, but now we have an increasing number of amazing targeted therapies, says Dr. Wang. We can now offer a well-tolerated pill for patients with certain mutations that can work for years and years. This is a game changer for stage-four patients.Dr. Wang attended Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, did her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital-Center City in Philadelphia and a fellowship at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York before joining Northwell.During her fellowship, Dr. Wang developed an interest in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung cancers and conducted research on EGFR-mutated lung cancers that transform to small cell lung cancer. This is an aggressive subtype of lung cancer that affects non-smokers, especially Asian women.They don't have any smoking history and are otherwise healthy. But a genetic predisposition combined with environmental factors such as pollution leave these patients vulnerable to an EGFR-mutated lung cancer, says Dr. Wang. Often, she adds, those cancers aren't caught until they're more advanced. Dr. Wang plans to continue her research interest in EGFR-mutated lung cancers.As a clinician, Dr. Wang strives to connect with her patients and be there for them as a source of knowledge as well as reassurance. I try to explain everything as completely as I can, and I always carry a notepad to draw diagrams for patients.At the end of the day, what really drives Dr. Wang is witnessing patients get better with treatment. What motivates me is being able to help patients and offer well tolerated treatments that will work very well for a very long time. That said, any level of improvement is a success story and really keeps me going.

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