Introduction
Dr. Jennifer Carter is an oncologist who believes in supporting the whole family through a patient’s cancer journey.
While Dr. Carter was in medical school, her best friend, just 26 years old, told her to make sure something meaningful would come from his terminal cancer. Caring for cancer patients has been her specialty since.
With a recent case, a patient in her 60s with stage 4 breast cancer had a liver that was nearly completely replaced by tumors. Dr. Carter was able to work out a treatment of low-dose chemotherapy. The woman is tolerating the regime, so they are pressing on. Now her labs have normalized.
“If we hadn’t done anything, she wouldn’t be with us. She is so happy; her husband is so happy,” Dr. Carter said. “Everybody deserves a chance, even if we have to start small.”
Oncology can be a hard specialty, and a bit of her goes with each patient who dies, she said, but she feels called back each time she thinks of changing her career focus.
“I allow myself to feel, to cry, and I walk about it with my colleagues. Talking does help,” she said. “We are walking with patients and their families on their journey. We are not just providing treatment, but we are giving support on this journey called cancer, because it’s not an easy one.”
Dr. Carter’s mom is a retired geriatrics nurse. When she was growing up, her mom would take her to work to feed the elderly patients before school, a lesson in how to be loving to patients. She still feeds patients at hospice and in the hospital if that’s what they most need at the moment.
For relaxation, Dr. Carter cooks and bakes, often bringing treats to Sletten Cancer Institute and sharing with her neighbors. She loves to take her cat, Minty, for walks so they can sniff the flowers, and she looks forward to traveling with her husband once COVID exposure is less of a risk.
Education
Medical School
University of the West Indies, St. Michael, Barbados
Residency
Howard University Hospital, Washington DC
Fellowship
Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health Maryland, Bethesda, Maryland