Members of Your Health Care Team

Below you will find different members of your health care team. Don’t see an important member of the care team listed? Share with us here!

Oncologists

  1. Medical Oncologist: Doctor who coordinates cancer care with health care team
  2. Hematologist: Doctor who specializes in treating blood disorders
  4. Dermatological Oncologist: Doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating skin cancers
  5. Gynecologic Oncologist: Doctor who specializes in cancers of the female reproductive organs
  6. Neuro-Oncologist: Doctor who treats patients with cancers of the central nervous system
  7. Pediatric Oncologist: Doctor who cares for children and teens with cancer

Surgeons

  1. Surgical Oncologist: Surgeon who diagnoses and treats cancer through biopsies and removal of tumors
  2. Neurosurgeon: Surgeon who specializes in surgery of the brain and nervous system
  3. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon: Surgeon who specializes in surgery of the mouth, jaw, and face
  4. Orthopedic Surgeon: Surgeon who specializes in diseases and injuries of the muscles, joint, and bones
  5. Plastic or Reconstructive Surgeon: Surgeon who specializes in rebuilding or replacing removed or injured body parts and/or changing the way a body part looks
  6. Thoracic Surgeon: Surgeon who specializes in treating cancers of the lung, esophagus and chest wall

Radiation Oncology

  1. Radiation Oncologist: Doctor who uses radiation therapy to shrink/eliminate tumors
  2. Nuclear Medicine Specialist: Doctor who administers radionuclides (molecules that give off radiation) to help identify cancer
  3. Medical Physicist: Works with radiation oncologists to ensure that a patient receives the correct radiation dose during radiation therapy treatments
  4. Radiation Therapy Nurse: Teaches patient about radiation treatment and helps manage any side effects from treatment
  5. Dosimetrist: Calculates and plans the correct dosage of radiation therapy for cancer treatment
  6. Radiation Therapist: Provides radiation therapy as directed by a radiation oncologist, educates patients and monitors treatment

Radiology

  1. Diagnostic Radiologist: Doctor who performs imaging tests to screen/ diagnose (e.g. x-ray, MRI, ultrasound)
  2. Interventional Radiologist: Doctor who uses imaging such as CT, ultrasound or MRI to guide the delivery of treatments to a tumor directly
  3. Radiologic Technologist: Helps position patients for x-rays and other imaging tests

Life Impact

  1. Pain Management Specialist: Doctor who works to improve the quality of life in patients suffering from pain
  2. Nurse: Provides coordination of care and education to help manage patient care
  3. Nurse Practitioner: Helps to diagnose, treat, manage and coordinate patient care, including prescribing medication
  4. Physician Assistant: Performs services such as exams, education, and prescribing medication
  5. Social Worker: Helps evaluate cancer’s impact on life and connects patients with community resources and support
  6. Case Manager: Coordinates patient care throughout diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management, often working with the insurance company
  7. Discharge Coordinator or Planner: Helps to ensure that patients leaving the hospital have what they need to continue their recovery at home. They may also help patients find alternate places to continue their care, such as a nursing home or rehabilitation center
  8. Patient Advocate: Lifeline that helps guide patients with support and education
  9. Patient Navigator: Provides guidance through health care system helping to overcome obstacles
  10. Dietitian: Provides nutritional counseling, meal planning and medical nutrition therapy to help patients adjust their nutritional intake to optimize health and minimize side effects caused by cancer and treatment
  11. Nutritionist: Helps people develop healthy eating habits with information on nutrition to improve health and prevent disease
  12. Recreational Therapist: Treats and helps preserve a patient’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being by helping to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Also helps build confidence and strengthen personal skills using different methods such as art, exercise, games, dance and music
  13. Lymphedema Therapist: Evaluates and treats lymphedema with a focus on reducing swelling and controlling pain. Compression garments, specialized massages, bandaging methods and exercises are techniques that are often used
  14. Respiratory Therapist: Works with patients who have breathing problems, including breathing treatments and managing patients on ventilators
  15. Enterostomal Therapist: Teaches patients how to care for ostomies (surgically created openings such as a colostomy or urostomy) and wounds
  16. Sex Therapist: Counsels patients about sexual changes, problems and communication, often working with couples to help adjust after cancer treatment
  17. Speech Pathologist (SLP): Helps patients maintain swallowing and eating after radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Also helps patients with cognitive issues improve their memory and organization
  18. Vocational Counselor: Supports patients in returning to work during or after cancer treatment and helps them to learn how to accomplish job-related tasks

Rehabilitation/ Mobility

  1. Physiatrist: Specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of nerve, muscle, and bone disorders that can affect how patients move and function. Also help with pain management
  2. Exercise Physiologist: Analyzes a patient’s fitness to help them improve function, evaluates cardiovascular function and metabolism, and designs fitness plan around needs during and after cancer treatment
  3. Rehabilitation Therapist: Develops plans to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability
  4. Occupational Therapist (OT): Helps maximize the function, comfort, and safety of patients during everyday living situations at home, school and/or work
  5. Physical Therapist (PT): Helps patients improve or restore mobility, as well as reduce or eliminate pain
  6. Home Health Aide: Helps people with their personal care and household chores,which may include bathing, dressing, cooking, etc.

Mental Health/ Cognition

  1. Psychiatrist: Doctor who specializes in detecting and treating mental disorders, provides counseling and prescribes medications
  2. Neuropsychologist: Helps manage cognitive problems that patients often face during and after cancer treatment, such as “chemobrain”
  3. Psychologist: Helps patients manage emotions, adaptations to changes in life and mental health
  4. Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist: Provides counseling and helps treat stress, anxiety, depression and/or grief
  5. Marriage and Family Therapist: Provides counseling to couples and families
  6. Mental Health Counselor: Helps patients achieve emotional wellness and improve mental
  7. Bereavement Counselor: Provides support and counseling to the patient and their family as health of the patient declines. Also helps the family deal with the grief before and after the loss of a loved one

Pain Management/ Quality of Life

  1. Anesthesiologist: Doctor who administers medicines that block sensation or awareness during surgical procedures
  2. Nurse Anesthetist: Provides drugs/other agents that cause loss of feeling and/or relieve pain
  3. Hospice Nurse: Helps the patient with pain and symptom control during end-of-life care
  4. Palliative Care Doctor: Doctor that helps prevent and treat symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment with a focus on the patient’s quality of life
  5. Palliative Care Nurse: Provides supportive care to help the patient manage pain and symptoms
  6. Pharmacist: Fills prescriptions and provides education on how to take medications

Specialists

  1. Primary Care Physician: Doctor who coordinates a patient’s overall health care as gatekeeper
  2. Genetic Specialist: Provides risk assessment and support to those at risk/ diagnosed with inherited conditions and biomarker testing to predict response to cancer treatment
  3. Anesthesiologist: Doctor who administers medicines that block sensation or awareness during surgical procedures
  4. Endocrinologist: Doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases that affect hormone production
  5. Fertility Endocrinologist: Doctor who helps preserve the ability to have children and/or helps with infertility
  6. Gastroenterologist: Doctor who diagnoses and treats diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver
  7. Gynecologist: Doctor who specializes in female health issues, including treating diseases of the reproductive organs
  8. Neonatologist: Doctor who specializes in the care of newborn babies (up until ~6 weeks of age)
  9. Nephrologist: Doctor who specializes in kidney (renal) diseases
  10. Neurologist: Doctor who diagnoses and treats diseases of the nervous system
  11. Ophthalmologist: Doctor who specializes in eye diseases
  12. Otolaryngologist: Doctor who specializes in diseases and injuries of the ear, nose, and throat
  13. Pathologist: Doctor who evaluates cells and tissues to provide diagnosis and stage of cancer
  14. Hematopathologist: Doctor who specializes in diagnosing cancers of blood and immune cells
  15. Pediatrician: Doctor who cares for children and teens
  16. Pulmonologist: Doctor who diagnoses and treats diseases and cancers of the lungs and respiratory tract
  17. Urologist: Doctor who treats problems in the urinary tract

Spiritual Leaders

  1. Chaplain: Provides spiritual support to patients and their families across different faiths during health crisis situations
  2. Pastoral Counselor: Provides counseling within the context of religion and spirituality