Radiation Oncology: Leading Teams in Technology, Training and Beyond

A Keck Medicine of USC expert discusses what makes radiation oncology teams thrive.

Radiation oncology is constantly evolving. Staying at the forefront of this specialty requires clinical excellence, implementing state-of-the-art technologies, prioritizing research and discovery, and mentoring the next generation of practitioners.

May Lin Tao, MD, a radiation oncologist with Keck Medicine of USC and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares how she leads her teams. Tao serves as medical director of the cancer program at the Keck Medicine of USC and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital joint venture in the Santa Clarita Valley. Tao also directs clinical operations for Keck Medicine’s regional radiation oncology clinics. She is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

What are some of the day-to-day elements of your leadership role?

I play numerous leadership roles at our Keck Medicine of USC and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital cancer program in the Santa Clarita Valley, onsite at our USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center radiation oncology clinic in Santa Clarita, and across Keck Medicine’s community network of regional radiation oncology clinics in both Los Angeles and Orange County.

The crux, though, of my day-to-day leadership role has to do with defining the scope of the presence of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in the community, setting standards of how we measure success in meeting the goals of satisfying the clinical care needs of the communities we are in, and establishing our pace of such, whether it’s for clinical care, clinical programming, facility and team buildouts and processes, and messaging about our mission and program ethos.

I also like to think that I provide good counsel to patients, colleagues and mentees/students. I always try to lead by example and to be a thoughtful doer.

How do you ensure that your team remains at the forefront of medical breakthroughs and innovative practices?

Our radiation oncologists are always on the forefront of distilling the latest evidence for best care as well as applying next-generation technology.

We prioritize acquiring and implementing new techniques and technologies, as well as expanding new indications for radiation therapy, even for benign chronic inflammatory conditions, in addition to cancer.

In terms of scientific investigation, we are not only active participants in many NCI-sponsored clinical trials in radiation, but we also have basic and translational scientists doing very exciting grant-funded work, such as Aram Modrek, MD, PhD, and Zhaoyang Fan, PhD, to name a couple.

How do you identify, recruit and retain top radiation oncology team members?

I look for someone who is not only well trained and has strong experience (commensurate to their level) but also someone who is both a thinker and a doer, as either a clinician or scientist, or both, because that is the culture we foster here. Whether at a junior or a senior level, that mindset always wins.

What are you and your team doing to recruit and train the next generation of radiation oncologists?

We start at the college level, and even the high school level, with programs that mentor and expose students to medicine, including students who are disadvantaged or who belong to underrepresented groups. In addition, some of our faculty regularly mentor medical students and radiation oncology residents in clinical research. We have a dedicated faculty member in Jason Ye, MD, director of clinical operations of radiation oncology at USC Norris Cancer Hospital, who coordinates medical student rotations and has been involved in mentoring numerous student and residents. We also have a joint residency program with Los Angeles General Medical Center, which all our faculty are involved in and/or who are available for guidance. Finally, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center’s regional clinics in both Los Angeles and Orange County offer opportunities for residents to gain real-world experience in radiation oncology practice.

I also enjoy guiding senior residents at the Keck School of Medicine of USC who are looking to enter the job market as radiation oncologists and hopefully giving them valuable perspective and knowledge about the breadth of options and opportunities in our field.

What are the most important strategies for maintaining an inspired and collaborative work environment within your team?

Effective communication is critical to ensure people feel connected to their team and connected to the actual work that needs to be done. This is done by recognizing all the positive things we do well day-to-day, and with an eye towards looking for what I characterize as “teaching or learning opportunities” as opposed to calling something out as a mistake or blame for what went awry. Finally, the extra ingredient is to lead with humor and humility because that will encourage joy at work and lead to feeling inspired.

What are some effective strategies your team employs to communicate well with patients?

We use an approach of intelligent but uncomplicated explanations. We also ensure we close all loops so that patients know we are with them each step of the way. This makes them more likely to go the whole mileage needed for their treatment. Opportunities to communicate and connect with patients can come at small, informal moments.

We always lead with the overarching principal of kindness. The best way for me to remember or to remind my team about how to work is to communicate with patients the way you would want to be communicated with, especially if you were in a vulnerable state.

How do you identify and strategize goals for your team?

I think of where we are and where we want to be within our larger mission. In my case, this means advancing clinical excellence to as many patients as we can touch. Keeping this in mind is helpful when growing an established program, conceiving and starting up a new program, and even when figuring out how we can improve existing operations. The SMART acronym — a framework of setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals — is often helpful in this process.

How do you approach attracting radiation oncology patients to Keck Medicine?

My guiding light is always to consider what can we do that is best in the service of a patient’s care. The message I hope we as health providers convey to patients and physicians is that we promise clinical excellence in decision making, technical execution of the highest caliber with the best available technology, and, importantly, coordinated care and service.

That last piece is as important as the first because that “wraparound” is what constitutes true, high-level care. Patients and physicians understand and recognize that when they see it all happening, and that is what attracts patients.

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