UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology January 1, 2022 - Flipbook - Page 41
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
The U.S. News & World Report rankings looked at each
hospital's patient outcomes, along with other factors
such as “the quality of their experience and whether
the hospital is adequately staffed.” UCLA Health’s
ranking was no surprise to those who’ve worked to
build and maintain its reputation as a world leader in
research and care.
Bringing World-Renowned Care to the SCV
“That’s the unique benefit for the community and the
unique benefit to the patient and the patient’s familygetting that care close to home,” said Dr. Michael
Steinberg, Chair of UCLA
Health’s Department of Radiation Oncology and
Director of Clinical Affairs for the UCLA Jonsson
Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Another particularly
important part of cancer care is that we run hundreds
of clinical trials, which are associated with stateof-the-art care — not only in terms of what’s being
offered to the patient, but in how a patient’s care
and outcomes are monitored as part of the rigors of
running a trial.”
One of the true difference makers for UCLA in terms
of the rankings, Dr. Steinberg noted, was in patient
care, where year after year the medical staff earns top
marks for treatment, attention to detail and patientfirst policies. That means anytime a staff member
enters the room, whether it’s a physician or a member
of the environmental services staff, a patient’s needs
are addressed.
A Patient-First Philosophy
The Santa Clarita Radiation Oncology facility for the
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has
been fully operational in Santa Clarita for several
months, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Xiang.
It was UCLA Health’s collaborative culture and
prioritization of patient care that attracted Dr. Xiang,
who did his undergraduate studies at MIT and
graduate education at Harvard Medical School before
completing his residency at Stanford. Dr. Xiang was
drawn to the opportunity to create new resources for
Santa Clarita Valley residents. His team now provides
leading-edge cancer care, drawing on resources from
one of the nation’s leading cancer programs. Dr. Xiang
prides himself on being involved with every patient
who’s treated at the Santa Clarita facility.
“What really drew me to the field was seeing oncology
patients during my training, caring for them, and
really appreciating the fact that cancer is such a
significant, life-changing diagnosis. Patients feel so
vulnerable, and they have so many questions — it can
be a very scary time for a lot of people,” Dr. Xiang
explained. “But being able to help guide patients
through this period, and to be able to cure or palliate
— that's really an honor and a privilege.”
Growing Resources in the SCV
With a fully operational center in the Santa Clarita
Valley, Dr. Xiang and his team are capable of treating
every type of cancer – breast, prostate, lung, head
and neck, gastrointestinal and digestive tract,
gynecological, lymphoma, brain and CNS, bladder,
skin, sarcoma, (oligo)metastatic and palliative.
Because the Santa Clarita facility is part of the UCLA
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, it provides all
the services and treatment that might be required, Dr.
Steinberg noted, meaning residents no longer have
to leave the area to receive any component of their
care. These services include medical oncology, genetic
counseling, integrative care through the Simms/Mann
Center, breast cancer surgery, interventional imaging
care, transfusions, radiation oncology and access to
clinical trials.
The Benefits of Being Closer to Home
Treatment of cancer can take weeks of daily radiation
appointments and, in rarer cases, even months. Since
the Santa Clarita facility's opening over the summer,
Dr. Xiang has seen the incredible impact that having
these resources locally has meant to his patients. A
mom who was battling breast cancer was also taking
care of family members with special needs, Dr. Xiang
mentioned, and twice-daily, hours-long trips away
from her home for treatment at another center would
have been a huge burden on her family. When the
team at the UCLA Santa Clarita Radiation Oncology
facility was able to offer a once-daily state-of-the-art
treatment approach and a much closer drive, she was
extremely grateful for the impact it had on her and her
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