Get to Know ... Marlise Luskin, MD, MSCE

Marlise Luskin, MD, MSCE, Educational Director of the Adult Leukemia Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, discusses why she pursued hematology-oncology, how she overcomes career challenges, and more.

Where did you grow up, and how did you know you wanted to be a hematologist-oncologist?

I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Midwest of the United States. When I was growing up, I did not know I wanted to be a hematologist. There are some people who have their path set out from an early age and know they want to be a physician. For me, it was more of a journey getting closer to hematology at different steps along the way.

I love reading and writing. When I was younger, I thought I might be an English teacher. As I made my way through high school and college, I realized that science was where I was headed. I was motivated by interactions with patients and their families, which led me to medical school as opposed to graduate school for a PhD in biology. I wanted to combine my interest in science and my interest in people. It was the right decision. I’ve never regretted it or looked back, even when there were challenges in this career.

I became interested in hematology-oncology during my medical school rotations, but I didn’t decide on that until I was partway through my internal medicine training. Hematology-oncology blended all the things I liked most about medicine. I liked being able to see things with my own eyes, looking at blood smears, and making diagnoses on my own without having to rely on fancy tests or other people (although we certainly do those things now). I could interact with patients and see the results of my interventions right away. I got to be both a specialist and the generalist. I didn’t have to choose if I wanted to be a primary care doctor or a specialist because, for our patients with blood disorders and leukemias, we’re often managing all aspects of their care, which is really rewarding as well.

How did you get started with clinical research?

Sometimes, your focus develops based on interests and opportunities. When I took the job here at the Dana-Farber, I was interested in caring for patients with leukemia. I had been trained by my mentors at the University of Pennsylvania, and I took a gut training in leukemia and bone marrow transplant. When I came here to Dana-Farber, I was given an opportunity by my current boss, Daniel DeAngelo, MD, PhD, to participate in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) research. As a junior faculty, I took a deeper dive into this disease, which I had been exposed to but hadn’t necessarily focused on. The opportunity arose and I said, “Hey, this is really interesting.”

Over the last eight years, I have gotten involved in clinical research related to ALL with a combination of learning how to do clinical trials. I’ve found a blend of both clinical trials and retrospective clinical research focusing on ALL, which is something that I’ve really enjoyed. It takes time to build expertise and learn how to do research. It’s something I’m still learning. It adds a dimension of depth and satisfaction to my career.

What are some challenges you face in your career?

No job worth doing isn’t without challenges. I think there are different types of challenges. First, there are the administrative and logistical hurdles of getting patients medication, fusions, and tests in the complex health care environment. Sometimes it’s related to the institution where you’re providing care, and sometimes it’s related to the patient’s support system or financial or insurance coverage. Learning how to navigate those hurdles and get your patients the care they need is a set of challenges we face every day.

Another challenge is balancing all the competing demands, particularly for those of us who are lucky enough to be in academic medicine, which is wonderful and exciting. We get to use different parts of our brains; we have days where we see patients in clinic, either in the outpatient setting or in the hospital where there’s more acuity. But then we’re switching gears and working on teaching, mentoring, lecturing, advising, and doing research and administrative tasks for managing a program. It’s a challenge trying to balance all those competing demands, which don’t always recognize the other. But it’s a good challenge to have. It means I get to do different things on different days and feel rewarded in different ways.

The most profound challenge is taking care of patients and bearing witness to the impact that diseases have on their lives. In some cases, we’re able to get them through a challenging period successfully, cure or control their disease, and allow them to continue pursuing their lives in the way they hoped to before. In other cases, the success of our treatments is not as good as we would hope. Caring for patients during those difficult journeys certainly has an emotional impact. And it should, because we’re taking care of our fellow human beings.

Were there any mentors who shaped your career path? In medical school or your fellowships or beyond?

The people that stick out in my mind who inspired me to be the doctor that I am today have been at both the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital here in Boston, where I work and did my internal medicine residency. Robert Soifer, MD, Chief of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber, was very inspiring when I was a medical resident. Leaders of our leukemia group, Richard Stone, MD, and Martha Wadleigh, MD, also inspired me when I was a “Baby Doc.” I left Dana-Farber, completed my fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, then had the opportunity to come back. Joining the faculty here with so many people I admire is truly something I never thought would be possible.

I did my clinical training under Alison Loren, MD, MSCE, Chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology and Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation at Penn Medicine. Her approach to patient care, mentoring, and lifting up those around her is something I really found inspirational.

What advice do you give to your own mentees?

We’re lucky that in medicine, there’s so many different careers that provide lots of different opportunities. However, it can feel daunting to figure out the right path. So, remember to take lots of advice and ask your mentors how they care for patients, how they have been successful in their research careers, how they got to where they are today, what challenges they face, and which strategies helped them be successful.

I always tell my mentees to get exposure to and find many different role models and mentors, because no two human beings are the same. When we give advice to mentees, we’re often modeling it on our own experiences. That mentee has different strengths, different skill sets, and often joined the workforce at a different time.

Blend the experiences of people who have had different journeys and apply the lessons that are most applicable to the challenges you might be facing. You probably won’t be able to take everybody’s advice, but be open to course correction when you do get advice.

Try to keep an open mind about redirection or advice, because course correction earlier on might save you time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears down the road. Consider evaluating your own experience. You might think that you enjoy a particular field, or a particular type of research or clinical environment, and decide to pursue that. But if you find that it’s not the right fit, do that course correction early on.

Based on your own personal circumstances and the realities of the job market, you may need to calibrate your strategy. Are you restricted to a geographic area, or are you flexible to relocate for your ideal job? It’s important to find the balance between idealism and realism to help you feel fulfilled in your career.

What do you hope to see in the field over the next 10 years?

There have been a number of new drug approvals, and outcomes are improving for patients with ALL of different subtypes. However, it’s still a challenging disease. There are high-risk subtypes, chemotherapy-resistant ALL, and patients with other comorbidities who don’t tolerate current treatments. I’m looking forward to improving the range of options for our patients and understanding how to best tailor treatment in terms of intensity and drug choice for patients regardless of their situation. It’s a rare disease, so it requires a lot of international cooperation. I look forward to building on our knowledge base and moving the needle forward year by year for our patients.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of work?

I will be honest—I spend a lot of time working. The nine-to-five is filled with clinical work and immediate needs. A lot of research, reading, and thinking goes on after hours, and that’s something I do by choice. You will find me in the evenings and some weekends reading papers from my colleagues and continuing to develop that expertise. This is important when you’re in the patient’s room the following week with the specific problem. You want to make sure that your research is up to date. Work-life balance is important, but developing a passion and a career is okay too.

However, we all need to take a break. It’s important to let your brain have some diastole. I enjoy spending time with friends outside of work, trying new restaurants, being outdoors, and going for hikes. I also enjoy reading novels and catching up on my favorite Netflix shows.