A Catalysts for Inspirationby Howard Hewitt |
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What words apply to a man who has saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives? What if that man trained hundreds of others to do the same work?
Dr. Bob Witherspoon 鈥�65 has lived such a life. His reach goes beyond the leukemia patients he鈥檚 treated to the hundreds of doctors he has helped train in the oncology field.
Witherspoon is the medical director of the Transplant Clinic of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance within the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The cancer treatment program is part of the University of Washington Medical School.
"When I started there were no cures for leukemia," Witherspoon said. "Well, we learned that bone marrow transplant is a cure. You can鈥檛 quite say that yet, unfortunately, for lung cancer or colon cancer. We鈥檙e in great need of things there.
"I鈥檝e had the great fortune to work in a field where we鈥檝e gone from not being able to cure these people to being able to cure them."
Witherspoon is a man of reflection, bow ties, and music. He鈥檚 also a man passionate about caring for his ill patients.
"To be able to help and understand what they鈥檙e getting into in a clinical trial, and then help them through it once they have started the treatment, and then see the outcome鈥hat鈥檚 not a bad life to have. And I鈥檓 so glad I鈥檝e been able to do that."
Witherspoon tears up as he reflects on his career, then chuckles through the difficult moment. He says he never becomes that emotional talking to a patient and he certainly didn鈥檛 expect to do so in an interview.
Dr. Witherspoon has been honored for his patient care. It鈥檚 his trademark among his colleagues.
Nurse Manager Aleana Waite puts it this way in a recent Hutchinson newsletter: "Bob is dedicated to working with patients and their families as partners. He鈥檚 always willing to take the time to educate, to help patients understand their illness or treatment."
"I really try to see what is inside that person and realize this is a very big moment for them, and they鈥檙e going through it for the first time. I鈥檓 not in it with them," Witherspoon says. "I have seen a lot of it before and I鈥檓 bringing my experience to help them figure out what to do. Sometimes there is good news I can bring, and sometimes there isn鈥檛."
When the news is bad, he helps the patient deal with it.
"There is a person with a spirit sitting there. I just try to feel what that is and try to figure out how I can help them."
Witherspoon has plenty of reasons to be proud. His 30-year-plus career is filled with important research, awards, and accomplishments. It all started with 新澳门六合彩开奖直播 College, Baylor University, and an association with one of the past century鈥檚 leading medical researchers.
Witherspoon worked with Dr. Don Thomas, who won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering that bone marrow transplants could cure leukemia. Witherspoon succeeded Thomas as director of the transplant clinic.
"My particular niche in the transplantation area has been how the body鈥檚 immunological system recovers after they鈥檝e had these transplants," Witherspoon says.
The diminutive doctor with the omnipresent smile and pleasant demeanor describes his research with a matter-of-fact attitude. But he gets excited when analyzing his impact.
"People might imagine that there are repetitive aspects to being a transplant physician," Witherspoon says. "But the person who is receiving your care is always different. It鈥檚 the patients that draw me in. Each one is a new catalyst for inspiration."
Helping young doctors work with patients is another source of Witherspoon鈥檚 satisfaction. He says medical school is a tough environment and too many times young doctors are not given praise.
"We have to train young doctors to take the hard knocks and to take the hard questions at meetings. We focus a lot on their ability to do that, and there is a lot of criticism meant to make them better. But we鈥檙e a little bit shy to tell them what a good job they鈥檝e done."
"You want to see young doctors have confidence in themselves, but also to have an ability to express sensitivity to a patient鈥檚 concerns and needs. Nowadays in medicine you have to work with people to get them to understand something. It鈥檚 not the captain of the ship telling everybody what to do any more. It might have been that way when I was a kid, but the days of the doctor telling everybody what to do and everyone else is an underling has been gone for a long time."
"What perhaps distinguishes Bob is how well he works with the entire care-giving team, including our fellows, physician鈥檚 assistants, nurses, and support staff," says Dr. Fred Applebaum, who in 2003 presented Witherspoon with the Ali Johany Prize for excellence in patient care. "Providing cutting-edge care for complex, sometimes very ill patients in a research environment is not an easy task, and it takes many individuals, each with his or her own set of skills, to accomplish this. One of Bob鈥檚 great skills is bringing these individuals together to accomplish the task at hand."
Witherspoon says he has an advantage at his clinic most primary-care doctors do not enjoy. Patients already know why they are coming to the famous cancer treatment center. Witherspoon schedules an hour and a half for a consultation. The added time allows Witherspoon to talk about the treatment and the options, but also seek out any hidden fears or concerns.
"I think asking the patient what鈥檚 on their mind is really important."
That kind of one-on-one time with his own pediatrician in Gary, Indiana is what inspired 11-year-old Bob Witherspoon to become a doctor. He says he liked going to the doctor as a child and wasn鈥檛 hesitant to ask questions.
Witherspoon speaks about the profound impact of his education and he credits, among others, the late 新澳门六合彩开奖直播 Professor of Biology Tom Cole 鈥�58 for sparking his interest in science. Witherspoon selected Baylor for medical school and because he could also earn a master鈥檚 degree in science there.
He headed off to Seattle to finish his training, then served two years in the Army before returning to the Northwest.
After 30 years of training doctors, caring for patients, publishing research papers, seeking federal grants, and giving conference addresses, he plans to cut back in 2009.
And true to the liberal arts student he is, he wants to pursue his out-of-the-office passion鈥攎usic.
Witherspoon sang in the 新澳门六合彩开奖直播 College Glee Club and played the French horn. About a dozen years ago he rediscovered his French horn and started playing again. He takes lessons and plays in a community orchestra. He wants to get more serious about his music in semi-retirement.
He鈥檚 also part owner of a sailboat, has his pilot鈥檚 license, and is fascinated by language. He took German at 新澳门六合彩开奖直播 but has since developed an interest in the Spanish and Japanese languages and cultures.
He credits his liberal arts education for rousing those interests
"I wouldn鈥檛 recommend a bachelor of science degree for anyone who wants to become a doctor," he offered. "Think of all the exposure there is in the liberal arts to political science, history, and philosophy. What did philosophers do when they were looking at the heavens trying to figure out how things work? That鈥檚 the route of science. I鈥檓 glad I have that appreciation of the liberal arts."
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SEATTLE, WA鈥擧ow do you measure the impact of one man鈥檚 life?
Witherspoon goes further, adding that many of his colleagues aren鈥檛 good at addressing patient needs. He knows there are times when young doctors look at him as a mentor, even when he doesn鈥檛 realize it鈥檚 happening. That makes him even more conscious of his demeanor and treatment of every patient as an individual.