Dr. Theo Nicolaides is one of my favorite people. From the first time we met till today, Dr. Nicolaides is knowledgeable, kind, unbelievable smart, fun and funny. I was so honored when he agreed to be on the JZips board and I thought this was a perfect way to introduce him.
Jordan: Thank you for taking time to answer these questions.
Dr. Nicolaides: Excited to be a part of this! sure, happy to answer some questions for your blog!
Q: As an oncologist who faces so many challenges between each patient, how do you manage to always keep such a positive outlook and mentality every day?
A: Well, it’s a privilege to be able to help patients and families that find themselves in these very tough situations. I’d say the things that keep me upbeat are:
1) the fact that the majority of children have a good outcome after being diagnosed with cancer (this is in contrast to some adults with cancer).
2) I know that the treatment journey for patients and their families can be a difficult one, both emotionally and physically, and so I think it’s important for the treatment team (nurses, doctors, and others) to be as positive as possible.
Q: What is the rarest cancer you have treated?
A: Desmoplastic Small Round Blue Cell Tumor of the abdomen. This is a very rare (maybe 25-50 cases a year in the USA?) sarcoma of the abdomen that affects adolescent and young adult males mostly and has a very poor prognosis.
Q: What motivated you to become a pediatric oncologist?
A:I was a molecular biology major in college and I was always fascinated by how a healthy cell becomes cancerous through hijacking the normal machinery of the cell. As I entered medical school, I had a strong interest in oncology. Subsequently, I realized that I was much more interested in taking care of children with their whole lives ahead of them, as opposed to a 90 year old with their lives behind them.
Q: How many years did you study in college and post college?
A:I attended college for 4 years, medical school for 4 years, and then 3 years for pediatrics residency, followed by three years of pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training. It sure looks like a lot when I list it like that!!
Q: How do you keep up with the latest technology and research?
A: This is a good question, as it can be overwhelming at times! I don’t really keep up with all the new gadgets…I’m not an early adopter of iPhones or apple watches or anything like that. Regarding scientific research, however, it is important for me to be up to date, both for the care of my patients and for my research laboratory. In order to keep up to date, I have the table of contents of around 15 different medical journals sent to me electronically as soon as they are released. Additionally, I have created ~10 saved searched on the National Institutes of Health library database (“Pubmed”) that I look at for updates every weekday morning, while I am having my caffeine jolt.
Q: If you could pick another field of work other than the medical field what would you choose and why?
A: If I had an order of magnitude more skill at sports, I would have enjoyed being a professional athlete, but given that is not at all realistic, I would choose to have been a science teacher. I was fortunate to have had many excellent and supportive teachers growing up, and I think it would have been very rewarding to help train the next generation.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Yes! I enjoy playing and watching soccer, golf, and tennis. I also enjoy open-water swimming and going on hikes with my wife, Melissa, and our dog, Henrietta.
