Michael L. Grossbard, MD

I chose to work in medical oncology 25 years ago because I understood that tremendous advances in cancer therapies were coming. Those advances would allow people to live longer and healthier lives, with improved treatment outcomes and reduced side effects. Medicine stands at the intersection of compassion and science, and as a medical oncologist, I have the opportunity to pursue these passions while building long-lasting relationships with my patients.

I primarily care for people who have leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. When I meet with people for the first time, my goals are to confirm their diagnoses and assess the extent of the disease. When developing a treatment plan for patients, I factor in their families and life circumstances to create a plan that best meets their needs. Additionally, I try to be available to my patients at all times in case a patient’s health changes suddenly. If someone is not feeling well, my nurse practitioner and I make time to see him or her that day. I try to see new patients within 48 hours after their call.

One of my roles at Perlmutter Cancer Center is to enhance the clinical services and clinical trials that we offer for people who have blood or bone marrow conditions, and to improve the overall patient experience. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to develop novel antibody therapies for people who have lymphoma, and subsequently, these treatments became the standard of care for lymphoma therapy. Currently, I participate in research trials to develop new treatments for lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma.