I’m a nurse practitioner who cares for people with clonal hematopoiesis (CH). CH is a condition where a single blood cell develops a genetic mutation. This can increase a person’s risk of developing leukemia or even cardiovascular disease.
I care for patients at the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I also offer consults via telemedicine, which means that I speak with patients over a video or phone call.
When patients meet with me, we discuss their test results and what they mean. Helping patients manage CH involves educating them about the condition, monitoring their blood work or other test results, and possibly a clinical trial. A clinical trial is a research study that tests how well a new treatment may work.
Some of the most common questions and concerns that I hear from my patients about CH are:
- Is this something that I could pass down to my children?
- Do I have a blood cancer?
- What can be done to manage CH?
I take the time to address these questions. It is important to me that patients feel informed and reassured after meeting with me. Besides caring for patients, I help with clinical trials. I also help researchers do their work to better understand CH.
When I am not working, I enjoy watching a Broadway show and spending time with my family.