Meet the Doctor: Naveen Pemmaraju

Receiving the news you have cancer is one of the most frightening things a person can hear. And when that happens, you want to go somewhere you know you'll receive the best treatments and see a physician who is an expert in your exact malignancy.

We are fortunate here in the Texas Gulf Coast chapter of the LLS that we get to meet and interact with some of the greatest cancer doctors on the planet in the Texas Medical Center, those who are leading the way to bringing us to the end of blood cancer.

Meet Dr. Pemmaraju:

Naveen Pemmaraju, M.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. His energy and enthusiasm are evident as he works tirelessly to kill the cancer in his patients and continue studying causes and better treatment options so that future generations will not have to suffer through acute leukemia.

Dr. Pemmaraju grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He went to college at Tulane in New Orleans before returning to his home state to attend University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He did his residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and finally in  2008, he came to MD Anderson in Houston for his fellowship in hematology and oncology.

"I knew I wanted to be a hematologist/oncologist since I was in late high school/early college," he said, "it was a calling for me to seek leukemia." He learned much from his dad who is a pathologist as well as several mentors at Johns Hopkins and MD Anderson. Their passion for the eradication of these diseases represented how he wanted to approach patients and research.

"I really love engaging in patient-oriented clinical investigation and clinical research," he said, "I focus my time on research: patients with AML, MPNs and a rare hematologic malignancy known as Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic cell neoplasm. I'm also very interested in research involving adolescent and young adults with myeloid malignancies."

Curing blood cancers is at the top of the list of Dr. Pemmaraju's priorities. "A lot of people don't realize there are as of yet no standard therapies available for a lot of my patients," he said, "there are just no widely available approved therapies for these subgroups and there is urgent need. I see patients every day that need access to these kinds of therapies." About his fellow physicians, he says, "we come to work every day not only to take care of patients, but to find therapies and cures for our patients."

And in recent years, he has seen quite a few breakthroughs. For example, in his area of work, the pioneering of Ruxolitinib, the first approved JAK inhibitor in treatment of higher risk Myelofibrosis was led by his group with Dr. Verstovsek and Dr. Kantarjian. "I have observed the benefits of this drug in the clinic myself and this is very satisfying when previously these lovely patients didn't have any therapies available." He is also excited about the development of targeted therapies which target cancer cells while leaving normal, healthy cells unharmed.

"I think oncology is a special way of life with many rough days for the patient and the provider," he said, "It's not just a career. For me it's a way of life, a calling, a permanent state of being. I laugh with my patients, I cry sometimes with them, I hold hands, I have learned how to deliver bad news to a patient with a room full of relatives, and I have had days of pure joy shared with my patients' smiles at bedside on the day we find out about a remission." He sees many postives and negatives every day. "My goal is to be there, in the moment with my patient through every step of their cancer journey."

One of the ways he deals with the challenges of this calling is through writing about his patient encounters and experiences. He has even had the chance to publish some of his poems and essays. "It's a great way for me to communicate my unique thoughts and experiences at life's most harrowing situations of health, death and dying that I'm witness to on a daily basis."

And Dr. Pemmaraju says he could never fulfill his calling as an oncologist without the support of his wife Aditi. "Without her, my dedication to my patients and my research would be impossible," he said, "She is my sounding board, my comfort zone, my partner, my best friend. She keeps me sailing through uncertain waters of what I do day in and day out." He says that she and his two young children keep him grounded and balanced so he can get up each day and treat his patients.

We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Pemmaraju and all of the amazing blood cancer doctors for their dedication to wiping out these diseases. Someday, thanks to their efforts, there will be no more blood cancer. They truly are making someday today.