Oncologist Faculty Burnout Caused by “Unrealistic” Expectations, Says ASCO CEO

“An increasingly unrealistic set of performance expectations” is putting a strain on oncologist faculty members, says Clifford Hudis, MD, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He discussed the mounting challenges for academic cancer physicians and how ASCO is working to address them with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Hudis explained that academic oncologists are expected to be clinicians, researchers, teachers, and administrators. “And in most cases, there just isn’t a pay line and salary support for all four of those jobs, nor are there enough hours in the week for somebody to do all four of those jobs in a superb way,” he said. When it comes to ASCO’s ability to enable proactive change, Dr. Hudis explains that “we don’t have an enforcement mechanism. All we can do is shine a very bright light on reality and then ask for collective action to identify best approaches.”

Dr. Hudis reported no relevant financial relationships.

Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.