Meet Northwell's inaugural chief of multiple myeloma

David Chung, MD, PhD, is one of Northwell Health's newest subspecialists in cancer care.

After 20 years in academic medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Chung joined the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based system in December as the inaugural system chief of multiple myeloma and director of clinical research at Northwell Health Cancer Institute. Trained as a medical oncologist who specializes in multiple myeloma, he has also been deeply involved in research, Dr. Chung told Becker's

Here he shares his priorities, challenges and next steps in his new role.

Dr. Chung's focuses this year: "Build a comprehensive care program that standardizes treatment pathways and integrates all aspects of care to ensure patients receive the best possible outcomes. And on the clinical research side, my focus is on expanding access to clinical trials."

The top-priority initiative: "One of my goals is to develop a system-wide process that broadens access to clinical research across all Northwell locations, ensuring patients of all backgrounds can participate. This includes identifying gaps in our clinical trials portfolio and determining how we can optimize and expand access across the entire system—not just at major centers, but at all locations where cancer patients are seen."

The greatest challenge he sees this year: "One of the biggest challenges is financial. Across healthcare, and particularly in oncology, the high cost of care is a major concern. This is often referred to as financial toxicity—the burden that medical costs place on patients. Cutting-edge cancer treatments are expensive, and balancing the need to deliver the most advanced care with managing out-of-pocket costs for patients is difficult. This financial strain can sometimes impact access to necessary treatments. Addressing this issue is critical to ensuring that financial constraints don't compromise patient care."

The greatest potential for innovation: "While we're not fully there yet, advancements in AI are rapidly changing how we approach cancer treatment. I believe the future of oncology will be shaped by these technologies, leading to more effective and less toxic treatments."

A transformative change that's top of mind: "If I could make one transformative change, it would be accelerating the delivery of personalized treatments. Personalized medicine is promising but incredibly complex. We have the technology for more advanced treatments, but time remains a major barrier. Cancer doesn't wait. Speeding up this process would significantly improve patient outcomes."

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