Jenna Kahn, MD | Oregon

Jenna Kahn, MD

Radiation oncologist, GYN specialist

Kaiser Northwest
Portland, Oregon

Main site:
100 patients on four linacs

Average treatment times:
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Nine physicians at one center, 20 therapists (15 on site), six nurses (four on site)

The Kaiser hospitals that we are affiliated with are about a 20 to 30 minute drive, but we have medical oncology and radiology colleagues on site. Interestingly, each physician sees two Dupuytren’s consults a month, and so we have 18 Dupuytren’s consults a month, which is a lot for one clinic.

What does your commute look like?

Portland is a really fun city. A lot of my colleagues bike to work, and there’s a bike valet so it’s a very heavy bike town. I have to take a bridge over to come to work so I drive 10 minutes. The short commute helps me spend time with my daughter before I go to work and return home in time for the routine of dinner / bath / bedtime.

Do you find that trying to balance home life and professional life is difficult or a challenge at times?

My husband works from home, and we have one child and a cat named Curie, after Marie Curie. Work invigorates me, and I can’t imagine not working. Everyone at our practice works four days a week, and so I have one day that’s completely off. I typically do a spin class. This week one of our gynecologic oncologists went with me, and we went for coffee after. So it’s a really nice way to have that work-life balance and still have professional development.

Where do your patients receive chemotherapy? Is it in the same building, same clinic or separate?

We are connected to a separate building next door that houses medical oncology where patients receive chemotherapy so patients can easily go back and forth.

What challenges does your practice setting present?

Since we are 30 minutes from the hospital, inpatients come by ambulance. We have to trust our inpatient team to assess the patient is safe to come. Sometimes we have to go over to the hospital, which is pretty disruptive in the day. We also have a huge catchment area, so people are commuting from a far distance. And we don't have any satellites. So if the patient isn't treated at our site, then we have to refer them out.

Why do you enjoy or prefer your current practice setting?

It's really nice that all the physicians are at one site. We have very good clinical protocols. All of our physicians, including myself, are disease-specific, which is nice and unique in a community setting. I really enjoy that the Kaiser system allows me to deliver the treatment I feel is best without waiting on insurance approval. I'm not fighting with insurance about the differences of vaginal cancer versus cervical cancer and what that means.

What first drew you to the field of radiation oncology? And does it still apply in your job today?

I always knew I wanted to do oncology, and I found radiation oncology through doing some research and having a family member in the field. And I love the integration of technology and patient-centered care. I like palliative care. I like being able to do procedures. We're able to see pediatrics to geriatrics.
And that still is why I like it. We're constantly using new technology and thinking about how we can improve our treatments. And not all fields of medicine can constantly use AI, and here we are using it for contours. And thinking about how we can do that in informatics. Our field is small but mighty, and always trying to think about what next venture we can do and how to improve oncology care. And you know that's hard to do in a field that's not funded by pharmaceuticals.

What has changed the most about the field, or your practice in particular, during your time in radiation, oncology?

I would say that hypofractionation has changed a lot. On the other hand, there's been a lot more increased work on contouring and image fusion. Microboosts for prostate cancer has also changed the workload.

What worries you the most about your practice and the field of radiation oncology at large?

The research funding for radiation oncology has always lacked, making it difficult to see the giant changes we’ve seen in medical oncology with immunotherapy and targeted therapies. I want us to keep up and constantly move the ball forward in terms of improving outcomes..

What are you most excited about when you look to the future?

The excitement of medical students and residents every time I talk to one. I think our future always is educating the next generation of radiation oncologists.

What is your most cherished professional accomplishment?

Day to day, I most cherish my relationships with my patients. I am also trying to improve medical education with a radiation oncology virtual education platform. Sessions are open to medical students, residents, attending physicians with case-based disease site discussions among radiation oncologists from all over the country. Everyone treats things a little differently than others, and that's the art of medicine.

What does wellness mean in your life? How do you recharge or practice wellness?

I focus very hard at work, but I need that time to recharge as well. I now have a separate work phone that I do not check on the weekends or at nights, unless I'm on call. I also think the four-day work week is an underestimated huge balance of life. There's a lot of things we all need to be able to do during the week: doctor's appointments, coffee with a friend, an extra hour to drop in on your kid's school. And I don't think my patients suffer at all from me being disconnected that day.