I*CARE Roundtable

Dr. Walter Baile interviews national/international experts about communication skills, leadership and their latest research.

Roundtable with Dr. Timothy Gilligan (27:17)

A conversation on the challenges facing healthcare institutions that wish to improve communication between providers and patients, the implementation of a communication skills program for physicians at the Cleveland Clinic and the key elements to its success with Timothy Gilligan, M.D., Co-director, Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication, Medical Director, Inpatient Solid Tumor Oncology, Program Director, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program.

Roundtable with Dr. Dennis Novack (33:41)

A conversation on the therapeutic aspects of clinician-patient relationships with Dennis Novack, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean of Medical Education, Drexel University College of Medicine.

Roundtable with Dr. James Tulsky (20:43)

A conversation on teaching communication skills to oncologists with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and James Tulsky, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Nursing, Chief, Duke Palliative Care, Durham, NC on February 12, 2013.

Roundtable with Dr. Richard Patt (28:44)

A conversation with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Richard B. Patt, M.D., Former Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Neuro-Oncology, Director of Anesthesia Pain Services and Deputy Chief, department of Pain and Symptom Management, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Medical Director of Inpatient Services, Hospice at The Texas Medical Center and President and Chief Medical Officer, The Patt Center for Cancer Pain and Wellness on November 6, 2012.   More

Dr. Patt discusses his journey from being a successful doctor to a stage IV lung cancer patient. Follow him on his Houston Chronicle Blog.

Roundtable with Dr. Luigi Grassi (34:46)

A conversation about a method of detecting patient distress using the “Distress Thermometer” with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Luigi Grassi, M.D., Professor and Chair of Psychiatry, Chair Department of Biomedical & Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy on May 1, 2012.

Roundtable with Dr. Harvey Chochinov (33:23)

A conversation about how dignity conserving strategies can help patients and families face the end of life with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Harvey Max Chochinov, M.D. Ph.D. FRCPC FRSC, Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care, Distinguished Professor-Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Director-Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on April 26, 2012.

Roundtable with Dr. David Gaba (26:15)

A conversation about using simulation to teach oncologists communication skills with Walter Baile, M.D. and David Gaba, M.D., Professor of Anesthesia and Associate Dean for Immersive and Simulation-based Learning at Stanford University on March 15, 2012.

Roundtable with Dr. Leslie Schover (23:46)

A conversation on communicating with cancer patients about sexuality and fertility issues with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Leslie R. Schover, Ph.D., Professor of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on February 7, 2012.

Roundtable with Dr. David Kissane (31:58)

A conversation on communicating with families in cancer care with Walter Baile, M.D. and David W. Kissane, M.D., Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Jimmie C. Holland Chair on December 13, 2011.

Roundtable with Rebecca Walters (26:23)

A conversation about methods to enhance relationships with patients and others by creating empathic understanding and improved communication with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Rebecca Walters, MS, LMHC, TEP, Director at Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute on May 26, 2011.

Roundtable with Dr. Massimo Biondi (24:51)

A conversation on the psychobiology of communication and doctor-patient relationships with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Massimo Biondi, M.D. on May 10, 2011.

Roundtable with Dr. Susan Block (35:57)

A conversation about having early values and goals discussions with oncology patients with poor prognoses with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Susan Block, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at Harvard Medical School on March 22, 2011.

Roundtable with Dr. Thomas Smith (28:28)

A conversation about how and why oncologists should help patients make treatment decisions with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Thomas Smith, M.D. of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and a Massey Endowed Professor of Palliative Care Research and Medicine on February 1, 2011.

Roundtable with Dr. Richard Street Jr. (35:57)

A conversation about evidence-based findings that link effective communication with important health outcomes for patients and families with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Richard L. Street Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University University on June 8, 2010.

Roundtable with Dr. Eduardo Bruera (27:05)

A conversation on the role of the health care professional in delivering support to the patient and family at the end of life with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Eduardo Bruera, M.D., Chair, Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on April 6, 2010.

Roundtable with Dr. Robert Buckman (18:52)

A conversation with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Robert Buckman, M.D., Ph.D. who teaches you to say "the wrong thing" in the right way and keeps you laughing as you learn.   More

Dr. Buckman is a medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, a professor at the University of Toronto, and adjunct professor at MD Anderson. Communicating difficult messages has always been one of Dr. Buckman's critical skills, and laughter is some of his best medicine.

Roundtable with Dr. Terrance L. Albrecht (31:58)

A conversation about provider communication and patient accrual to cancer clinical trials with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Terrance L Albrecht, Ph.D.   More

Dr. Albrecht is the program leader for the Communication and Behavioral Oncology Program, assistant program leader for the Population Studies and Prevention Program, director of the new Behavioral and Field Research Core and principal investigator of the Cancer Information Service Partnership Program at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan. She is also a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Roundtable with Dr. Antonella Surbone (28:49)

A conversation about cultural competence with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Antonella Surbone, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Surbone trained in radiation therapy and medical oncology at the National Tumor Institute in Milan, Italy, and at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda.   More

She is currently professor of medicine at New York University, New York, and lecturer in moral philosophy and bioethics at the Universities of Rome and Turin, Italy. From 2004 to 2006 she was head of the Teaching Research & Development Department of the European School of Oncology in Milan, Italy. She has published extensively in the fields of medical oncology and bioethics, focusing on patient-doctor communication and relationship, truth telling and cultural competence, ethical and social implications of genetic testing for cancer predispositions, ethics of clinical trials in the elderly and disclosure of medical errors in oncology. Selected References (pdf)

Free Download: Pocket Guide of Culturally Competent Communication (pdf)

Roundtable with Dr. Anthony Back (21:00)

A conversation about what to say when the chemo did not work with Walter F. Baile, M.D. and Anthony Back, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.   More

Dr. Back is director of the Cancer Communication and Palliative Care Programs at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC). He is a board-certified medical oncologist whose primary research interests are doctor-patient communication and palliative care, and he practices gastrointestinal oncology. Dr. Back was a faculty scholar on the Project on Death in America and is a member of the ASCO Communication Task Force. He is the principal investigator for The Oncotalk Teach communication skills training program for Medical Oncology fellows (R25 CA 119019), and is an investigator on other NIH-funded observational studies of doctor-patient communication about hope and information (R01 PI J.R. Curtis) and prognosis in hematologic malignancies (R01 P.I. Stephanie Lee).

MedScape interview with Dr. Walter Baile
(External link. MD Anderson does not endorse external sites. Log in may be required.)

Although all clinicians need to be adept at communicating with patients, oncologists in particular are faced with difficult conversations on a regular basis.   More

Informing a patient about a cancer diagnosis, the fact that a tumor is inoperable, the recurrence of disease or the progression of disease are daily challenges for many oncologists. Considering the frequency of bad news in the cancer setting, communicating in a clear, respectful and supportive way is a very important skill for oncologists. Dr. Walter Baile, professor of behavioral science and director of the I*CARE Program, talks about communicating with cancer patients, focusing on those particularly delicate conversations that take place when the news is bad.