Dr. Susan F. Slovin

At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Susan F. Slovin, MD, PhD, guides a genitourinary-oncology team that unites medical oncologists, urologic surgeons, nuclear-medicine physicians, radiation therapists, pathologists, radiologists, pharmacists, mental-health clinicians, social-work experts, and nurse navigators before a first appointment is even scheduled. Multidisciplinary conferences review prostate-specific-membrane-antigen PET scans, next-generation genomic and germline sequencing, bone-health metrics, cardiometabolic profiles, and each person’s stated life priorities so surgery, radioligand therapy, systemic treatment, and rehabilitation advance along one coherent timeline. Nurse navigators arrange port placement, exercise-physiology evaluation, fertility consultation, and supportive-care teaching in a single calendar block, while financial advocates verify prior authorisations and outline cost-sharing options. At the opening visit Dr. Slovin translates complex findings into plain language, hands patients a printed roadmap that lists every step from imaging through survivorship, and uploads the same plan to the portal so all clinicians deliver identical guidance. Tele-medicine check-ins linked to laboratory or imaging milestones keep families outside New York engaged without disruptive travel. This tightly aligned structure shortens time to therapy, prevents duplicate tests, and offers steady confidence that every element of care is covered by one unified team. 

 

Bench-to-bedside research fuels many of those decisions. Slovin’s translational program interrogates androgen-receptor resistance, protein-targeted radioimmunotherapy, and cellular-therapy platforms capable of amplifying natural-killer-cell cytotoxicity. A flagship first-in-human trial paired actinium-225–labeled J591 with single-dose escalation and demonstrated safety plus preliminary anticancer activity in men whose metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer had progressed after standard options. Follow-up studies combine the same antibody with complement augmentation or DNA-repair inhibition, while parallel projects test CAR T-cell constructs designed to recognise prostate antigens despite low surface density. Biospecimens collected at every visit feed a living biobank that links genomic drift, circulating-tumour-DNA kinetics, and quantitative imaging, compressing the gap between hypothesis and real-time treatment choice. Early analyses already suggest that visceral lesions with high PSMA expression respond best to actinium yet may escape lutetium, information now shared during consent to tailor expectations and spare ineffective exposure. By embedding laboratory insight in everyday practice, Slovin aligns therapy with evolving tumour biology and preserves quality of life while maintaining oncologic intent.

 

Beyond the bench and clinic, Slovin devotes significant energy to education and outreach. As Associate Vice Chair for Academic Affairs she mentors fellows through case-based seminars that pair rigorous evidence appraisal with clear, compassionate dialogue, and she co-authors national guidance on PSMA imaging, immunotherapy sequencing, and radioligand dosing. Community webinars explain CAR T therapy, exercise during hormonal blockade, and shared decision making about genomic testing; captioned recordings translated into Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic are archived for on-demand viewing worldwide. A tele-tumour board she helped create lets regional clinicians upload images and pathology slides for same-day feedback, reducing travel burdens for older adults or those with limited mobility. Inside Memorial Sloan Kettering she championed a patient-reported-outcome dashboard that alerts nurses to rising pain, mood changes, or skeletal-event risk between visits, prompting timely outreach that sustains adherence and confidence. Patients and caregivers therefore gain not only state-of-the-science care but also accessible tools that empower them to participate fully in decisions shaping their journey.