Lawrence Nathan Shulman

Lawrence Nathan Shulman, M.D.

Lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine

Dr. Shulman, currently appointed at the University of Pennsylvania,  was chief of staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute from 2012 to 2015, at which time he also accepted leadership roles as the Institute’s director of regional strategy development and director of the Center for Global Cancer Medicine. He has worked with Partners In Health to bring quality cancer care to Rwanda. He affiliated with the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine in 2013.

He received his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Shulman began his career with the goal of developing clinical expertise in oncology, and most recently in the care of patients with breast cancer but from very early on was invested in the development of models of clinical care which would lead to better patient experience and quality. This has included work in Harvard institutions, a regional network in New England, and in global sites in Africa, Haiti, Korea, Israel and elsewhere. Synergistic activities have included innovations in health information technology, cancer survivorship care, and other related areas.

Harvard based activities: In the 1980’s Dr. Shulman led the development of the first hematology-oncology units at Harvard Community Health Plan, then in the 1990’s as Clinical Director of the Hematology-Oncology Unit at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital he led the program in a rapid growth phase, and then in the late 1990’s as Chief Medical Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, led the development of a new multidisciplinary cancer program combining the DFCI and BWH programs. They were among the leaders of development of this innovative approach to care.

New England Regional Cancer Network: Dr. Shulman has led the development of a regional network of DFCI/BWH cancer centers which have been unique clinical programs providing comprehensive cancer care in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. As Director of DFCI’s Department of Regional Strategy and Development he oversaw these activities. They are among the national leaders in network development, and together with colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance formed a consortium to further innovate in this area.

International Efforts: Dr. Shulman has been involved in bringing whatever expertise he has in oncology clinical care to others in Korea, Israel, and together with Paul Farmer and Partners In Health, to Rwanda, Malawi and Haiti. In Rwanda he has led the development of the Butaro Cancer Center which provides the only widely available cancer care in the country. This is viewed as a unique example of the provision of cancer care in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, a very resource constrained environment, and have been recognized by requests for Dr. Shulman to speak at high-level meetings. In addition, he led the DFCI partnership with the Asan Medical Center of Seoul, S Korea, which encompasses physician and nurse education, translational research, genomics research (there is a DFCI Center for Cancer Genomics Discovery at Asan), and fellowship exchange.

Quality of Cancer Care: An essential component of Dr. Shulman's work in cancer care systems both in the US and abroad, has been innovation to improve quality of the care delivered. He has led many of the projects at DFCI, and elsewhere, and hashad national leadership roles as Chair of the Quality of Care Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and of the Quality Integration Committee of the Commission on Cancer (CoC). He helped lead delivery of the first edition of the CoC Cancer Quality Improvement Program (CQIP), a quality report distributed to over 1500 CoC accredited hospitals and covering over 70% of the cancer patients in the US. He helped plan the first two annual Quality Symposia for ASCO, held in 2012 and 2013, and was on the planning committee for the 2014 meeting.

Heath Information Technology: Dr. Shulman has led the development of oncology clinical systems for BWH beginning in 1992, and subsequently Partners and DFCI. He serves on the ASCO HIT workgroup, and has served on oncology and clinical research workgroups for the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

Cancer Survivorship: Dr. Shulman has worked in a leadership role with LIVESTRONG helping to lead the development of their cancer survivorship network, and has also helped in the development of the DFCI Adult Survivorship program.

Address: 
450 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Deputy Director for Clinical Services at the Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania

Director, Center for Global Cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania

Abramson Cancer Center
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

ASO Author Reflections: Better Understanding of What We Have Learned from Cancer Care Quality Metrics.
Authors: Authors: Shulman LN.
Ann Surg Oncol
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Older-Patient-Specific Cancer Trials: A Pooled Analysis of 2,277 Patients (A151715).
Authors: Authors: Dao D, Zemla T, Jatoi A, Freedman RA, Hurria A, Muss H, Cohen HJ, Shulman LN, Citron M, Budman D, McMurray R, Partridge A, Carey L, Sedrak MS, Lafky JM, Le-Rademacher JG.
Oncologist
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Does time to adjuvant chemotherapy (TTC) affect outcomes in patients with triple-negative breast cancer?
Authors: Authors: Pomponio MK, Keele LJ, Fox KR, Clark AS, Matro JM, Shulman LN, Tchou JC.
Breast Cancer Res Treat
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Enhancing Career Paths for Tomorrow's Radiation Oncologists.
Authors: Authors: Vapiwala N, Thomas CR, Grover S, Yap ML, Mitin T, Shulman LN, Gospodarowicz MK, Longo J, Petereit DG, Ennis RD, Hayman JA, Rodin D, Buchsbaum JC, Vikram B, Abdel-Wahab M, Epstein AH, Okunieff P, Goldwein J, Kupelian P, Weidhaas JB, Tucker MA, Boice JD, Fuller CD, Thompson RF, Trister AD, Formenti SC, Barcellos-Hoff MH, Jones J, Dharmarajan KV, Zietman AL, Coleman CN.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
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Developing a Quality of Cancer Survivorship Care Framework: Implications for Clinical Care, Research and Policy.
Authors: Authors: Nekhlyudov L, Mollica MA, Jacobsen PB, Mayer DK, Shulman LN, Geiger AM.
J Natl Cancer Inst
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Impact of Essential Medicine Stock Outs on Cancer Therapy Delivery in a Resource-Limited Setting.
Authors: Authors: Martei YM, Grover S, Bilker WB, Monare B, Setlhako DI, Ralefala TB, Manshimba P, Gross R, Shulman LN, DeMichele A.
J Glob Oncol
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Dr. Shulman is involved in research and care for patients with breast cancer and lymphoma. His interests include innovations in cancer care delivery, both in the US and in resource constrained settings, including Rwanda, Botswana and Haiti.