Lawrence Marks, MD

Radiation Oncologist and Researcher		 Mary Ann Robbins, RN, BSN, OCN
Many doctors know at a young age that they want to be a physician. Not me. I was always interested in math and the physical sciences like physics, and believed I would be a high school math teacher. I grew up in New York City and received my undergraduate degree from the Cooper Union School of Engineering in Manhattan. I really enjoyed college and met my wife Caryn there.

I had summer jobs as an engineer; and while I enjoyed the math and science, I couldn’t imagine engineering as my career. My parents, who had always wanted me to go to medical school, convinced me to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). I attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and liked many of the science classes. Later, I realized how much I enjoyed helping patients. Still, I had a tough time identifying a specialty. So much of medicine was qualitative, and many of the patients had non-serious problems that largely healed on their own. I went looking for my niche—a place where I could apply engineering principle to serious medical problems. Caryn, who was also a medical student at Rochester, actually discovered radiation oncology, and that became my focus.

Oncology is a field where I felt I could really make a difference. I still feel that way. We help patients with serious problems. In radiation oncology, there’s an opportunity to use a lot of math and physics; I still carry a protractor in my pocket.

Most of the patients I care for have lung or breast cancer. On a typical day in clinic we see new patients, patients who are currently being treated, and patients already treated. It’s important to me that our patients understand what is happening to them and that they feel comfortable with their treatment. I try to make my patients feel relaxed. I’ve even been known to sing if the feeling hits me—usually show tunes. Occasionally, I’ll get requests from my patients for particular songs. That’s amazing since I don’t sing well, but the patients seem to get a kick out of it. I like to tell jokes, too.

I also enjoy teaching and research. Medical students and residents often join me in clinic. I’ve taught several classes at Duke and really like the interactions with students. I’m particularly proud of the Master Clinician/Teaching Award I received from Duke in 2004. My research group studies the impact of radiation on normal tissues and is working to develop methods to minimize the risks of radiation. This is where the physics and math come in. We use radiation planning tools to determine how much radiation to give parts of the lung and heart, and then assess how the function of these organs changes as a result.

My days are full. Caryn is an anesthesiologist and usually leaves the house early. I am at home with the kids (ages 16, 13, and 11) in the morning, mostly as a referee settling sibling disputes. I usually arrive at Duke by 8:00 a.m.,and by the end of the day look forward to going home to see my family. With three active kids,and my parents and my wife’s parents (who all live in the area), our family life is full and fun.

I love what I do and especially love that I work at Duke. The wide variety of tasks—patient care, teaching, research—make my job exciting. No two days at Duke are similar, but that’s what keeps it interesting.		 Like Dr. Marks, I didn’t think about going into medicine when I was young. I started out as an education major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My roommates thought that I would be a good nurse and suggested I look into nursing. I loved it from the first class. Between my first and second year in nursing school, I had a nursing internship at Duke where I was exposed to fabulous nurses that made me fall in love with oncology.

After graduation, I moved to Tallahassee and worked on an oncology floor where I mixed and administrated chemotherapy. I then moved to Fort Worth where I began my career in radiation oncology. In November 2000, I moved back to North Carolina and began working with Dr. Marks in radiation oncology.

My day starts when I drop off my 13-year-old German shepherd Heidi with my 83 year-old father, and then it’s off to work. During an average day, we will see anywhere from 20 to 50 patients. Some will be new consults, some will be follow-ups, and other patients will be going through their radiation therapy for a weekly treatment visit. Our days are very busy,but I absolutely love it. Dr. Marks makes the days a lot of fun with his singing and his jokes. And at the end of each day, Dr. Marks takes the time to thank me and everyone that has helped in the clinic.

My job brings me challenges every day, but I also look for challenges in my personal life I entered—and completed—my first triathlon in September.

When people find out that I work in oncology, they always ask me if it is a depressing job. There are times when I am sad about a case, but I’m never depressed about my job. I get to see the human spirit triumph in times of adversity. I get great satisfaction knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life.

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