Susan Leslie Clinic for Neuroendocrine Tumours

As a psycho-oncologist, Dr. Isenberg-Grzeda's role is in diagnosing and treating the psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of cancer-related distress, and his area of specialty focuses on advanced cancer and incurable cancers. His training includes both advanced psychopharmacological treatments and cancer-specific psychotherapy, including meaning-centered psychotherapy. His research areas include thiamine-related encephalopathy in cancer patients, as well as the pharmacologic treatment of depression in neuroendocrine tumour patients.

Dr. Isenberg-Grzeda graduated from McGill medical school (2009), and completed residency in psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore Medical Center in New York (2013). He went on to pursue fellowship training in psycho-oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer in New York City, where he was also chief fellow.

As an endocrinologist, Dr. Assal supports the care of NETs patients by focusing on the assessment and management of hormonal secretion associated with the tumour. In addition, her role is crucial in diagnosing and following patients with multiple neuroendocrine neoplasia syndromes (MEN-1 and 2). She joined the multidisciplinary NET clinic team in July 2017.

As the oral anticancer medication pharmacist at the Odette Cancer Centre, Alia Thawer is involved in the management of patients taking oral drugs to treat their neuroendocrine tumours. Her role involves proactively following patients through telephone and in-person visits so that they are able to safely manage their treatment at home. This involves connecting with other health care providers to make sure toxicities are managed collaboratively with the family doctor, endocrinologist and community pharmacist. She is also involved in gaining access to new treatments for patients, as well as making sure treatments are safe to take with other medications.

Alia takes an active role in the Susan Leslie Clinic for Neuroendocrine Tumours’ team to make sure patients have timely access to treatment and are counselled on new or continuing medications to manage their tumour or disease related symptoms. She also has a special interest in educating allied health members in the community about oral treatments in neuroendocrine cancer.