Doctor Profile: Jennifer J. Clark, MD

I always tell my families very soon after I meet them that I'm always going to tell them, in a very straight manner, what's going on," says Dr. Jennifer J. Clark.

Fostering a family centered, communication-rich environment to support patients.

Having grown up with four younger brothers, Dr. Jennifer J. Clark is well practiced at helping children find a voice when they can't explain how they're feeling.

It's a skill she uses time and time again with her young patients facing cancer and blood disorders.

"I adore kids," says Clark, a pediatric hematologist oncologist with Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology, "and I think a lot of kids don't have a voice because it's a little bit harder for them to express what's going on inside of their bodies and what's bothering them."

Clark, who received her medical doctorate with honors from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, encourages lots of communication within the network of patients, families and medical team.

"I like working with kids, gaining their trust and trying to come up with ways to address whatever is going on with them," Clark says. "I also really enjoy working with families."
Many people who work in medicine prefer specialties in which they can focus solely on the individual patient. Clark, however, enjoys working with entire families in an effort to provide the best patient care possible.

"I like having the parents, the siblings, the aunts and uncles and the grandparents," she says. "When you have a kid who is as sick as many our kids are, you really need a good, broad support system."

To draw out questions and concerns, Clark talks directly with her patients and lets them know they are her number one concern. She then takes time with each family member to address fears and answer questions. She also encourages families to keep journals or notebooks, as it's unlikely they can anticipate every question during an appointment.

No matter how well she knows her patients, Clark says, "I'll never know them as well as their families know them."

Doctor Profile: Julie D. Zimbelman, MD

"It's a privilege to have a family entrust the care of their child to us," says Julie D. Zimbelman, MD. 

Advocating for patients and families

Dr. Julie D. Zimbelman finds great meaning and purpose each day she spends working on behalf of children with cancer.
"To be able to walk that road with people is something that's very sacred," says Zimbelman, a hematologist oncologist with Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology. "I feel we are very privy to something that's very special and spectacular and holy ground when we work with these families."

Zimbelman, who received her medical doctorate with honors from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, sees no better group worth fighting for than children.
She is amazed by their innocence and resilience and finds them a very hopeful group.

"There's so much life left in them and so much reason to work for them," she says. "Their cure rates are not a good as they need to be, but by and large, they are very hopeful."

Children are so different at each age and stage, whether infant, toddler, elementary school, adolescent or young adult, their care through cancer is especially challenging, Zimbelman says."The types of tumors we see in young kids," she says, "are different than the tumors we see in older kids."

At the same time, children with cancer are usually extremely healthy in other ways and haven't yet adopted habits, as adults have, that worsen their condition.

For Zimbelman, all of these aspects only increase the daily rewards of working to improve a child's health and future in the face of such a disease. "I think with kids, someone needs to be there for them," she says.

Inspired by patients' fighting spirits

An important photograph sits on the desk of Shay Bargery, pediatric oncology nurse and program coordinator for Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology.

It's a picture of the back of a woman's head, shaved bald and adorned with a smiley face of shaving cream.
The woman is Bargery's mom.

"I actually have a mom and a grandma who are both cancer survivors," says Bargery, a pediatric oncology nurse for more than eight years.
While her mom isn't too pleased with the displaying of the photograph, Bargery likes to keep the picture nearby to remind her "there can be life and laughter throughout cancer."

Supporting patients through ups and downs

Whether her young patients are climbing a tough uphill struggle against cancer or gliding downhill toward a cure, Shari Kabat is content to ride along and help in any way she can.

"I definitely like the interaction and the close relationships you develop with the families," says Kabat, a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner with Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology, "and I love being there to help them through rough times and good times."

Kabat is the newest addition to the RMPHO nursing staff, contributing 16 years of nursing experience in various pediatric and oncology roles in Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado.

"My husband and I loved Colorado," she says, "so we decided to come back."

In her role at RMPHO, Kabat provides assessments and treatments for pediatric hematology and oncology patients, meets with clinicians of other specialties and support staff, and provides counseling and education to families.