Our Medical Team
Jennifer J. Clark, MD | John van Doorninck, MD | Julie D. Zimbelman | Shari Kabat, CRNP | Shay Bargery, RN
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, Dr. 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."
John van Doorninck, MD
In his fourth year of medical school, Dr. John van Doorninck's career plans crystallized after a one-month rotation in the pediatric hematology/oncology unit.
“I was moved by a number of things," van Doorninck says. "The children demonstrated a vitality and strength of spirit that prevailed through very difficult diagnoses and treatments. The parents of the children revealed capacities for courage few are called upon to demonstrate. Their love for their children was an example of people living for something greater than themselves, which was a big lesson for me as a young adult. I also was moved by the people who chose the field of pediatric hematology/oncology as a profession. I felt that they were intelligent, compassionate people.”
Working with children also keeps him young, says van Doorninck, a Denver native who is now married with one son.
“It is healthy for adults to be around children," he says. "They remind us to maintain a curious and playful relationship with the world, things that can sometimes be lost in adulthood.”
Up until pediatric hematology/oncology captured his interest, van Doorninck's desire to practice medicine grew from his fascination with the intersection of science and people.
"In childhood I knew some physicians, and I thought they were very good and caring people, so I was drawn to them," he says. "I also found that I was very interested in the humanistic aspects of practicing medicine."
As a 20 year old, he took a job working in a burn unit, which impacted his academic pursuits at Willamette University in Salem, OR. “In this job I participated in direct care of burn victims. It very was challenging work, but deeply rewarding to help people in the midst of such difficult circumstances. Also, I found myself quite interested in the medical aspects of things. The physicians were good to me. They let me follow them on rounds and brought me to the operating room to observe surgery. It was a very important experience, humanistically and intellectually. I then declared a major in biology to chart a course to medical school.”
After completing his undergraduate degree, van Doorninck began medical school at Vanderbilt University, where during a biochemistry lecture during his second week he was introduced to a physician who made a big impression on him.
He asked the physician, Dr. John Lukens, who turned out to be the head of division pediatric hematology/oncology, to be his academic mentor.
"He had a remarkable presence," van Doorninck says. "A calm nature, very kind, and a mix of intellectual and emotional intelligence rarely encountered and to which I was immediately drawn."
It wasn't until van Doorninck's fourth year of medical school that, in honor of his academic mentor, he did a rotation in pediatric hematology/oncology. He had been planning a career in surgery or emergency medicine, yet after that month he made a decisive shift to pediatric hematology/oncology.
“I changed my life plan in that month,” he says.
From that point, he could see his specific path in medicine was to help children fighting cancer and the vast array of blood disorders. After van Doorninck completed his medical degree at Vanderbilt University, he went on to residency and fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
"I went to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for my training because it is one of the outstanding pediatric cancer, hematology, and bone marrow transplant centers in the nation," he says.
During that time, he was able to work with a research mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Lawlor, investigating Ewing sarcoma and using stem cell biology as a framework for understanding and treating the cancer.
“The research was particularly exciting because it addressed concepts with broad implications for cancer therapy," he says, "in addition to being of focused benefit for patients afflicted with Ewing sarcoma.”
The research work led van Doorninck to also complete a master's degree in clinical and biomedical investigations at the University of Southern California. His efforts during that time included co-authoring articles and performing research on the biologic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications of stem cell marker expression and variant translocation types in Ewing Sarcoma.
“Stem cell biology is crucial for the future of cancer therapeutics and treatment,” he says.
After completing his pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship, van Doorninck became an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, in the Division of Research Immunology/Bone Marrow Transplantation.
In April 2010, he joined Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and returned to his native Denver.
At Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dr. van Doorninck believes patients and their families not only receive the highest quality of care but also a personalized approach with a high degree of physician access.
“I'm a parent myself," he says, "and I try to imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life-threatening illness. Ready access to my child's physician would be important. I try to treat people the way I myself would like to be treated.”
When he is not helping patients, van Doorninck enjoys spending time with his family, international travel, flamenco guitar, and mountaineering.
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 Dr. Zimbelman. “I feel we are very privy to something that's very special and spectacular and holy ground when we work with these families.”
Dr. 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. The types of tumors we see in young kids 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.
Shari Kabat, CRNP
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.”
Shari 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, Shari 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.
Shay Bargery, RN
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.”