Cancer Care Consultants of Northern California

Carolyn Collins, M.D.

Carolyn Collins has had a distinguished career in cancer research before entering clinical practice. As an Associate Professor in the Division of Oncology at University of Washington’s School of Medicine, she contributed numerous articles, book chapters and abstracts to the field of cancer research. She has conducted clinical trials, and specialized in sarcomas and breast cancer. Dr. Collins eventually left academics to enter clinical practice, where systems are centered on the patient. “In a clinical setting, I make real connections with people, partly because of the seriousness of the illness.” She is happy to have joined Cancer Care Consultants, where she can devote her time to a high level of patient care. “They have very deliberately set aside time for the patients. It’s built into the practice: time for education, for discussion and support.”

Dr. Collins earned her Bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University and her MD at The University of California, San Francisco, where she was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honors society. During her residency in Internal Medicine at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Dr. Collins experienced a crucial event that convinced her to enter oncology. “This patient had been admitted to the hospital with low back pain. Tests revealed that that it was metastatic bone cancer. I happened to be in the patient’s room when the attending physician delivered the news. He announced it –“Cancer” from the doorway, turned, and left. I was embarrassed and angry at the doctor’s lack of empathy, and I was perplexed that a physician could be so frightened by cancer that he was unable to provide appropriate support and caring for his patient. I decided then and there that it could be done better.” After her fellowship at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, she remained on the faculty until she was offered a position as the first Medical Director of Medical Oncology at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Dr. Collins wanted to return to her native California and to work in the ideal setting: a private practice controlled by doctors, with the central focus on patient care.. She relocated with her husband to Redding, and joined Cancer Care Consultants in 2002. Their son Matthew, a competitive swimmer, is currently is an undergraduate at Northwestern University.

Dr. Collins believes that of the great challenges, and responsibilities, of oncologists is keeping up as the field progresses and changes. She is impressed by the collaboration and “intellectual honesty” at Cancer Care Consultants. “During rounds, we share what we have learned, and admit what we don’t know. I’ve never seen that anywhere else.” Education is valuable to the patients, too. Dr. Collins compares patient education to getting a technical explanation from your mechanic: you need the jargon translated, to make the process understandable and to know what the options are. She wants patients to participate in decision-making, and to understand the consequences and implications of their choices. “I talk with people about realistic expectations: technically, we may be able to do a lot or a little, but no matter what, we can always give patients time, caring, and our best thinking.”