Tyler Snedden, M.D., hematologist and medical oncologist, is now seeing patients at Texas Oncology–Horizon Circle and Waco. He shares his perspective on the patient experience and his passion for cancer care.
Where did you go to medical school and complete your residency?
I am a Texan born and raised, and I have lived all over Texas – from Dallas to Houston to Austin and San Antonio. For college, I decided to explore out-of-state and pursued my dream to play collegiate tennis in Tennessee at Rhodes College. I returned to Texas for medical school at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and I have never left Texas again. I completed my internal medicine residency at University of Texas Health San Antonio and hematology/oncology fellowship at University of Texas Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Resiliency in the human spirit can be optimized with cancer patients through a special bond established between the patient, their family, and the oncologist."
What has working with cancer patients taught you about resiliency in the human spirit?
Cancer patients are the most resilient patients I have come to know. To fight cancer, they often must undergo difficult treatments that may combine chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. I view the doctor-patient bond as one of the most important aspects of cancer care. Resiliency in the human spirit can be optimized with cancer patients through a special bond established between the patient, their family, and the oncologist.
What is one thing you want your patients to know about you?
I want my patients to know that I will be caring for them every step of the way throughout our journey together. I strive to offer treatment that is the most effective and best fit for each patient. Cancer care is an ever-changing landscape with ongoing advances in treatment. Like a jigsaw puzzle, not every patient’s situation is a fit for every treatment, which is why individualized treatment is the present and future of cancer care.
What advice would you give someone who is aspiring to be a doctor?
Being a doctor is more than just medical knowledge – it is also about being a compassionate and empathetic person and exercising a high degree of emotional maturity. Spend time volunteering in your local community and shadowing physicians. Do some type of medical research in an area of medicine you are interested in. Keep an open mind in medical school and, most importantly, develop a passion for lifelong learning!