Dr. Bijoy Telivala is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology and practices at our Southside location. His areas of interest include breast cancer, gynecological cancers, lung cancer, and benign and malignant hematology. Calling oncology/hematology “a very exciting field,” Dr. Telivala appreciates the opportunity to help people, to reassure people, and to try to increase life expectancy.
“We push the limit every day in terms of medical care and quality of life,” he says. “We see new developments in the field every day. I feel that oncology is not just about the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer. It is about evaluating and helping not just the patient, but the entire family.” A cancer diagnosis “is life changing for everyone associated with the patient. All of them are an integral part of the patient’s defense mechanisms. Everything and everyone need to be taken into consideration.”
Dr. Telivala expects more targeted therapies in the future that will reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. “Instead of a shotgun approach, the new therapies just target the cancer cells and not the good cells. Already, the new drug Gleevec, a targeted therapy for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), has revolutionized and changed the entire paradigm of CML,” he says.
At Cancer Specialists of North Florida, Dr. Telivala enjoys working with a group of doctors, nurses, and other support staff who share the primary goal of helping and guiding patients. “They offer compassion and empathy to all the patients, and endeavor to do right by every patient.” During his time in medicine, Dr. Telivala says he has learned to listen and to talk to his patients. “I have learned to become their guide, friend, and advocate on this difficult journey. I have learned to pick up subtle clues in their mannerisms and in things that they want to say but are unable to do so. Each patient is unique, and I have learned to respect each one of them,” he says.
Dr. Telivala says he decided to become a doctor because of an inner calling to help people. “The most rewarding part of his work is putting a smile on someone’s face.”
