Cedars-Sinai’s first female chair of surgery has big plans
Dr. Cristina R. Ferrone
Courtesy of Cedars-Sinai
Recruited by Cedars-Sinai to be the new chair of surgery, Dr. Cristina R. Ferrone moved from Boston to Windsor Square a year and a half ago. She spent her main growing-up years in Scarsdale, right near (fittingly) Larchmont, New York. Ferrone is the first female chair of surgery at Cedars.
Ferrone graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Her schooling continued with a general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and was followed by a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. From the Harvard / MIT Investigator Training Program, Ferrone also earned a master’s degree in clinical trial design.
Though Ferrone wanted to be a veterinarian when she was younger, she realized in high school that she’d rather take care of people. And, as her father, aunt, grandfather and husband are all physicians or surgeons, she seems to have chosen the family field.
The surgical oncologist focuses on pancreas, liver and bile duct cancer, both clinically and in her research lab. Ferrone brought the lab and three research fellows with her from Boston and is currently running the largest pancreatic cancer trial in North America. Though she has a lot of administrative work running the department and overseeing the 90 faculty surgeons and doctors, the chair still performs operations every week. “I love it,” she said of her job.
Ferrone feels privileged to be in a position to help not only patients, but also medical professionals working to explore their career options. “I get to work with a lot of young people — residents, medical students, fellows. Seeing how they grow is amazing,” she said. The oncologist also spends a lot of time thinking about her lab and what she wants to accomplish with it. As far as Cedars goes, she has a goal of making an impact on the faculty and on the care provided to the residents of Los Angeles. “Our hope is to be the best possible place, not only in Los Angeles, but in the United States. It’s already a fantastic place, but you can always aim higher,” she said.
One thing that Dr. Ferrone believes is important for making progress in disease and medical care is collaboration. “We have a great multidisciplinary approach to cancer patients,” she said. Pancreas cancer patients, for example, are seen by medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, a social worker and a nutritionist — all in one day. “We decrease the time from the clinic visit to the first treatment to seven days. The national average is over a month.” Ferrone’s belief in collaboration also extends to patients and their families. “Ideally, patients would never come to appointments alone, because it’s a lot of information. There’s no question that patients that have family support do better. They have less anxiety and are better able to tolerate treatments. It helps patients have the best possible outcome.”
In her spare time, the mother of three middle-to-high-school students said she loves to spend time with her family. “I’m a runner and a skier. I love those two things,” she said. Though she hasn’t had a lot of time to try all that the area has to offer, Ferrone, who was born in Italy, is a fan of Larchmont Boulevard’s gelato shop, Bacio di Latte. “It’s an authentic, super-nice treat to have within walking distance,” she said.
This local woman has a big job that takes up a lot of hours. When asked how she manages all her roles, she said, “It’s like everything in life — you figure out ways to balance things.” More than a year into her new position, Ferrone is happy to be exactly where she is. “We love the neighborhood feel of Larchmont. It feels safe and is really such a beautiful area,” she said.
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