Dr. Terpenning and me, getting our MAGID BERNARD glam on!
Last Thursday’s Annual Membership Luncheon at the John Wayne Cancer Institute honored Dr. Marilou Terpenning , M.D., F.A.C.P., with its prestigious Angel Award. Dr. Terpenning was my medical oncologist (chemo doctor) when I had breast cancer 10 years ago this year.
She is a remarkable woman. Brilliant, of course, but also one of the most beautiful and compassionate human beings I’ve known.
Her lifelong commitment to provide evidence-based medical care, support and rehabilitation to individuals with cancer began in 1988 when she founded Santa Monica Hematology-Oncology Associates, where she remains president and CEO. That same year she also began her practice at Saint John’s Health Center. In 2006 she joined the adjunct faculty of the John Wayne Cancer Intitute and has been Adjunct Professor of Medicine at JWCI since 2013. She has authored numerous articles on cancer and tumor immunology, and she has served as Chair of the Cancer Committee at Providence Saint John’s Health Center Committee since 2010.
With a professional life that fills more hours than there are in a day, Dr. Terpenning somehow still finds time to stay connected with her patients and their families. Which is why, with nine years of cancer-free years behind me, I am so proud to call Marilou Terpenning my doctor, and my friend.
