Battling cancer is often an uphill fight, and as oncologists, Dr. Julia Saylors, Dr. Shelly Shand, and Dr. Ashley Jeter walk alongside their patients, tailoring the battle plans to their patients’ needs and helping them navigate the ups and downs along the way. For many, it is a years-long journey. But Drs. Saylors, Shand and Jeter are passionate about their work, and continue researching, advocating and battling with their patients every step.
“It’s a challenging thing to go through for diagnosis and treatment, and that’s a large part of what continues to drive me,” Dr. Saylors explained. Having a family member with cancer initially inspired her to study oncology, and the personal experience continues to spur her in her professional life. She is board certified in hospice and palliative care and joined Charleston Oncology in 2009. “It’s important to travel with my patients throughout their journey; whether we are treating with the intention of curing, living longer, or transitioning to the end of life,” Dr. Saylors said. “I am honored to make the journey with my patients.”
As a mother of three, Dr. Saylors has worked hard to find the balance between patients and her own family, like anyone in a demanding field, she noted. Her husband is also an oncologist with Charleston Oncology, and they have learned to navigate both.
In fact, Dr. Saylors, Dr. Shand and Dr. Jeter all have three children and have leapt the same hurdles to find that balance, but their dedication to both their patients and their family members motivates them.
Amid caring for patients and raising families, these women are driven by even more, following their own passions to make impacts in the oncology field and improve the lives of others.
Dr. Saylors finds great interest in integrative medicine and completed a fellowship in it in 2021.
“It’s considered holistic medicine – bringing into practice non-traditional medicine,” Dr. Saylors explained. “I’m interested in treating medical conditions in other ways and seeking out different options. Curing cancer really lends itself to that.”
She is in the beginning stages of developing an integrative clinic through which other medical focuses like dietitians and movement specialists can lend their expertise.
Dr. Shand, meanwhile, is involved in clinical trial and protocol development in breast cancer, immune therapy and melanoma. This allows her and her coworkers to offer patients cutting-edge treatments, and she has shared her findings with professionals on a national level.
Similarly, Dr. Jeter, listens to her patients’ concerns and is open to new ideas from them as they navigate their very personal journeys with cancer treatments and options.
All three women strive to provide their patients with the best care, most effective treatments and individually tailored plans.
“I have come to understand during my cancer journey that we, too often, wait in anticipation for a miracle to happen in our lives; unaware that the miracle is actually life itself,” one patient testimony shared. It’s oncologists like Dr. Saylors, Dr. Shand and Dr. Jeter that help their patients’ miracles continue to thrive.’”
CHARLESTON ONCOLOGY
Six Convenient Locations
Charlesononcology.com
