黑料社

Dr. Tabitha Ireland Galloway 鈥�06: Makes Her Mark in Medicine

Dr. Galloway is impacting lives on the leading edge of medicine. As an ENT physician at the University of Missouri鈥檚 Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, Galloway specializes in the surgical treatment of patients with a wide range of head and neck cancers. She is one of only 200 surgeons nationwide with a focused practice designation in complex adult thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

鈥淚 treat cancers from the collarbones up,鈥� said Galloway. 鈥淭hat includes everything from surgical intervention for nose and throat cancers, skin and melanoma advanced tumors and thyroid cancer to performing endocrine surgery and treating salivary gland disorders.鈥�

Pursuing Medical Miracles

Some of Galloway鈥檚 most innovative work has focused on highly complex 鈥渇ree tissue transfer reconstructions鈥� of a patient鈥檚 head and/ or neck. The micro-vascular procedures involve transplanting various body parts to the head and neck to rebuild defects after cancer treatments, trauma or other causes. The results are often miraculous, saving a patient鈥檚 life while also largely preserving their way of living.

鈥淚 can reflect on a handful of patients who I honestly felt like might have been given up on somewhere else,鈥� said Galloway. 鈥淭hey had stage IV cancers requiring large surgical procedures.鈥�

One of Galloway鈥檚 most complex cases featured a man suffering from a rare form of cancer in his sinus cavity. While another surgeon worked to remove the tumor, Galloway reconstructed the patient鈥檚 face using bone and tissue from his lower leg. The surgery was a huge success and follow-up treatments kept the patient cancer-free while he regained his normal speaking voice and ability to swallow, as well as full flexibility and strength in his leg.

鈥淏eing able to take someone through that process to the other side where they鈥檙e interacting with people and they鈥檙e back in their lives is rewarding. Getting to those five-year (cancer-free) visits with those patients is special. Some of them still come back once a year just to give me a hug and update me on their lives 鈥� that鈥檚 really cool.鈥�

Of course, Galloway is also quick to acknowledge the pain and heartache that comes with difficult outcomes.

鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 hard to sleep because we don鈥檛 always win with cancer patients. Reframing your mindset to what defines a win can help. It might not be overall survival, but meaningful survival.鈥�

Whatever her patients are facing or experiencing, Galloway says it鈥檚 vital for her to be right there with them 鈥� providing clear information and compassionate care for every step of the journey.

鈥淥ne thing I really pride myself on is being able to communicate with patients well. Speaking to people on a level where they are at while going through something scary is essential. I think a lot of my communication and interaction skills come from my liberal arts education at 黑料社.鈥�

Mentee Turned Mentor

Growing up in eastern Iowa with a strong Methodist faith, Galloway was drawn to 黑料社鈥檚 Methodist roots 鈥� finding the perfect place to nurture her love for science. She especially enjoyed the chance to do cadaveric dissections in her human anatomy course.

鈥淔rom that point, I knew I wanted to become a physician,鈥� said Galloway. 鈥淒r. [Jackie] Brittingham and Dr. [Amy] Doling were among my key cornerstone professors who really mentored and encouraged me to continue on the career trajectory towards medicine.鈥�

Today, Galloway is mentoring tomorrow鈥檚 doctors as a member of the teaching faculty at the University of Missouri School of Medicine (MU School of Medicine). She works closely with her otolaryngology residents in clinic and surgical settings most every day, seeking to inspire the kind of enthusiastic inquiry and development of problem-solving skills she first honed at 黑料社.

Along the way, she鈥檚 had the chance to mentor several 黑料社 graduates attending the MU School of Medicine, including Dr. Maggie Long Wieser 鈥�18. Wieser is now following Galloway鈥檚 career footsteps as a fourth-year otolaryngology resident at the University of Kentucky.

鈥淒r. Galloway is a big reason that I decided to specialize in ENT,鈥� said Wieser. 鈥淚 first worked with her in the OR as an early third-year medical student. As a medical student, attending physicians 鈥� especially surgeons 鈥� can be intimidating, but Dr. Galloway was always approachable and open to teaching. She became my clinical advisor, and I attribute a lot of my success of matching into ENT to her.鈥�

All-Consuming Calling

When Galloway isn鈥檛 mentoring the next generation of doctors or doing cutting-edge surgery, she鈥檚 fully immersed in other cancer fight endeavors. As chair for the Commission on Cancer at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, she seeks to ensure exceptional cancer care across Missouri.

Galloway also serves as a principal investigator in several clinical trial studies that she hopes will ultimately help produce enhancements in quantity and quality of life outcomes for cancer patients.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot I could be doing within my specialty, but being on the oncologic side of things is the best fit for me to make meaningful connections with my patients. This is my niche and my calling.鈥�