Welcome Dr. Patricia Gualtieri
Dr. Patricia Gualtieri’s first introduction to radiation oncology was on externship at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University when she was a student.
“I saw the faculty and residents doing this fascinating advanced care for pets while I was at Tufts [Cummings School], and so I decided I wanted to come to the States, do internships and residency, and here we are,” she recalls of the externship while earning her veterinary degree in her home country of Italy.
Last month, Gualtieri officially joined the Harrington Oncology Service at Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA) as the team’s second radiation oncologist and was appointed to the faculty as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Cummings School.
Born and raised in Rome, Gualtieri liked to tag along with her mother to her veterinary practice, observing as her mother treated dogs and cats and peering at slides through her microscope. Her father is also a general practice veterinarian.
As a veterinary student at the Università degli Studi di Perugia, Gualtieri secured an externship at Cummings School, where her mother had earned her D.V.M. She was intrigued when she first encountered radiation therapy during her rotation through FHSA’s Harrington Oncology Service. Less commonly practiced in Europe, veterinary radiation oncology was not taught in her curriculum.
“The technology and physics behind it were really fascinating,” Gualtieri says. “Radiation could do things that surgeons or chemo couldn't do, and you can combine it with all the other types of cancer treatments. The clients that opt for this treatment are very dedicated, so that you can witness these intense human-animal bonds.”
After her externship at Cummings School, Gualtieri set her sights on becoming a radiation oncologist. As a new graduate vet, she also participated in externships at Vetmeduni in Vienna, Austria, and the University of Cambridge in England.
“I like academia, and I wanted to see how different places worked,” she says. “I tried to go to veterinary hospitals that had a lot of specialists, and Cambridge specifically had radiation therapy, so I got to learn a bit more before I came overseas.”
The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine would be the start of her training in the United States, with an internship in small animal medicine, followed by an oncology specialty internship at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During these years, she worked closely with radiation oncology specialists, and the experience further strengthened her interest in the field.
Gualtieri delved into a number of research projects during her residency in radiation oncology at Colorado State University’s Flint Animal Cancer Center, while also earning her MS in radiological health sciences. Under the guidance of her mentor at CSU, she conducted comparative radiation oncology research with animal models for different types of radiation approaches to treat head and neck cancers in dogs, including oral cancer, and salivary gland and nasal tumors, with the broader aim of informing radiation therapy in human medicine as well.
Interacting with clients and helping improve cancer patients’ lives, Gualtieri found it especially fulfilling in her work. During her first year of residency, she treated a dog named Sig with a nasal tumor. “It was a nasal tumor that didn't fall under the usual categories. He got through his radiation therapy treatment almost four years ago now. He's still alive and has no tumor recurrence, and his family is so grateful. Those are the types of cases that are extremely rewarding.”
After completing her residency, Gualtieri stayed on at CSU for an additional year of research and continues to contribute to ongoing studies.
FHSA’s Harrington Oncology Service comprises medical oncology, radiation oncology, and clinical trials. Gualtieri is the second radiation oncologist on faculty at Cummings School, along with Dr. Celina Morimoto, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Doubling the faculty helps ensure that pets, their families, and the other services at FHSA have sufficient access to radiation therapy.
In addition to treating patients, Gualtieri plans to conduct clinical research into radiation therapy to treat different cancers and non-cancerous diseases, an emerging area of research that so far includes immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rhinitis, osteoarthritis, and dermatological diseases, among others.
“There's a wide variety of things that we're just learning about how we can use radiation therapy,” she says. “It's typical for other specialists to ask us for help on cases that have failed all other treatments. There are certain cases that can be beneficial or may be the only treatment option left.”
Gualtieri will teach veterinary students on the clinic floor and deliver some lectures in the didactic curriculum.
Between CSU and Cummings School, Gualtieri traveled for a few months with her partner, driving across the western United States, exploring the national parks and the coast of California, and traveling throughout Europe and Asia. She particularly enjoys learning about different cultures and customs. She is also an avid reader and appreciates art. She recently visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (one of her mother’s favorites when she was at Cummings School) and was pleasantly surprised to see so many works by Italian artists.
For students and veterinarians back home in Italy who hope to tread a similar path, Gualtieri teaches online courses in radiation oncology. “That also keeps me busy, spreading the radiation knowledge across the ocean.”