Pulling Back the Curtain: Jessica K. Altman, MD

Jessica Altman, MD, director of Lurie Cancer Center’s Acute Myeloid Leukemia Program, was featured in the September issue of the American Society of Hematology’s new magazine, ASH Clinical News.

Altman, associate professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, reflects on the people and experiences that influenced her career path, “I always knew I wanted a career focused on helping, and I was fortunate to be exposed to many different fields as a kid,” she said.

“What excited me about medicine then, and what still excites me today, is the ability to marry science with helping to make people’s lives better. I wanted a job where I could continue to learn, teach, and care for people.” Altman says her decision to focus on malignant hematology, clinical trials and translational research was influenced by the “deep relationships I built when caring for patients with leukemia. Those relationships are vital and offer incredible validation for what I do. I’m privileged to be able to care for patients and get to know them and their family members so well.”

Read the full story in ASH Clinical News

Dr. Altman with her husband and their three children.