Supportive Care
meet tHe imf HotLine coorDinators
The IMF Hotline 800-452-CURE (2873) is staffed by Debbie Birns, Paul Hewitt, and Nancy Baxter.
The phone lines are open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm (Pacific Time).
To submit your question online, please email TheIMF@myeloma.org.
How did you become an IMF Hotline
broad range of novel therapies that have
Coordinator?
improved patients' survival and quality of
Nancy Baxter: After practicing law for five
life. I have seen first-hand how informed
years, I became a mother and no longer
patients are able to make more educated
wanted to work full-time. So I trained as
decisions about their treatment options
a psycho-social cancer counselor at UCLA
and how the patients' feedback about vari-
(University of California Los Angeles), and
ous therapies and side effects has impacted
went to work part-time at UCLA's Jonsson
doctors' approaches to dosing and clinical
Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). Two
trial design. The IMF Hotline is a unique
years later, UCLA became one of the National
asset in the dynamic relationship between
Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Information
the patient and medical communities.
Service centers, and I was asked to supervise
Debbie: Working for the IMF has brought
a staff of 15 phone counselors. That's when
together and called upon everything I have
Hotline staff: Debbie Birns, Paul Hewitt, and Nancy Baxter
I recruited Debbie Birns to join our team.
ever studied or done professionally, or
All of us received advanced training from the NCI. In 1999, when the
experienced in my personal life. It is the most fulfilling work I have ever
NCI consolidated its California call centers and closed the UCLA office, I
done. I treasure the interaction with patients and caregivers, as well as the
became a patient services manager at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
intellectual stimulation of having the most accomplished clinicians and
(LLS). In 2001, I met IMF president Susie Novis at an outreach event. She
researchers as my teachers and mentors.
was interviewing candidates for the IMF hotline, and I recommended
Each of you has a sub-specialty. What is it?
Debbie for the position.
Debbie: Because of my research background, I track myeloma clinical
Debbie Birns: I was an undergraduate major in humanities and English
trials for the Myeloma Matrix. I also work with IMF Board member Mike
literature. I spent most of my sophomore year in Florence, which is where
Katz in conducting video interviews with myeloma specialists at the
I learned Italian. I completed two and a half years of a PhD program in
annual meetings of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for posting
comparative literature when I had my first child and became a stay-at-
on our website, and I edit the IMF's educational materials.
home mom. When the youngest of my three children was a toddler, I
went back to UCLA to study professional writing and editing, and became
Nancy: In between taking Hotline calls and answering emails, I am
a manuscript editor for the UC Press. During the 1980s, several members
involved in outreach. I make sure that information about the IMF and
of my immediate family were diagnosed with cancer, including my mother-
myeloma gets out not only to the major cancer centers across the United
in-law, who had myeloma. Near the end of her illness in 1992, Nancy
Stated but also to smaller, community-based doctors.
recruited me for the NCI Cancer Information Service at UCLA. After the
Paul: My sub-specialty is to coordinate the participant registration aspects
program closed, I went to work at UCLA's Clinical Research Unit under Dr.
of the IMF Patient & Family Seminar program.
Dennis Slamon, whose prior work led to the development of the breast
What should prospective callers know about the IMF Hotline?
cancer drug Herceptin®. I learned a great deal about cancer clinical trials
there, but the job entailed only limited aspects of my training and experi-
Debbie: Perhaps one of the most surprising and useful aspects of the IMF
ence. Then Nancy called to tell me about the IMF.
Hotline is that none of the coordinators are medical professionals. We are
not doctors or nurses. We are people who have been trained to translate
Nancy Baxter: Once Debbie shared with me the impressions of her new
the most sophisticated science into terms that are accessible to our callers,
job at the IMF, I realized how much I missed working directly with patients
and to make information about a very complicated cancer and its treat-
and family members. Two months later, I joined the IMF Hotline.
ments readily available. Patients and their advocates must have the facts
Paul Hewitt: My background is as an actor. After a long run in a Broadway
in order to communicate well with the healthcare team. Our take-home
show in New York, I returned to Los Angeles, where Susie Novis and I live
message to patients and their loved ones is "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER."
on the same street. We would meet while walking our dogs, and we'd chat
Paul: We learn the latest developments in the field of myeloma from the
and catch up. That's how I originally came to work for the IMF. A couple
specialists who are actively working on putting an end to this disease, and
of years later, when the IMF was ready to add a third coordinator to its
this enables us to better serve our callers. And, if a patient or family mem-
Hotline, Nancy and Debbie approached me about joining the department.
ber is outside the United States and cannot get in touch with us by phone,
After six months of intensive training, I was ready to field calls.
I want them to know that we welcome their letters and emails.
What is it like to work on the IMF Hotline?
Nancy: We understand the issues that myeloma patients and caregivers
Paul: Our callers are thirsty for knowledge. Helping them address the var-
tackle. We are here to help answer their questions, and to help frame the
ious aspects of myeloma in a more informed way is incredibly fulfilling..
questions that they need to pose to their healthcare providers in order
Nancy: This is the best job I've ever had. I've received incredible training
to have a more productive dialogue. I look forward to going to work in
from the most extraordinary doctors. I work with wonderful people. I've
the morning so that I may serve the members of the myeloma community
gotten to know many amazing patients and caregivers. I have witnessed
who face each day of their lives with humor, courage, strength, dignity,
myeloma treatments evolve from being primarily transplant-based to a
and hope. mt
800-45-CURE(87)
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