What Is the Role of Lifestyle Medicine in Cancer Care?
Amy Comander, MD discusses the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Mass General Cancer Center and how "treating the whole person, not just the cancer, is essential in oncology care.”
The Lifestyle Medicine Program provides personalized consultations and group visits for any patient with cancer or a history of cancer who wants to improve their physical fitness, nutrition, quality of life or adopt or resume healthy lifestyle habits.
Meet the Lifestyle Medicine Program's multidisciplinary team of clinicians.
Amy Comander, MD
Director, Lifestyle Medicine Program
Dr. Amy Comander is a breast oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She is Director of Breast Oncology and Cancer Survivorship at the Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She has a strong interest in cancer survivorship and lifestyle medicine, and she is dedicated to improving the quality of life and outcome of cancer patients through important lifestyle interventions, including exercise, diet, and mind/body interventions. She has completed board certification through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She promotes healthy lifestyles for both her active treatment patients as well as those in the survivorship phase of care. She practices what she preaches, having run 13 marathons, including 8 consecutive Boston Marathons for charitable causes, with the goal to develop cancer survivorship and wellness programs at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. In collaboration with Dr Beth Frates, she has launched PAVING the Path to Wellness, a 12 week lifestyle medicine based survivorship program for women with breast cancer. She has co-authored the PAVING the Path to Wellness workbook, which is used by participants in the PAVING program.
Loren N. Winters, ANP-BC, OCN, Dipl ABLM, CHWC
Assistant Director, Lifestyle Medicine Program
Meet Loren (Video)
Loren Winters is an oncology nurse practitioner in the Mass General Center for Breast Cancer. She has a special interest in the use of integrative therapies for self-care for cancer survivors and thrivers. Loren provides one-on-one consultations as well as group visits. She is a certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner as well as a certified health and well-being coach.
Carol E. Sullivan, MS, RD, CSO, LDN
Lead Nutritionist, Lifestyle Medicine Program
Meet Carol (Video)
Carol is a Registered Dietitian with more than 15 years of experience in the field, including more than a decade practicing as a Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition at Mass General as a Senior Clinical Dietitian. Her pragmatic and individualized approach to nutrition has helped many thrive through the challenges of cancer diagnosis and treatment and the often-confusing time after treatments. She is passionate about helping people feel better through eating healthy food and movement. Carol competed as a collegiate division I athlete and now enjoys yoga and the comradery of group running, having completed 13 marathons including 8 Boston Marathons, countless races and dabbling in the ultra-distance.
Stephanie Eisenstat, MD
Internist; Group Leader, PAVING the Path for Wellness
Dr Stephanie Eisenstat is a practicing internist, certified coach and physician educator in the Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and specializes in women’s health, chronic disease management and lifestyle medicine.
She received her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and her medical degree from University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She completed Internal Medicine residency training at Tufts- New England Medical Center, Boston. She is board certified in Internal Medicine. Dr Eisenstat brings to our program over 30 years of experience as a practicing internist, and as a coach. Over the years, she has helped to design and establish service programs to better support patients facing the challenges due to a range of chronic medical conditions. Since 2004, she has worked to expand the group medical visit model and team care more broadly and is deeply committed to improving quality of life through lifestyle interventions, including nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction and psychological well-being. She joins our Mass General Cancer Center Lifestyle Medicine, PAVING the Path to Wellness team to help patients along their cancer journey to achieve an optimal level of wellness, support, and improved outcomes.
Outside of work, Dr Eisenstat enjoys spending time with her spouse and 3 adult children, road trips, conservation, walking, gardening, and birding. Her grand-dog is a Bernedoodle too, named Oscar.
Rachel A. Millstein, PhD, MHS
Psychologist
Meet Dr. Millstein (Video)
Dr. Millstein is an Assistant Professor and clinical health psychologist with the Mass General Behavioral Medicine Program. Her clinical work includes the use of mind-body approaches and evidence-based strategies for managing stress/anxiety, depression, weight, and health conditions. Her research focuses on developing physical activity and diet interventions for disease populations including cancer and prevention. She enjoys running, triathlons, dog walks, and hot yoga.
Shirly (Shalu) Ramchandani, MD
Weight management services
Staff physician, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
Ashley Draviam, MS, RD, CSO, LDN
Senior Clinical Nutritionist
April Hirschberg, MD
Psychiatrist
Our support programs can help patients and their families cope with the challenges of a cancer diagnosis.
Amy Comander, MD discusses the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Mass General Cancer Center and how "treating the whole person, not just the cancer, is essential in oncology care.”