Physician Spotlight: A Passion for Lung Cancer Care, From Prevention to Survivorship

Devika Das, MD, was fascinated with medicine growing up. She used that passion to propel her through medical school in India. However, it wasn’t until her internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that this first-generation physician knew she wanted to dedicate her career to oncology.

“When I started residency and began working in oncology wards, those were the rotations that stayed with me,” said Das, who joined the University of Florida College of Medicine this month as an associate professor in the UF Division of Hematology & Oncology after 18 years in academic medicine at UAB. “Over time, it was very clear to me that I wanted those long-term relationships with my patients. Having some cancer history in our family, I knew I wanted to be an oncologist.”

A board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist, Dr. Das cares for patients with thoracic malignancies such as lung cancer and works to boost lung cancer screening rates. Her research interests include creating high-quality clinical trials that are equitable and centered on patient needs, while enrolling those who are historically underrepresented in medicine.

“My biggest interest is to make sure all patients — regardless of where they live, how they look or their ability to pay — have access to the same quality of care,” Dr. Das said.

That philosophy drove her to pursue a master’s degree in health care quality and safety from UAB after her medical training, which also included a fellowship in hematology and oncology.

“I want to ensure that no matter what kind of lung cancer the patient has, they are offered a high-quality clinical trial,” Dr. Das said. “Clinical trials allow us to go beyond the standard of care and move the needle toward a cure.”

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers in the 23-county area the UF Health Cancer Center serves, which has higher rates of lung cancer mortality than the state.

At UF, Dr. Das will lead the clinical research agenda for the thoracic oncology disease group at the UF Health Cancer Center, focusing on clinical trials, and will serve as division director of quality and safety for thoracic oncology. She will concentrate on expanding a comprehensive lung cancer screening program based on her experience at UAB. There, she launched a program that increased lung cancer screening rates among veterans in Birmingham to nearly 20%, well above the then-national average of about 6%.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography is a vital tool to detect lung cancer early so it can be treated and cured. Nonetheless, screening rates remain low, especially in Florida, where only 2.4% of Floridians at high risk have received a low-dose CT scan, the American Lung Association reported in 2023.

Dr. Das attributed the UAB program’s success to its team-based approach, and she plans to use a similar strategy at UF Health. It begins with prevention through tobacco cessation initiatives and identifying risk factors, and it extends to early detection through screening, followed by treatment and high-quality clinical trials. The work doesn’t end there: The team then manages adverse treatment effects like toxicity and provides palliative and supportive care as needed.

“I think of the cancer journey as a whole continuum and look for how we can provide all the pieces in the right order at the right time,” Dr. Das said.

Advancements in treatments offer new hope every day, she said.

“Ten or 15 years ago, the five-year survival rate for patients with Stage 4 lung cancer was in the single digits, but now we have patients with Stage 4 not just surviving but thriving through advances such as immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and personalized medicine,” Dr. Das said. “I’m excited to be a part of that progress.”

Dr. Das has held several leadership roles, including section chief of oncology at the Birmingham VA, as well as fellowship site director and associate fellowship program director at UAB. She is active in several professional associations.

Outside of work, Dr. Das is a mom to two boys, a wife, and a friend. She enjoys reading, cooking, and dancing (she’s a trained classical dancer).

“A lot of my colleagues say, ‘You’re such a mom,’” she said. “I like to take care of the people around me.”

View more information on lung cancer clinical services, including screening at UF Health, tobacco cessation resources or clinical trials.