Dr.Theresa Liu Dumlao is an integral part of the interdisciplinary team here at the Mitchell Cancer Institute. A native of the Philippines, Dr. Dumlao obtained her medical degree at the Cebu Institute of Medicine in Cebu City, Philippines. She moved to Chicago in 1995 where she completed her training in internal medicine at the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, a University of Illinois at Chicago affiliated program.

After completion, she returned to the Philippines to pursue a fellowship in medical oncology at the Cancer Institute of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. She distinguished herself, becoming the chief fellow-in-training in her final year. In 2004, Dr. Dumlao returned to the U.S. and took a position as an assistant clinical professor in the department of internal medicine with the University of Alabama at Birmingham at the Huntsville Regional Medical Campus.

Although she enjoyed teaching and making time to start a new family, Dr. Dumlao could not suppress her passion for administering cancer care. She left for Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2005 where she fulfilled the requirements to obtain certification in hematology and oncology at the Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center.

Dr. Dumlao said she receives personal satisfaction from being on a journey with someone fighting cancer. “What I love about oncology is that it represents the true ‘art’ of practicing medicine. With all of the advancements it is often too easy to be caught up in the science and lose the ‘art’. I never want to lose that part.”

After completion of her training, Dr. Dumlao returned to Alabama and became a staff physician and assistant professor of interdisciplinary clinical oncology at the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute. Board certified in both medical oncology and hematology, Dr. Dumlao practices alongside her husband, Dr. Donato Dumlao, who specializes in Palliative Care and cancer pain management. “One of the main reasons that we chose the MCI for our practices is because it allows us to balance our family and professional lives, which is a priority for both of us.”