Dorothea Douglas Lindsay, MD
Dorothea Douglas Lindsay, MD, is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida. She is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Central Florida and medical director of the Sickle Cell Disease Program.
What was your childhood like?
I grew up in rural Jamaica, so not Kingston or Montego Bay, on the south coast of the island called St. Elizabeth. I’m the youngest of five with four older brothers. My oldest brother kept asking for a sister, and three boys later, he got me, so I always used to tease him that he’s the reason I was born. He was 12 by the time I was born and was very involved with caring for me.
I grew up as a tomboy almost exclusively playing with my brothers. I would climb trees and didn’t play with dolls. I think my mom bought me one doll, and I broke the head off. I had no one to play dolls with as I ran around with my brothers outside and played with whatever they were playing with. We actually made a majority of our toys.
I would also play pranks on my brothers. I would read their love letters and recite them back.
What drew you to the field of hematology?
I have wanted to be a pediatrician since I was about 3 years old. My brother and I would make medicines from the plants around our house and give them to our dogs if they had even the slightest appearance of not feeling well.
In the eighth grade, my pediatrician asked me what my ambitions were. I told him I wanted to be a combination of pediatrician, lawyer, actress, pianist, and teacher.
I decided during high school to do pediatric cardiology. However, in my third year of medical school my very first patient had Hodgkin lymphoma. I knew immediately that I was called to do pediatric hematology/oncology. This was an audible impression, and I tell parents and patients who have asked me why I chose pediatric hematology/oncology that I did not choose this field; it chose me.
What does an average day look like for you?
My schedule includes doing inpatient service, ambulatory clinics, and procedural days. Therefore, the typical day varies depending on my location.
An average day on the inpatient service is very hectic. It usually includes review of the patients in the EMR, rounding with the multidisciplinary team and examining the patients, and providing education to medical students and residents. There are also often meetings scattered throughout the day. We usually have consultation patients in the intensive care units or in the emergency department.
Of course, all hematology and oncology providers have to navigate administrative tasks during an average day, and no day would be complete without having to perform prior authorizations and peer-to-peer conversations for insurance approvals.
Dr. Dorothea Douglas Lindsay
with her husband, Steve, and
sons, Simon and Stephen.
What are some of the challenges you face working with children who have hematologic conditions?
The challenges I face working with children with hematologic conditions include infrastructural, psychosocial, and scientific.
The infrastructural challenges include limitations to the care that can be provided due to lack of insurance or underinsurance. For example, I recently had a patient whose insurance told them that L-glutamine oral powder, a medication approved for sickle cell disease (SCD), was simply not on their formulary.
The psychosocial challenges include navigating with parents the emotional journey of either accepting an oncologic diagnosis — especially if the known outcome is unfavorable — or walking through many years with a family with an unpredictable chronic hematologic disorder knowing that [my support] lends to the quality of their lives.
The scientific challenges stem from impatience awaiting curative therapies for multiple pediatric hematology/oncology disorders.
What do you find most rewarding about working with children with hematologic conditions?
The most rewarding thing about working in my field are the patients. The perspectives that the pediatric population has on life are undoubtedly what fuels me to work every day. They have an insatiable joy. They have an uncanny sense of humor. Even when they know their prognosis means their life will be shortened, it does not take away their zest for living. They truly understand what it means to be where their feet are and to take in each moment. They have taught me that it’s important not to be like regular adults who are consistently talking about dying even while they are living.
They absolutely motivate me; they give me energy, and they give me joy!
Can you share more about your work in SCD?
SCD is very dear to my heart. Graham Serjeant, MD, studied SCD in Jamaica, and I had exposure to him in medical school. I feel certain this is what started my passion for this disorder. During my practice of hematopoietic cell transplantation at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, assisting with the growth of the SCD transplantation program was very rewarding. In fact, this led to me receiving the Off the Field Woman of Impact Award from the National Football League’s Wives Association for making a difference in the lives of patients with SCD in Arizona in 2015.
I love to educate the families about SCD, and this is the highlight of my visits. I have teased patients about not falling in love initially. They are aware that they should say to any prospective spouses, “If you have the trait, we do not date.” This is a phrase I have coined. The parents like this quite a lot and often remark they wish they had known that.
Dr. Dorothea Douglas Lindsay
with Rep. Darren Soto on Capitol
Hill in March 2024.
Additionally, I do webinars every year. I do bone marrow drives to try to increase the registry pool for patients to have access to a donor who might match. SCD is a rare disease, and patients must have specialized care. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Committee on Government Affairs and the process it provides to advocate for all hematologic disorders — including SCD — on Capitol Hill. Advocating for SCD is something that comes naturally to me.
What are you most excited about in the field of pediatric hematology/oncology?
Medical advancements like gene therapy have removed limitations and given patients more hope. I’m also hopeful about the work ASH is doing as they continue to push the mandate forward in terms of blood disorders — making them a priority, bringing them to the surface on Capitol Hill, and just making sure that patients know that we love them, we’re advocating for them, and we want them to have their full quality of life.
What goals do you have for the future?
As for goals, in my lifetime I would like to see all patients born with SCD offered a cure in the first five years of life before having any complications including cerebrovascular accidents, acute chest syndromes, or recurrent vaso-occlusive crises.
Also, I have been told by patients and their parents, as well as by my own family members and friends, that I should write a book. So I guess that should be one of my goals for the future.
What role has mentorship played in your life?
I was exposed to amazing mentors in my residency at University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. The American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) has a mentorship program for midcareer physicians, and I was fortunate to be paired with Alexis Thompson, MD, MPH. It has been a game changer for me. Dr. Thompson shared her wisdom with me, and I’m very aware that on my own, it would have taken me years to experience or learn that information.
Over the years, it’s not just medical advice that I’ve gotten; mentors have also given me good life advice. For example, a pediatrician in medical school, Jacqueline Dunkley-Thompson, MBBS, DCH, MRCP, taught me to value the opportunity of the present. She would say there is never a perfect time to buy a house, get married, or have children. Peter Wellington, MBBS, a surgeon, taught me that I have to learn when to retreat and when to declare victory. In other words, there are diagnoses you are never going to conquer, especially in oncology, but retreating doesn’t mean you’ve lost. It may be the way you declare victory in that situation.
I have mentored medical students at the University of Central Florida and Nova Southeastern University and high school students and have found this very refreshing and rewarding.
Mentorship is important to me because I have benefited solidly from amazing mentorship throughout my entire life. We’re never going to find the path forward if you don’t give some thought to what’s happening now, and I find there’s no better way to stay relevant than being in tune with what’s going on in the current generation.
Tell me about your family and what you do to unwind.
I am married to Steve, and we have two sons; Stephen, who is in 12th grade, and Simon, who is in sixth grade.
To unwind, I play the piano. It’s always brought me peace. I played piano growing up, but in the last couple of years, I picked it back up when Simon began learning. We have the same piano teacher, we practice together, we do recitals together, and this past year we’ve begun playing duets.
Also, I love to read. My oldest brother is the one who infected me with this passion. My favorite author is Bob Goff, and he actually asked me at a book signing when I was going to start writing my book.
What advice would you give to young hematologists seeking careers in pediatrics?
I would give them the same advice I give my medical students and residents right now: ensure that you have a match with this field.
Treat each patient as if they were you or yours. If you treat patients as if they were you or yours — meaning your child, your nephew, your neighbor, someone you really love and adore — then the way you approach them, the way you speak with them, the way you lean into them, you’re going to always be on the right path. Also, it will make you a better doctor. You’re going to want to know what’s current. You’re going to want to know what’s the best care. That will then tie into the academic part of your life, and ultimately the emotional part of your life.
