Irvine — Dr. Gary E. Deng, an internationally recognized pioneer in integrative medicine, is bringing whole-person, supportive care to patients undergoing cancer treatment as director of the new Integrative Oncology Program at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, in partnership with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.
Deng, who built a highly regarded integrative medicine program in nearly two decades at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said his goal at UCI Health is to help each patient achieve the best outcomes by improving their mental, physical and spiritual well-being in their fight against cancer.
“Dr. Deng’s extensive experience with integrative cancer medicine makes him perfectly suited to coordinate our Integrative Oncology Program and whole-person cancer care,” said Richard Van Etten, MD, PhD, director of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in Orange County.
Calling Deng’s arrival a pivotal moment for cancer care at UCI Health and the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, Van Etten said, “We have the infrastructure — including supportive oncology, palliative care and rehabilitation medicine — to transform the standard of care in this increasingly important area of cancer medicine.
“Dr. Deng will lead our efforts to carry out practice-changing research and develop the most effective complementary and alternative interventions to improve the lives of our patients with cancer.”
Emphasis on quality of life
Added Shaista Malik, MD, PhD, MPH, executive director of the Samueli institute, “We are excited to welcome Dr. Deng, a nationally respected leader in integrative oncology who brings exceptional clinical expertise, research insight and a vision that aligns powerfully with our mission to transform cancer care. I’m confident that he will help shape the future of how integrative oncology is practiced and studied here at UCI Health and nationwide.”
In addition to his roles as associate director of the cancer center and director of integrative oncology, Deng is the Samueli institute’s director of clinical affairs and holds the Samueli Endowed Chair in Integrative Oncology. He also is a professor of medicine at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
At UCI Health, Deng’s mission is to build a highly functional integrative oncology program that is essential to each cancer patient’s experience throughout the continuum of their treatment, survivorship and prevention of disease.
Empowering patients
“As an integrative medicine specialist, I strive to inspire and empower people with cancer to make themselves strong in body, mind and spirit,” he said.
“We are focused on optimizing a patient’s nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as their social environment and positive elements in life. This helps patients have a better quality of life with fewer side effects during treatment, making them more likely to finish the full course of therapy for maximum benefit. It also enables them to recover quicker and achieve better health after active cancer treatment.”
The program offers hospitalized cancer patients acupuncture and massage therapy to alleviate pain and discomfort. Those people receiving outpatient care have access to a broad range of additional therapies, including:
- Mindfulness training
- Nutrition counseling tailored to individual needs and stage of cancer treatment
- Sleep training
- Biofeedback
- Yoga
- Tai chi
Breast cancer pilot project
Deng expects to begin providing new breast cancer patients nondrug-based therapies supported by scientific evidence as part of their standard treatment plan. This demonstration project is part of a growing portfolio of clinical research designed to understand how best to apply integrative medicine approaches for patients with cancer.
Working closely with surgical, medical and radiation oncologists, the integrative cancer team will provide each newly diagnosed breast cancer patient with evidence-based integrative therapies as part of their standard treatment plan. They will receive specific integrative health interventions tailored to their disease status, treatment regimen and clinical needs, including side effects of therapy.
“We will serve as their care companion throughout their treatment journey, using gentle, nondrug therapies to help them live a better and longer life as a cancer patient,” he added. “In a way, this is the new paradigm, making integrative health a component of standard cancer care.”
Deng plans to recruit a team of experienced clinicians and launch one of the nation’s few integrative oncology fellowship programs. He believes UC Irvine is where the future of integrative medicine and cancer care is being defined.
“With its state-of-the-art cancer center and the exemplary integrative health Institute,” he said, “UCI Health offers fertile ground where an innovative, transformative whole-person cancer care model can be developed, researched and replicated.”
Dr. Gary E. Deng earned his medical degree from Beijing Medical University, followed by a residency in internal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, where he received research training at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Miami in Florida. He has served as principal investigator for numerous research grants, most recently exploring the use of acupuncture to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis. He is a past president of the Society for Integrative Oncology and author of the 2022 book, “The Wellness Principles: Cooking for a Healthy Life.”
