Dr. Kathy Sam joined Oncology Consultants in January. A Houston native, she received all of her education and training in her hometown. She developed her passion for medicine early, attending the DeBakey High School for Health Professions. She graduated salutatorian, and was honored with the University of Houston/Baylor College of Medicine Premedical Academy scholarship, which included application and acceptance into the Baylor College of Medicine Medical School while in high school.
She completed her pre-medical courses at the University of Houston, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in chemistry. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, and started medical school in 2001.
During her internal medicine rotation, she witnessed the fear and anxiety patients experienced while undergoing cancer treatment. This inspired her to pursue the education and training to lead patients through this process.
She chose to add an additional year to her medical school training to participate in the Medical Student Research Track in order to gain a deeper understanding of how lab studies translate into clinical practice and acquire experience in medical research.
Dr. Sam continued her medical training at Baylor College of Medicine, completing her residency in Internal Medicine in 2009, and fellowship, specializing in Hematology and Oncology, in 2012. She is board certified in three fields -- Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. She then spent two years on staff at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where she was fortunate enough to provide cancer care for our nation’s heroes.
Dr. Sam strongly believes in the strength of patient education, giving her patients the information to understand their disease and the tools to empower them to be proactive in their own health care.
She sees her role as a guide: using her education to interpret test results and knowledge of treatment protocols to help her patients navigate the cancer labyrinth, partnering with her patients and their families to determine the best plan of action, together.