Meet Surgical Oncologist Russell Witt, MD

Russell Witt, MD, is a dedicated surgical oncologist specializing in melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma.
Learn more at: uvahealth.com/findadoctor/Rus...
Transcript
My name is Russell Witt. I am a surgical oncologist here at the University of Virginia. I specialize in melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma.
So I decided to become a doctor because I have grown up with a lot of family medical problems, particularly on my mother's side. My mother passed when I was in my twenties, and I've kind of grew up with a lot of exposure to healthcare providers and medicine. I know the impact that that can have in someone's life. For me, it had a tremendous impact, and being able to help people through that tough period in their life is really meaningful to me.
Providing nuanced care to patients is really where I have my passion. In particular, I find that the anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis can be extreme, and as somebody who's grown up with family members who are ill, I think doing anything I can do to mitigate people's anxiety or decrease their anxiety is paramount to how I like to practice medicine.
I've trained at a lot of different places, and I'd say that one consistent theme I've seen is where you go really matters. You want to go to a hospital that treats your diagnosis regularly, has experts in the field, and can tailor a treatment that's specific for you.
Now, at UVA, we have experts. We see cancer of all types all the time, and we are very patient-centric in our approach to healthcare.