The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/870605
various new targets that have been introduced so that precision medicine is considered for each patient," Dr. Brower said. Precision medicine teaches us that information is power. Dr. Brower and his colleagues at Englewood Hospital arm their patients with information that will empower them to become active participants in their own medical decision-making. "It used to be that all the information patients got about a disease came from doctors—that's very old school. Today, there are thousands of advocacy groups out there for patients with cancer that are extraordinarily encyclopedic in their knowledge," Dr. Brower said. Dr. Brower urges his patients' to pursue advocacy groups in order to connect with other patients who have been treated for similar kinds of cancer. These connections allow patients to trade information and feel more secure in the recommendations given to them by their personal doctors. Patients can access the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society websites to begin this process. It has been just over a year since the federal government made its $215 million investment in the future of precision medicine. This model of healthcare is in its infancy, but the possibilities going forward are limitless. With institutions like Englewood Hospital and Medical Center operating as the pacesetters, it is clear we're moving towards the future of medicine at full speed. VUE ON WELLNESS V U E N J . C O M 119