Dr. Shelley Tibbs is a current PGY-4 resident. When she entered medical school, Shelley knew she was interested in oncology and the opportunity it gave to support and care for patients through exceptionally difficult times. She learned about radiation oncology in a lecture by Dr. Sanghvi, sat down with Dr. Murphy for coffee to talk more about the field, and knew after one day of shadowing in clinic that she wanted to be a radiation oncologist. Shelley went on to work in Dr. Hattangadi’s Lab—researching long term outcomes after radiation for brain tumors. The same attendings that introduced her to this innovative and compassionate specialty are the reason she was so excited to stay at UCSD for residency.
Currently in her research year, Shelley is developing educational resources to assist patients, especially non-English speakers, in understanding cancer pathophysiology and treatments. She is also interested in teaching medical students practical tools to improve communication with patients and avoid jargon.
As a San Diego native, she enjoys spending time with family (including her wife and son), hiking/camping, BBQing (ideally at the beach or Mission Bay), and going to the Zoo, Sea World and Legoland. Feel free to reach out about having a child during residency, being LGBTQ as a resident, and creating a completely new project during research year.