I joined the team in 2015 coming from years of experience as a floor nurse at a Boston-based city hospital. Many elements of my floor nurse practice included disease knowledge/management and wound management.

I enjoy collaborating with my fellow practice physicians to determine the best care options for our patients. In terms of wound care, the mechanisms we use to help a patient to heal are very much individually tailored. This requires that I really know my patient and their level of activity, what they do on a daily basis and any physical or psychosocial elements which can interfere with healing. Knowing my patient's personally helps me to tailor their care and determine elements which would be most effective for healing.

I enjoy the challenge of the diagnostic process of medicine, which is one of the many reasons I have chosen to work as a nocturnist, which is a hospital-based physician who works overnight. In my free time, I've been known to read books about the American Revolution and Colonial Period, or attend hard rock/metal concerts. Also, '90s music is in my head all of the time. 

Having sustained a major trauma or having undergone any kind of surgery (major or minor) can be extremely stressful. I often find myself treating patients and talking with families when they are often feeling at their worst. This is the time when I feel my warm personality and compassion can be the biggest contributors to alleviating some of that stress and anxiety. Outside of my practice, I prefer to spend time with my family enjoying the splendors of the South Shore.

Dr. Meredith Faggen, Medical Director of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health