Meet the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children cancer program medical directors:
Dr. Marshall A. Schorin As medical director, Marshall A. Schorin, MD, oversees the Pediatric Hematology / Oncology Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
Dr. Schorin brings years of professional practice to his role at Inova, including as an attending physician, author, lecturer and teacher. "It is challenging and rewarding to treat a child and family successfully," he says. Now a resident of Alexandria, VA, Dr. Schorin previously enjoyed a long association at Tulane University Medical Center and Tulane University School of Medicine, in New Orleans, LA, beginning in 1983. From 2002-2007, while working as an attending physician at Tulane, he was also professor of clinical pediatrics and principal investigator with the Children's Oncology Group.
Dr. Schorin's time in New Orleans included witnessing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "The scariest part was in trying to contact our scattered patients in the early days after the storm, many of whom were on cancer-treatment protocols that should not be changed. In the end, we managed to continue them all on treatment with little or no interruption.”
Dr. Schorin graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971 with a bachelor of science degree, and went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He did much of his postdoctoral and fellowship work at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, and at Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Sidney Farber Cancer Center in Boston, MA.
His current affiliations with the Children's Oncology Group and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston allow Dr. Schorin the opportunity to continue his clinical investigations into childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Dr. Dragutin Loncar Dragutin Loncar, MD, PhD, is medical director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
Before his appointment at Inova, Dr. Loncar was medical director of clinical research for hematology/oncology at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, in Corpus Christi, TX.
He is a passionate believer in team work and forming clinical "partnerships" with referring physicians. "Our goal is to partner with the family practitioner or pediatrician in caring for each patient in a respectful, courteous manner," he says. "We understand the importance of creating a comfortable environment that leads to an overall feeling of well-being for the patient. In this way, Dr. Schorin and I strive to make ourselves available at all times to discuss the best treatment plan for each individual and their family."
Some say that experience is the best teacher. Dr. Loncar knows first-hand the fears and anxiety that can arise for parents during their child's hospitalization. "Both of my children were born prematurely," he says. "We spent a significant amount of time in the NICU."
Originally from Croatia, Dr. Loncar studied chemistry before earning his medical degree at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in 1980. He received additional education and training at several other institutions, including Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in Loma Linda, CA; The Brain Tumor Center and Children's Hospital at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.
Research is an integral part of the department’s clinical activities, he says. This includes using the latest research data to help treat patients, and participating in generating data and publishing the results.
A member of the Children’s Oncology Group, Dr. Loncar's most recent research efforts have been in the area of brain tumor growth. He also lends his expertise to teaching in the pediatric residency program at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
For a referral to Dr. Schorin, Dr. Loncar or any of our pediatric oncologists, click here or call 703-750-8800.