Dr. Hanan Dihowm joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019.
Dr. Dihowm always wanted to learn to conduct research, and so she earned a master’s degree in clinical research from Rush University. She has a strong interest in cancer research, more specifically breast cancer and lymphoma. With working with cancer patients, her main focus is making sure that every patient understands their medical condition and is given the right to make an informed decision. She is there every step of the way during their course of treatment. Since Dr. Dihowm was a teaching assistant early in her career, teaching has become another area of interest for her. She went back to academia after residency and joined West Virginia University School of Medicine as full time faculty. Teaching stimulates her intellectually as she faces challenges from her learners that help her stay up-to-date in patient care with the end result being better quality care.
Dr. Dihowm enjoys working with patients and their families. She completed her training in urban areas and has been working in a rural area. Exposure to a wide variety of patients helps her address each patient’s need with an individualized approach. One of her strengths is her analytic ability when the diagnosis and medical decision processes are complicated. Dr. Dihowm loves puzzling cases, which can be very common in cancer patients. Patient care has and will always be her main focus. However, she plans to make research her second domain of focus in the next few years. She has the academic background to conduct clinical research, and Dr. Dihowm is confident that resources at Washington University and mentorship will help her refresh and build on what she has learned in this regard.
She is very enthusiastic and excited to join the faculty at Washington University Division of Hospital Medicine. She is confident that this opportunity will be amazing for her development in all levels, including personal and professional. She looks forward to being part of this journey.