HEROS Clinic

The Health, Education, Research & Outcomes for Survivors (HEROS) of Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital promotes the lifelong health of pediatric cancer patients after their cancer treatment has ended. It was the first childhood cancer survivorship program in Connecticut to offer comprehensive care for adults and children who had survived pediatric cancer. In our specialty clinic, patients receive detailed cancer treatment summaries and an individualized schedule for future screening for chronic conditions related to their original cancer treatment.  Our multidisciplinary team that includes a pediatric oncologist, nurse practitioner, psychologist, registered dietician, and nurse educator are committed to caring for each patient as a whole person and empowering survivors to live their best life after cancer.

The clinic is available to individuals who have finished treatment for childhood cancer at any time in the recent or distant past. The HEROS Clinic provides preventative screening, guidance and education to empower survivors to take steps to maximize their health, quality of life and longevity. The HEROS Clinic is a specialty clinic that is for patients to attend in addition to their oncology follow-up and primary care.

The HEROS Clinic consists of a multidisciplinary team staffed by a pediatric oncologist, pediatric endocrinologist, neuropsychologist, pediatric social worker and specially trained nurses. The clinic provides patients with a review of treatments received, counseling regarding potential health risks, case-specific diagnostic tests, hormonal studies, heart evaluations and testing for learning disabilities. In addition, patients are offered an opportunity to participate in research projects that study how to improve quality of life in survivors and that track side effects from various clinical trials.

The HEROS Clinic is at the forefront of national research investigating some of the metabolic markers responsible for the medical and psychological problems in childhood cancer survivors. The clinic is currently conducting federally-funded studies related to late effects in childhood cancer survivors such as stroke, cardiac events, subsequent cancers and neuropsychological outcomes.