Life After Cancer: How research and survivorship care are shaping the future.
For many families, completing cancer treatment marks the beginning of a new chapter—one focused on healing, rebuilding, and navigating a new normal.
That’s where the TLC (Taking on Life after Cancer) Clinic at Children’s of Alabama plays a vital role. As the only dedicated pediatric survivorship clinic in the state, TLC offers long-term, personalized care for children, teens, and adults who have completed cancer treatment or undergone a bone marrow transplant.
Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, Vice Chair of Outcomes at UAB Pediatrics, shares that a subset of childhood cancer survivors face a high risk of serious complications that can impact their quality of life. Her research focuses on identifying these risks at the DNA level, with the goal of developing blood tests that can guide personalized care, prevention, and early detection.
Jada Knight, MSN, a family nurse practitioner at the TLC Clinic, emphasizes the importance of staying connected to a survivorship clinic. Research shows that survivors have better outcomes and quality of life when followed by specialized clinics like TLC—care that goes far beyond what’s typically offered in primary care settings.
Watch the video below to hear directly from Dr. Bhatia and Jada Knight about life after cancer, the importance of survivorship care, and how research is shaping the future of support for pediatric cancer survivors. The more we come together, the more children become survivors—and the stronger our communities grow for generations to come.
For many families, completing cancer treatment marks the beginning of a new chapter—one focused on healing, rebuilding, and navigating a new normal.
That’s where the TLC (Taking on Life after Cancer) Clinic at Children’s of Alabama plays a vital role. As the only dedicated pediatric survivorship clinic in the state, TLC offers long-term, personalized care for children, teens, and adults who have completed cancer treatment or undergone a bone marrow transplant.
Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH, Vice Chair of Outcomes at UAB Pediatrics, shares that a subset of childhood cancer survivors face a high risk of serious complications that can impact their quality of life. Her research focuses on identifying these risks at the DNA level, with the goal of developing blood tests that can guide personalized care, prevention, and early detection.
Jada Knight, MSN, a family nurse practitioner at the TLC Clinic, emphasizes the importance of staying connected to a survivorship clinic. Research shows that survivors have better outcomes and quality of life when followed by specialized clinics like TLC—care that goes far beyond what’s typically offered in primary care settings.
Watch the video below to hear directly from Dr. Bhatia and Jada Knight about life after cancer, the importance of survivorship care, and how research is shaping the future of support for pediatric cancer survivors. The more we come together, the more children become survivors—and the stronger our communities grow for generations to come.
