Radiation Medicine is built on collaboration. Beyond physicians and physicists, an entire team of specialists plays a vital role in advancing patient care. This series shines a spotlight on those professionals—their responsibilities, their expertise, and the people behind the titles. Our goal is to help you appreciate the depth and diversity of work that makes Radiation Medicine possible. From guiding residency applicants and coordinating clinical trials to ensuring accurate radiation dosing and delivering exceptional nursing care, our faculty and staff cover it all.
This month, we’re excited to introduce Kristin Font, Clinical Research Coordinator II for the Department of Human Oncology—and our November Expert!
1. What is your title and which areas of the Department of Human Oncology do you work within? (clinical, research and/or medical education)?
I am a Clinical Research Coordinator II for the Department of Human Oncology. I work with the Human Oncology faculty to enroll and manage their clinical trials and participants. My areas of specialty include lung cancer, brain cancer, and theranostics.
2. What drew you to the field?
What drew me to the field of clinical research was deeply personal. I have repeatedly seen the devastating impact cancer has on individuals and their families. Those experiences left a lasting impression and created a strong desire for me to be part of a solution. I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way to advancing treatment and improving outcomes. Clinical research offered a path where both my intellect and compassion could operate in symbiosis. It is a field that challenges me to think critically while also reminding me of the human lives and their sacrifices behind all the published data.
3. What is something you look forward to in your job every day, week, month or year? What’s your favorite part?
Part of the process of enrolling a patient on a clinical trial involves reading a section of text which discusses if the study will help that patient directly. Most often the answer to this question is that we do not know. What we do know, however, is that the study results will help patients in the future in one way or another.
I believe that this is the key to loving your job in a clinical research setting. I look forward daily to arranging a massively complex puzzle; whose pieces often change shape and size, hopeful that the result will illuminate a better path forward for all cancer patients.
I am also incredibly lucky to work with an inimitable research team who are the definition of supportive, as well as with a world class team of inspired Principal Investigators and providers who are a joy to collaborate with.
4. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
When I am not at work, chances are you will catch me outside with my husband Peter and our two daughters. In this season of life, I tend to spend a lot of time with my girls in the garden and at the park. Otherwise, I cannot get enough of traveling to beautiful places and experiencing all the cultures that I can. A life-long bucket list item is to visit all seven continents (five down, two to go!).
5. What is your favorite piece of advice from a mentor or inspiring figure in your life?
All the inspiring figures in my life have something in common: there are no holds barred when it comes to loving simply and living kindly. Both are active choices, so choose wisely. Regarding clinical research, I think Albert Einstein said it best: “If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”
➡ Follow along as we feature a new expert every other month. Don’t miss the chance to learn more about the incredible people shaping Radiation Medicine!
