Celebrating a Legacy of Cancer Care

After years dedicated to growing the oncology program at GBMC from a relatively small team to Maryland’s largest community cancer program, Paul Celano, MD, FACP, FASCO, the Herman and Walter Samuelson Medical Director, will see his name become a permanent part of the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute. In gratitude for their generosity, GBMC will place the names of Dr. Paul Celano and his wife, Shivaun Celano, PharmD, MBA, prominently in the new Sandra R. Berman Pavilion. 

As rewarding as this is, the couple are far more excited to see the Berman Pavilion come to fruition. Dr. Celano recently enjoyed a hard-hat tour of the building now under construction. 

“It is exactly what we planned,” he beamed. Even the long-desired connection to the Sheila K. Riggs Radiation Oncology Center will be “a beautiful glass walkway.” 

“The procedure rooms will be spacious enough and equipped so we can share imaging with patients during the visit,” he added. “The full cancer program will be under one roof – a comprehensive building for our multidisciplinary teams. It’s something we began working toward even before I became medical director in 2016." 

GBMC leadership is naming a conference room in honor of Dr. Celano's contributions to the field of oncology and to the Berman Cancer Institute in his 30+ years here. Both he and Shivaun were pleased to make a personal investment, which will be recognized in the naming of the second floor lobby, overlooking the Berman Pavilion atrium. 

Under Dr. Celano’s leadership, the Berman Cancer Institute has grown substantially. The size of the Medical Oncology staff has nearly doubled since he became medical director, including the addition of more physicians, nurses, and nurse navigators. The Oncology Support Services department has grown, adding services and a financial navigator. Palliative and Integrative Medicine, formerly a program of Gilchrist, has come under the Berman Cancer Institute umbrella. The clinical trials program has grown, and Tumor Board conferences have expanded to include six cancer subspecialties. 

Leading the design of the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion and witnessing construction progress is a dream come true. In typical Dr. Celano (and GBMC) style, the design process has been inclusive of every team who will work in the new oncology building. The design for the Herman and Walter Samuelson Infusion Center, for example, incorporated recommendations of the Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council, who suggested offering communal, semi-private, and private options for patients. 

Both Drs. Celano have dedicated their careers to patient care that builds a brighter future for those they are treating. 

 

While Dr. Paul Celano has been contributing to the field of oncology as a leader at GBMC, as President of the Maryland Society of Clinical Oncologists, and as a contributor to national standards for medical oncology treatment, Dr. Shivaun Celano has been involved in advancing HIV and AIDS research and treatment. As a faculty member in the Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Celano has focused her clinical interests in patient education and adherence for patients living with HIV/AIDS. Over the past 33 years, Shivaun has been involved in advancing HIV/AIDS research, treatment and patient care at Johns Hopkins. 

Like her husband, Dr. Celano sees patients in the clinic and has developed relationships unique to those shared by doctors and patients who have serious medical illnesses. She was instrumental in both the building and operation of the first specialty pharmacy for the HIV clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. 

With their careers can be extraordinarily demanding, the couple have been purposeful about finding time for family, which includes their son Paul D. (an attorney and MBA), daughter-in-law Margot (a reading specialist, entrepreneur, and mom), 6-year-old granddaughter Harlow, and Gus, their 3-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever. They enjoy retreating to their second home in Cape May Point, N.J., and traveling when time allows. Paul enjoys golfing, playing piano and guitar and Shivaun enjoys reading and needle work. 

As proud as they are of the legacy they are creating for oncology at GBMC, they both feel even more gratified when they meet a patient who is doing well. It’s something neither of them ever tires of – even when they’re on vacation. 

“We were in Rome many years ago when someone came up to Paul to thank him and tell him how well they were doing,” Shivaun said. “We’re used to seeing patients away from the hospital, but to our surprise and delight, this happened in another country!” 

And soon, in the Dr. Paul and Dr. Shivaun Celano Lobby of the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, patients will have a permanent reminder of their lifelong dedication.