Dr. Taewoong Choi

I am convinced that caring for patients with malignant hematologic diseases requires not only up-to-date medical knowledge, but also an understanding of the individual patient's needs and circumstances. I encourage patients to take an active role in their treatment and recovery and I work with them to develop an individualized treatment plan that includes the most advanced therapies available today. My practice focuses primarily on disorders of the lymphatic system (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia). As an integral part of my clinical activities, I am dedicated to teaching young physicians at all levels of training and educating the next generation of hematologists. Dr. Stefanovic is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Midline Lethal Granuloma. Her top areas of expertise are Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL), Large-Cell Immunoblastic Lymphoma, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.

What makes Duke Health unique in bone marrow transplants is its holistic approach. We take care of the disease -- which is important, because these are very serious, potentially fatal diseases. But at the same time, we pay attention to patients’ emotional and psychological well-being in addition to their physical well-being. And not only for patients but also the whole family, because the caregivers and other parts of the family need attention as well. I wanted to go into medicine, because it was a great way to interact and take care of patients. In my mind, cancer is one of two diseases within internal medicine where you can actually cure people. The best part of bone marrow transplant is that the time between the laboratory and the patient is short. Patients who need a transplant tend to be relatively sick and in need of new therapies. That’s been very intellectually challenging and fun. Dr. Chao is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Midline Lethal Granuloma. His top areas of expertise are Graft Versus Host Disease (GvHD), Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGvHD), Multiple Myeloma, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Bone Graft.

The Division of Cellular Therapy does bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants for patients with different types of blood cancers. Specifically, I see patients with multiple myeloma or other plasma cell issues like amyloidosis. Many of the cases in my clinic are difficult. So I spend a lot of time talking with my patients, explaining the disease when they come as new patients and talking about the complexity of the disease, because it’s important that they understand what to ask their physicians here at Duke and at home. There’s no standard treatment for myeloma. We have different options – continuation of therapy, immediate transplant or transplant later. I like to explain to patients why I favor a certain treatment approach and why I think it would be the best approach for them. Dr. Gasparetto is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Midline Lethal Granuloma. Her top areas of expertise are Multiple Myeloma, Smoldering Multiple Myeloma, Relapsed Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM), Bone Marrow Transplant, and Colonoscopy.