In 2003, physiatrist Julie K. Silver, MD, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like many patients, Julie emerged from treatment exhausted by its side effects and emotional toll. As Julie used her expertise to heal herself, she wrote a practical, holistic guide to recovery, After Cancer Treatment: Heal Faster, Better, Stronger, which Library Journal included among the top 20 health books of 2006.
As an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Physical Medicine and medical director of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Julie is advancing the understanding of survivorship as a distinct phase of cancer care. She also educates her peers, patients and the public through lectures, media interviews and publications, including her award-winning collection of survivors’ stories, What Helped Get Me Through. Continuing to break new ground in cancer care, in 2009, Julie co-founded Oncology Rehab Partners, LLC, the first company to provide hospitals and cancer centers with the tools to develop and deliver quality, reimbursable oncology rehabilitation services.