The Power of "I Don't Know": Why Admitting Uncertainty is an Oncologist's Greatest Strength

Listen to JCO's Art of Oncology article, "The Power of "I Don't Know" by Dr. Sondos Zayed, who is a radiation oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital and an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada. The article is followed by an interview with Zayed and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Dr Zayed shares a reflection on the unexpected power of saying "I don't know," and how honest uncertainty can deepen trust, guide care and create space for what truly matters in oncology. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: The Power of "I Don't Know" , Sondos, Zayed, MD, MPH, FRCPC Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology . This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. Joining us today is Dr. Sondos Zayed, a radiation oncologist at the Ottawa Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada, to discuss her Journal of Clinical Oncology article, "The Power of I Don't Know." At the time of this recording, our guest has no disclosures. She and I have agreed to address each other by first names. Sondos, thank you for contributing to the Journal of Clinical Oncology , and what a pleasure it is to have you join us to discuss your article. Dr. Sondos Zayed: Thank you so much for having me. It's a privilege. Mikkael Sekeres: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from? And walk us through your career up to this point. Dr. Sondos Zayed: Yeah, oh my goodness. So it seems like such a long road and yet so many years left in my career, hopefully. You know, I'm Canadian, and I had the opportunity to grow up in Montreal, which was wonderful, and I went to McGill Medical School, and then after that pursued Radiation Oncology Residency at Western University. And following that I did a fellowship specializing in GI and CNS malignancies with MR-Linac technology in Toronto, and eventually landed in Ottawa, where right now I'm a radiation oncologist treating GI and CNS malignancies and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. Mikkael Sekeres: That's fantastic. How far are you out of training? Dr. Sondos Zayed: Well, this would be officially my second year essentially as an independent radiation oncologist. Mikkael Sekeres: Wonderful. And I'm curious, what drew you to radiation oncology? Dr. Sondos Zayed: I always say that it was meant to be. And the reason being, when I was in medical school at McGill, they parachuted us out into very niche specialties that we wouldn't otherwise have exposure to. And essentially the way that they would do that is they'd send us an email and say, you know, "Show up at this place, at this location. Here's attached a PowerPoint, just review it before you go." And I get this email and the PowerPoint is talking about, you know, photons and electrons, linear accelerators. And I'm like, "I have no idea what's going on. This is so confusing." I thought I was in medicine. And so I do follow the instructions and I was so lucky that I had such a wonderful supervisor, and he showed me the machines and I saw the coolest cases that day, and it was just such a wonderful experience and the most captivating. And so I just kept on wanting to go back. And the rest is literally history. The really, really fascinating thing about radiation oncology is that it's the mix of physics, it's a mix of like technology, and at the same time there's the medicine and the clinical aspect of it. And there's obviously the privilege to be able to support patients on their most vulnerable journeys with their cancer diagnosis and treatment, et cetera. And so it's a mix of the most interesting things all around and I felt like the best fit for me. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, your passion for it is absolutely palpable. It's really fun to hear the excitement in your voice. I

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