When Savannah Mancuso's best friend, 30-year-old Sarah Curfman, received a diagnosis of sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma in October 2024, her first instinct was pure pharmacist. Questions about labs, imaging and specialists tumbled out as her mind raced through treatment protocols and oncology contacts.
But as the months unfolded, Mancuso, a 2019 pharmacy graduate, came to a realization. From a clinical perspective, Mancuso was well prepared to help walk her friend through what lay ahead in her cancer journey, but she would learn that medical knowledge alone would not be enough.
“There is a silent expectation of us to seamlessly transition from clinician to caregiver — a shift in which we receive little guidance,” she says. “Being a clinician does not in itself endow you with the gift of caregiving.”
Being a clinician does not in itself endow you with the gift of caregiving.
The rare cancer — affecting less than 0.05% of U.S. cancer patients — sent Mancuso into research mode. She attended appointments, evaluated specialists and analyzed treatment options. Yet something felt missing. She had buried herself in supervising Curfman's medical care but felt inadequate beyond that point.
Her perspective shifted after reading Being Mortal by surgeon Atul Gawande, which explores how not all disease-related problems require medical intervention. Patients need comprehensive support: financial assistance, transportation, social connection and emotional stability.
A workplace experience drove the lesson home. When a patient repeatedly missed infusion appointments, Mancuso grew frustrated — until learning about transportation barriers. Embarrassed by her assumptions, she researched transit resources and created a handout for future patients.
“With time and experience, I am recognizing when non-medical solutions are the best course of action,” she says.
Factors like financial status, social support, physical independence and health literacy are equally vital to a patient's overall health and should be addressed.
Mancuso credits her USC ambulatory care rotations for providing a foundation to recognize non-pharmacy factors affecting patients, but she wants students and practicing pharmacists to have a greater awareness of social determinants of health.
“During my time at USC, the focus was on clinical treatment based primarily on a patient's health status,” she says. “However, factors like financial status, social support, physical independence and health literacy are equally vital to a patient's overall health and should be addressed.”
Today, Mancuso helps patients access financial assistance programs and identifies gaps in care processes. Her message to fellow pharmacists is to look beyond the prescription. And Curfman successfully underwent surgery to remove her tumor and is on a maintenance chemotherapy regimen.
“Pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers and thus uniquely positioned to be the first members of a patientʼs 'village,'“ she says. “When we seek solutions not only for the illness but for the person living with it, we give our patients the support they need to thrive beyond their diagnosis.”
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Alumni