Spotlight: Deshka Foster, M.D., Ph.D.

What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned from a work experience, good or bad?

"A few that come to mind: Show up (and wake up) early; trust but verify; take responsibility for (almost) everything; don’t use adverbs in emails; apply for grants etc early and often; say yes!"

How do you handle pressure or tight deadlines? Share your tips for staying calm and focused.

"Maybe a little cliched, but to me 'calm under pressure' isn't something you summon in the moment — it's something you bank ahead of time. By the time the tight spot arrives, ideally the preparation has already done most of the work, and you just execute. It also helps to separate the genuinely urgent from the merely loud. And finally, staying organized goes a long way."

What advice would you give to someone new starting at Stanford?

"Take advantage of the whole University, not just the Dept of Surgery. The Dept of Surgery is of course incredible - but the science, resources, people, opportunities in the University beyond make Stanford a very magical and inspiring place. And doors are usually open to meet with almost anyone!"

Dr. Deshka Foster is a dual fellowship-trained surgical oncologist and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgeon at Stanford. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Foster offers advanced, personalized treatment for patients with HPB cancers, including cancers of the pancreas, bile ducts (cholangiocarcinoma), gallbladder, and liver, as well as gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. She also directs the Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) Pump Therapy Program at Stanford. As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Foster holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University and leads a basic science and translational research laboratory, where her interests include pancreatic tumor microenvironment, cancer associated fibroblasts, and solid tumor response to immunotherapy. She and her laboratory team specifically research cells that influence tumor behavior and resistance to treatment (cancer-associated fibroblasts) in bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma) and pancreatic cancers. The Foster Laboratory also studies abdominal adhesion fibrosis, which are internal scar tissue bands that form after surgical operations and can cause bowel obstruction and complicate further surgical procedures. Dr. Foster has published her research in many peer-reviewed journals, including Cancer Cell, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, Science, Cell, PNAS, Cell Reports Medicine, JAMA, and Annals of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Foster is a member of multiple surgical societies and serves on the Research Committees for both the Society of Surgical Oncology and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association/International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.