Writing

Insights & Reflections

Thoughts on surgery, science, patient care, and the spaces in between.

Writing

Recent Pieces

Research

What Patients Value Most — and How It Changes After Surgery

A landmark multi-institutional study reveals that the priorities patients bring to a thyroid cancer diagnosis shift dramatically once treatment is behind them — with profound implications for how we counsel and care.

March 2026 · 9 min read

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Research

8 min

Fear, Worry, and the Decisions They Drive

A longitudinal study from the CHOiCE Collaborative finds that thyroid cancer-related fear and worry decrease after surgery — regardless of whether patients choose lobectomy or total thyroidectomy.

Patient Care

7 min

The Questions Patients Are Really Asking

When researchers recorded surgical consultations for low-risk thyroid cancer, they found that patients' questions reveal deep concerns about quality of life — concerns that surgeons often answer with oncologic data instead.

Overdiagnosis

9 min

When Emotions Enter the Operating Room

A groundbreaking qualitative study reveals how emotions — both patients' and surgeons' — shape treatment decisions for low-risk thyroid cancer, and how "peace of mind" may be driving overtreatment.

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Published In

Essays & Commentary

Dr. Pitt’s writing has appeared in leading medical journals reaching both clinical and general audiences.

JAMA Surgery The Lancet Oncology Journal of Clinical Oncology JAMA Network Open JAMA Otolaryngology Academic Medicine Thyroid Annals of Surgery

On the Horizon

The Book

Dr. Pitt is developing her first book, weaving personal narrative, patient stories, and rigorous evidence into an examination of how modern medicine sometimes does too much and what it means to reclaim patient-centered practice.

Manuscript in progress. Publication details forthcoming.

Forthcoming

The Stories Behind the Scalpel

Susan C. Pitt, MD, MPHS