Nisha Unni, M.D.

Meet Dr. Unni

Dallas Medical Oncologist

Breast cancer patients are fighters who aggressively want to beat the disease, says UT Southwestern medical oncologist Nisha Unni, M.D., who brings the same kind of passion to finding the right treatment for each of her patients.

Dr. Unni adds that she became a medical oncologist because she enjoys developing a lifelong bond with her patients, and she specialized in breast cancer because she knew it was a way she could make a difference in women’s lives.

“I want to give them the tools to fight as hard as they can and live a long life,” she says.

Dr. Unni sees each patient as an individual who needs a personalized treatment plan, not as a textbook case. To create that plan, she gets to know all aspects of her patient’s life, beyond just the details about her disease. And she works as part of UT Southwestern’s multidisciplinary team of breast cancer specialists, so patients benefit from the combined expertise of the group.

Dr. Unni sees all types of breast cancer but has a particular interest in triple negative breast cancer and HER-2 positive breast cancer. These types are more challenging to treat because fewer targeted therapies exist, but Dr. Unni says she is up for the challenge.

“There’s a lot of exciting research going on to find therapies that are less toxic for patients and that more effectively treat these difficult cancers,” she says.

“That’s why being at an academic medical center is important to me, and it should be important to patients. We have access to clinical trials that could make a difference in their treatment and the treatment of many other women.”

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Unni is passionate about teaching residents and fellows.

“They are the future,” she says. “They keep me at the forefront of what’s going on because when they ask questions, I need to know the answers. It helps them, it helps me, and it helps my patients.”