Nancy J. Tarbell, MD FASTRO
Nancy Tarbell, MD, inspires. As director of health and wellness, her passion for prevention powers Inspire Exercise Medicine.
She brings to her role outstanding credentials. Dr. Tarbell was the first female professor in radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School, where she also served as dean for academic and clinical affairs. As the CC Wang Professor Emerita of Radiation Oncology at Boston’s Mass General Hospital, she remains active at Mass General Hospital and Harvard.
For 35 years, she has blazed trails in medicine and academia, leading pediatric radiation oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Mass General Hospital. Dr. Tarbell was the founding director of the Center for Faculty Development and the Office for Women’s Careers at Mass General.
In 2023, Dr. Tabell moved to Naples and joined Inspire Exercise Medicine. She says of her new role, “It is a privilege to collaborate on clinical strategy to improve the patient experience. Building community among peers in academia and in the patient care community has always been a driving passion of mine.”
Dr. Tarbell was introduced to Inspire when her husband, Dr. Jay Loeffler, participated in the program. Today, Inspire is a way of life as she and her husband constantly work out at the clinic. Studies demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of physical exercise for virtually all ailments. Still, its effects are potent as an expanded cancer therapy. “Conventional cancer treatment can be physically and emotionally draining, and exercise is shown to better chances at cure, increase the effectiveness of treatment, reduce your risk of recurrence and improve patients’ ability to tolerate treatment,” adds Dr. Tarbell.
“It’s amazing to watch our patients achieve optimal health and quality of life despite a cancer diagnosis and treatment.” Dr. Tarbell adds. “Our mission is to redefine healthcare for our patients with the vision of advancing healthcare for all patients through exercise medicine.”
Dr. Tarbell is internationally recognized as an expert in pediatric radiation oncology and pediatric brain tumors. Consistently listed in The Best Doctors of America (Woodward and White), she served on the national Children’s Oncology Group Brain Tumor Committee for 30 years. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2002 and has authored more than 300 original publications and book chapters. Dr. Tarbell is co-editor of Pediatric Radiation Oncology, now in its 5th edition.