2008 Alliance Breast Surgery Fellows
This year, the Breast Cancer Alliance awarded four breast surgery fellowships to encourage young breast surgeons to choose breast surgery as a career path.
2008 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Breast Cancer Alliance Breast Surgery Fellow: Lisa S. Wiechmann, MD, MPH
“I have known I wanted to be a doctor since kindergarten – I just had to figure out which kind,” says Lisa Wiechmann. The decision to become a breast surgeon led her to a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which Dr. Wiechmann says is “above and beyond” her expectations. “The attending physicians and staff here are humble and generous – and completely available to teach. As for the program, there is great attention to detail and to research, and each patient’s case is thoroughly discussed – the preparation is remarkably comprehensive. It’s no wonder,” she observes, “that feedback from patients often makes note of how much everyone seems to care.”
Her weekly routine is challenging. Every evening, the doctors review the next day’s cases and meet the patients. They operate four days a week and reserve one day exclusively for clinic time. Dr. Wiechmann accompanies the attending physicians to observe and assist with surgery. “I watch how they make a diagnosis and how they interact with the patients. Eventually, I hope I’ll incorporate the best parts from each doctor I observe into a style I can make my own,” she notes.
Dr. Lisa Wiechmann
2008 Debbie Taylor Breast Surgery Fellowship at Beth Israel Medical Center/St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, Continuum Cancer Centers of New York: Brigid K. Killelea, MD, MPH
In honor of long-time board member and supporter Debbie Taylor
Dr. Brigid Killelea had a busy first week on the job. As a surgical fellow, she assisted in seven operations on one of the two operating days and spent three days in the clinic, seeing patients with all types of breast cancer. She’s tired, but exhilarated. “It’s intense,” she admits, “but it’s exactly what I want to do. I fell in love with surgery when I was a resident and I now have a chance to blend that with my interest in women’s health.”
Says Dr. Susan Boolbol, the attending physician Dr. Killelea works with closely, “A large part of our job is to educate people about breast disease. The average person doesn’t know how to take control of breast health. We need to educate our fellows to educate the patients they see so women will be better informed about preventive care and surgery and treatment choices.”
Dr. Brigid Killelea
2008 Norma Lies Mitchell Breast Surgery Fellow, Yale School of Medicine: Jean-Claude David Schwartz, MD
In honor of Norma Lies Mitchell, mother of Jack and Bill Mitchell of Richards of Greenwich/Mitchells of Westport
Dr. Schwartz was in the midst of his PhD studies in immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine when he became ill with Hodgkin’s disease. “I benefitted from the advances made in cancer and I felt that I wanted to contribute to this field that had saved my life.” While a surgical resident, he developed an interest in breast cancer – “I just loved the research and the patient population.”
Having been on the job only since July 1, Dr. Schwartz is still somewhat of a rookie. A typical week for him will involve two days in the clinic and a fair amount of time in the operating room. He then makes time for follow up care for post-operative patients as well as research projects. “I’m hoping to analyze trends in patient care that will point to improvements we can make; for example, I’m looking at who does well or poorly with a particular therapy or what size tumors respond to which therapy,” he explains. He also remains interested in the underlying causes of tumor proliferation and hopes to help patients manage metastatic disease by helping to design novel new targeted therapies.
2008 Breast Cancer Alliance Breast Surgery Fellowship at Brooklyn Breast Cancer Program at Maimonides Cancer Center: Karen Jean Hendershott, MD
This year for the first time, the Breast Cancer Alliance is funding a breast surgery fellowship at the Brooklyn Breast Cancer Program at Maimonides Cancer Center.
Karen Jean Hendershott has jumped right into her fellowship, seeing breast cancer patients who speak more than 30 languages in a city that, if it were a state, would rank in the top 15 states in the U.S. for annual breast cancer incidence. She seems eager for the chance to treat this underserved population.
“A large part of this fellowship is about learning a holistic approach to treatment. I’m working with oncologists, radiation therapists, learning how to read pathology slides, and learning how to communicate with other doctors to ensure the best surgical approach for each patient.” Her team is starting a database of patient information that they hope will be helpful at other clinics or hospitals that treat a diverse group of patients.
After just a short time on the job in Brooklyn, she already sees challenges that make her new role both exciting and meaningful. She points out: “There is no standard Maimonides patient. We have a unique population that generally has worse overall health than other cancer centers in the form of poor nutrition, little preventive care, and often, higher genetic predisposition to breast cancer, for instance. As a result, normally prescribed cancer medicines may not work the same way as with other populations.”
