Biography:
I am delighted to be on staff at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. After a decade in private general surgical practice, where I treated many women with breast cancer, I accepted an invitation to join Roswell exclusively in 1999. I felt it gave me an opportunity to do two things that are important to me: develop long-term relationships with my patients, and help them by surgically treating breast cancer. Being at an institute which has a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer, emphasizes state-of-the-art treatment, and offers many resources immediately available to my patients was especially important to me. Also, I like that Roswell gives my patients access to research protocols. As a Board-certified surgeon, I feel it’s important to stay current on the new and effective treatments available to treat breast diseases. I have written chapters in surgical textbooks, and published in scientific journals, speak to patient advocacy groups as I do my best to help assure women screen for breast cancer, understand the disease and are treated properly for breast cancer and other breast issues.
When not in the hospital, my husband Andy (a spine surgeon, medical inventor, and a team doctor for the Buffalo Bills) and I enjoy time with our six children, currently aged 26-40. We both heed the call of civic duty, and I am active on several local non-profit boards, including the University of Buffalo, Western New York Women's Foundation and the Albright Knox Art Gallery. My husband and I have traveled to Africa for medical mission work, and have brought a number of children from abroad here for much-needed surgery they couldn’t get in their home countries. I consider it a privilege to care for patients, and believe strongly that the doctor patient re
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Assistant Professor of Oncology
- Breast Surgery Division, Department of Surgical Oncology
Jacobs School Of Medicine And Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery
Background
Education and Training:
- MD - University at Buffalo School of Medicine (Cum Laude), Buffalo, NY
Residency:
- Monmouth Medical Center, Long Beach, NJ
- Jersey Shore Memorial Medical Center, Neptune, NJ
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Board Certification:
- American Board of Surgery
- Certified by the American Board of Surgery
- Basic Life Support
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support
- Advanced Trauma Life Support
Professional Memberships:
- American College of Surgeons - fellow
- American Medical Association
- Medical Alumni Association SUNY Buffalo
- American Society for Clinical Oncology
- FAA Examiner
- ASCO - American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Western New York Chapter ACS- President 2001-2002, President Elect 2000-2001, Secretary 1999-2000, Treasurer 1998-1999, Young Surgeon Representative to National ACS
- American Medical Association
- Medical Alumni Association SUNY Buffalo 1988-present, Treasurer 2005-2006, Vice-President 2006-2007, President 2007-2008, emeritus- current
- Erie County Medical Society
Honors & Awards:
- 2020, 2021 - Buffalo SpreeTop Doc
- 2019 - Woman of Influence - Inspiration Award
- 2019 - Castle Connelly Top Doc
- 2018 - Castle Connelly Top Docs - Breast Surgery
- 2017 Business First Health Care Hero
- 2016 University of Buffalo Volunteer of the Year Award, Medical School
- May 2014 - Keynote Speaker John S Koplas Memorial Lecture Series
- 2010 - Western New York Community Leader Healthcare Award- National Federation of Just Communities (WNY chapter)
- 1995-1997 - AMA Physician Recognition Award
- 1995 - Positive Physician Project- Selected as one of America’s fifty most positive physicians
