Helen Cappuccino, MD, FACS

Specialty: Surgical Oncology
Department of Breast Surgery

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Locations

Roswell Park Main Campus
1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355)

Dr. Cappuccino is a Buffalo Spree Top Doctor! Top Doctors 2024 See all of our physicians who made this year's list.

Cancers Treated:

Specializing In:

  • Benign Breast Disease
  • Gender Confirmation Surgery
  • Culinary Medicine
  • Deescalation of treatment

Research Interests:

  • Growth and progression of breast carcinoma
  • Therapeutic hypothermia

Biography

I love my work at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is an important part of who I am as a human being. I am from a generation of medicine that views medicine as a calling and a privilege. In addition to conventional breast cancer surgical management, I help manage benign breast conditions, healthy lifestyle and wellness leading to breast health. I am interested in Culinary Medicine, and have taught courses on this at the Jacobs School of Medicine. I believe in cultivating future doctors to work in our community, so I serve on the Admissions Committee at the University of Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine. I am also to serve as a judge for the WNY business incubator and contest 43North. 

I am a mother to six, grandmother to two, and happily married to Andrew Cappuccino, MD, a classmate from years ago, spine surgeon, research partner and a team physician for our beloved Buffalo Bills. GO BILLS!

I also believe in caring for all people whom I can help, and am honored to care for patients with gender dysphoria.

Outside Roswell Park, I enjoy non-profit work and am currently on the Boards of the Albright Knox Art Gallery, the UB Foundation Executive Board, Western New York Women’s Foundation, and Chaîne des Rotisseurs Foundation Board, previously having served on the Boards of Lockport City Ballet, and the Kenan Center. I have chaired numerous charity events for various schools and cultural organizations, including the Eastern Niagara United Way, the University of Buffalo Scholarship Galas, and Elmwood Franklin School. My husband and I have enjoyed medical missions to Kenya.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Assistant Professor of Oncology
  • Department of Breast Surgery

Jacobs School Of Medicine And Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery

University of Rochester- Assistant Professor of Surgery

  • 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

Professional Experience

  • 1989-1999 - Private practice, Buffalo, NY

Honors & Awards

  • 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 - Buffalo SpreeTop Doc
  • 2019 - Woman of Influence - Inspiration Award
  • 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 - 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

Featured on CancerTalk

Publications

Publications

Burnout in the women surgical trainee; is it time to consider a more global approach to tackle this issue? Young J, Sabih Q; Cappuccino H; Edge S; Takabe K. Surgery in Practice and Science. Volume 13, June 2023, 100162

Syringomatous Tumor of the Nipple. Favre NM, Sabih Q, L'Huillier JC, Takabe K, Cappuccino H. World J Oncol. 2022 Aug;13(4):235-240. doi: 10.14740/wjon1513. Epub 2022 Aug 23. PMID: 36128591

A Presurgical-Window Intervention Trial of Isothiocyanate-Rich Broccoli Sprout Extract in Patients with Breast Cancer.

Wang Z, Tu C, Pratt R, Khoury T, Qu J, Fahey JW, McCann SE, Zhang Y, Wu Y, Hutson AD, Ambrosone CB, Edge SB, Cappuccino HH, Takabe K, Young JS, Tang L. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2022 Jun;66(12):e2101094. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202101094. Epub 2022 May 6. PMID: 35475592

PD63-11Art Heals: Does Art therapy help in the recovery of patients after a major oncologic surgery? Lone Z*, Khan H, Steele M,  Bizovi J,  Elsayed AS, Aldhaam NA, Hussein, Attwood WJK, Davidson R,  Cappuccino H, Lin-Hill J, Guru KA,
 March 2019, The Journal of Urology 201(Supplement 4)

Systemic Hypothermia as Treatment for an Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in a Professional Football Player: 9-Year Follow-Up. Cappuccino A, Bisson LJ, Carpenter B, Snyder K, Cappuccino H.Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2017 Mar/Apr;46(2):E79-E82

Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL): A Case Report.Evren S, Khoury T, Neppalli V, Cappuccino H, Hernandez-Ilizaliturri FJ, Kumar P.Am J Case Rep. 2017 May 31;18:605-610.

Impact of American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z11 on surgical training at an academic cancer center. Gabriel E, Attwood K, Young J,     Cappuccino H, Kumar S.. J Surg Res. 2016 Apr;201(2):266-71. doi:   10.1016/j.jss.2015.11.014. Epub 2015 Nov 30

Systemic hypothermia for the treatment of acute cervical spinal cord injury in sports. Dietrich WD, Cappuccino A, Cappuccino H. Curr Sorts Med Rep; 2011 Jan-Feb;10(1):50-4

The use of systemic hypothermia for the treatment of an acute cervical spinal cord injury in a professional football player. Cappuccino A,  Bisson, LJ, Carpenter B; Marzo J, Dietrich WJ III,  Cappuccino H. Accepted for Publication in  Spine 2010

Cappuccino H, Stratoulias C, Thompson R, Heliotis T. Foramen of Morgagni : Hernia Diagnosis with Magnetic Resonance Imaging.  Contemporary Surgery 1996;48(2) 81-88.

Cappuccino H, Heliotis T.  Pulmonary Blastoma as a Unique Cause of Fatal Respiratory Distress in a Newborn.  Journal of Pediatric Surgery 1995;30(6) 886-888.

Cappuccino H, Gornish A, Schwartz M, Averbach D.  Letter to the Editor of Surgery, accepted for publication.

Cappuccino H, Campinile F, Knecht J.  Laparoscopic-Guided Drainage of Hepatic Abscess.  Journal of Laproendoscopic Surgery 1994; 4(3) 234-237.

Cappuccino H, Cargill S, Ngyuen T.  Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy:563 Cases at a Community Teaching Hospital and a Review of 12,201 Cases in the Literature.  Journal of Laproendoscopic Surgery 1994; 4(3) 213-221.

Doerr R, Cappuccino H et al.  Use of the Falciform Ligament to Repair a Perforated Duodenal Ulcer.  Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics 1990 170(2); 167-168.

Bernstein Z, Cappuccino A, Cappuccino H.  Platelet Aggregation with Spent Media Used to Support Tumor Cell Structures.  Blood 1988, December Supplement.

Bernstein Z, Cappuccino A, Cappuccino H.  Cessation of Thrombocytopenia with Platelet IgG and IgM.  Blood 1987, December Supplement.

Bernstein Z, Cappuccino A, Cappuccino H, Small B.  Effect on platelet Aggregation of Serum from Patients with HIV-associated ITP. Blood 1986, December supplement.

Hess H, Sweeney J.  The effect of Warfarin Formulation on Anticoagulation Control.  Blood 1985; December supplement.

Textbooks

Scientific American Textbook of Surgery. 2018 edition. Evaluation of the Benign Breast and Patients at High Risk for Breast Cancer

Scientific American Textbook of Surgery. 2018 edition. Management of Benign Breast Problems

American College of Surgeons Textbook of Surgery. 2013 Edition. Benign Breast Disease Chapter

American College of Surgeons Textbook of Surgery. 2010 Edition. Benign Breast Disease Chapter

Being a Woman Surgeon: 60 Women Share Their Stories- author two selections (pub April 2015)

The Best of Medicine: Doctors, Patients, and the Covenant of Caring

The Best Medicine: Stories of Doctors and Patients who Care for Each Other, Positive Doctors in America