Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center

Training Program Director: Meghan Milburn, MD, FACS, FSSO
Associate Program Director: Robert Buras, MD, FACS

Breast surgery has emerged as a distinct specialty and the required preparation for a career in this specialty has become extensive.

Goal:

To rigorously train surgeons for a career in breast surgery and equip them with extensive knowledge and skills to 1) provide superb and compassionate clinical care, 2) stimulate intellectual curiosity and foster a lifelong commitment to innovation and breast disease research, 3) direct and understand the many facets and multidisciplinary aspects of a Breast Center, 4) provide leadership for colleagues, Breast Center teams, governmental agencies, insurance companies, and industry to improve breast disease care, 5) be an advocate for patients, and 6) articulate research, clinical and patient information in a collaborative and carefully planned manner.

Program Description and Rotations:

All of the surgical rotations occur at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC), exposing the fellow to a total of 4 dedicated breast surgeons. Subspecialty rotations include the Risk Assessment and Prevention Program, Pathology, Psychosocial/Counseling, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Breast Imaging, Clinical Trials, Rehabilitation and the Lymphedema Clinic and integrated training and preparation in Breast Program Leadership. The Faculty consists of renowned experts who have been chosen for passion in their field and their teaching abilities.

Patient Volume:

The providers of the Rebecca Fortney Breast Center at LHAAMC evaluate and manage over 480 breast cancer patients a year. Our imaging center performs approximately 30,000 screening mammograms per year. Clinical encounters are between 7,000 and 8,000 per year. It is anticipated the Fellow will perform >400 surgical procedures including nipple-sparing, skin-sparing and aesthetically flat-closure mastectomies, wire-localized and ultrasound-guided partial mastectomies, oncoplastic partial mastectomies, nipple explorations, sentinel node and completion axillary node dissections, assist in reconstructive procedures and see an extensive variety of benign and malignant patients in clinic. Extensive experience in ultrasound-guided procedures is obtained.

The Fortney Breast Center in the Belcher Pavilion:

The Breast Center’s location, in beautiful historic Annapolis, is lovely and its proximity to Baltimore and Washington provide a wide array of cultural activities. It has been a destination site for breast patients locally, regionally and nationally for 20 years and has been extensively supported financially by the community and prominent national leaders. The research program at the Fortney Breast Center is well funded from many granting agencies for innovative projects and well staffed with research nurses and coordinators, data managers, and information technology. The Center is also actively involved in breast research sponsored by large cooperative groups including NSABP, ACOSOG, and RTOG. The Center consists of state-of-the-art facilities including digital mammography with tomosynthesis, dedicated breast MRI, procedure and biopsy rooms, and a dedicated breast disease library and extensive on-line resources for patients, providers and staff.

Courses and Meetings:

It is anticipated the Fellow will attend SOBO (School of Breast Surgical Oncology), as well as the American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting. Other optional meetings include the National Consortium of Breast Centers, the San Antonio Breast Conference, the Miami Breast Conference, and the Society of Surgical Oncology. It is expected the Fellow will achieve Human Subjects Research Ethics and Compliance (CITI) certification.

Expectations of the Fellow:

The Fellow is expected to: participate in all aspects of clinical care of patients at all the participating centers under the supervision of the faculty; attend and present at weekly breast tumor boards; adopt 2 – 3 research projects; submit at least 2 abstracts, 2 manuscripts and a review paper on a topic of their choosing; participate in grant submissions, IRB protocols, generation of consents and protocols; prepare and present talks on breast disease at our breast surgery courses and community outreach programs.

Our Teaching Philosophy:

Our approach to teaching is no different than our approach to patient care – kind and supportive. We train our fellows to be leaders nationally in breast surgical care and advocate for patients and be on the forefront of breast disease research.

Number of Positions: One

Length of Fellowship: One Year

Contact Information