The Bryn Mawr Hospital

BARBARA BRODSKY COMPREHENSIVE BREAST CENTER
BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: W. Bradford Carter, MD, FACS

The Barbara Brodsky Comprehensive Breast Center at Bryn Mawr Hospital is part of the Main Line Health System located in suburban Philadelphia. We are close enough to Philadelphia to benefit from the professional aspects of interaction with academic medical centers, as well as enjoying the cultural and other activities of the city. Bryn Mawr Hospital has been a consistent recipient of the U.S. News and World Report top five hospitals in the region. The Barbara Brodsky Comprehensive Breast Center (BBCBC) draws patients from throughout the Delaware Valley, parts of New Jersey and Delaware. Our Breast Fellowship program was initiated in 2004 to provide robust fellowship training in breast disease. This fellowship is designed to prepare individuals to assume leadership in the multi-disciplinary care of the breast cancer patient both in an academic or community setting. In addition, the program is designed to develop an interest in translational and clinical research in the treatment of breast disease.

The core faculty includes four Breast Surgical specialists and three Surgical Oncologists at two integrated teaching hospitals. In addition, faculty in the oncologic specialties provides dedicated didactic and clinical instruction to prepare the Breast Oncology Fellows with in-depth perspectives in the treatment of breast disease.

Clinical Rotations

A Fellow in our program will have an integrated experience in the surgical treatment of breast cancer and oncoplastic and reconstructive surgery. Additionally, the program will provide a strong background in breast imaging and minimally invasive biopsies, medical oncology, pathology, radiation oncology and plastic surgery. Immersion with ongoing clinical decision making for both breast cancer and benign breast issues will prepare the Fellow to manage a variety of situations in practice. Other important areas such as genetics, research, community outreach and survivorship are integrated into the rotations. While the program is designed primarily for individuals completing a residency in general surgery, it is not necessarily limited to such individuals and can be appropriately tailored to meet the needs of individuals finishing in other specialties. Unfortunately, training licenses in Pennsylvania for foreign-trained surgeons are extremely difficult to obtain.

Conferences and Didactics

Fellows attend the weekly multidisciplinary breast conference where they present both prospective and post-surgical breast cases and assist with interdisciplinary treatment planning. They attend a curriculum of discussions and lectures given as a part of the weekly didactic conference. Grand Rounds, sponsored by the Department of Surgery and weekly Tumor Board are available for all clinical staff and Fellows are strongly advised to attend. Fellows are mentored by a multidisciplinary faculty and are actively assisted with research projects that are tailored to their interests from the very outset of the fellowship. Resources to assist in academic work include meetings with faculty mentors who teach the process of study design and methods in clinical research with assistance from the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research. They are expected to complete at least one original academic project to submit for national presentation and to design a clinical trial complete with IRB submission. Previous Fellows have given oral and poster presentations at national meetings, and have been academically productive each year.

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