Education & Training
Fellowship:
Breast Surgical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
Residency:
General Surgery, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
Medical School:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Undergraduate School:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Associations
Board Certifications:
American Board of Surgery
Fellow:
American College of Surgeons
Member:
American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Society of Breast Surgeons, North Carolina Medical Society
Mission & Approach
“Born and raised in Wilmington, NC, I always knew that I wanted to come home to practice medicine. This town gave so much to me in my youth; as a student at New Hanover High School, to a lifeguard at the local pool, a server in many area restaurants and a participant in mission trips with my church. I had to leave Wilmington to achieve a higher education and my time spent at UNC, Chapel Hill as an undergraduate and as a medical student was instrumental in shaping me into the physician I am today.
At UNC School of Medicine I learned how to treat all patients with compassion and respect – an invaluable lesson that has served me well in my years as a physician. During my 5 years of General Surgery Residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati I learned the art of surgery. Surgery is a unique field that brings a doctor and patient together usually in critical and stressful moments in a patient’s life. Patients must quickly put their trust into a physician who they may have just met. I value that trust and continually work to earn it. I was taught to strive for perfection not only in the OR, but at the bedside. During my final years of training at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa as a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellow I honed my expertise in the specialty field of breast cancer. There, I really learned how to function as a team member of a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of breast cancer from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship.
My practice today focuses exclusively on the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the breast. I am able to perform stereotactic biopsies, ultrasound-guided biopsies, oncoplastic breast surgery, sentinel node biopsy and a variety of other breast cancer-related procedures. I have been in private practice since 2004 and during that time have helped introduce new technologies to our area. I enjoy participating in the multidisciplinary breast clinic at NHRMC and forming relationship with physicians from all of the different disciplines. In fact, it has been a highlight of my career. Even though my formal training stopped years ago, my education never will. My participation in conferences, online training, Tumor board conferences ensures that I am always up to date on the latest developments in breast cancer care.
Coming home to Wilmington was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has allowed me to give back to my hometown and to be close to my family and childhood friends. It has allowed me to take care of some of the people that took care of me. Mostly, it has allowed my husband and daughters to enjoy life in the town that is so very special to me.”
