October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and today Hispanic Engineer Online is celebrating a renowned breast surgeon who became the youngest Latina to lead a breast surgery program in the U.S.
In 2022. Lucy Maria De La Cruz, MD, joined the breast surgery program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital as its chief and also became the director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center.
Dr. De La Cruz is a fellowship-trained breast surgeon who specializes in advanced breast surgery procedures. These include wireless lumpectomies, hidden scar technique, oncoplastic breast conservation, and nipple-sparing mastectomy.
Among her special interests are the impact of genomic mapping on breast cancer treatment and male breast cancer treatment.
Her work is driven by her commitment to promoting equity and efficacy in breast cancer care delivery using the principles of value-based health care.
As the daughter of international physician-researchers, she spent much time in labs where her parents worked. This sparked her passion for medicine and making a difference in people’s lives. She grew up in Cuba, Mozambique, Spain, and Miami.
In college, she studied abroad in the Dominican Republic at the Universidad Central Del Este School of Medicine.
There, she completed her medical degree, founded an American Medical Student Association chapter, and raised scholarship funds to help those who couldn’t afford tuition.
Despite being told that becoming a surgeon would be nearly impossible as a foreign medical graduate and a female, De La Cruz obtained research fellowships from the University of Miami and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
She continued her journey by obtaining a one-year residency internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami.
This earned her the Intern of the Year award and an AOA Medical Honor Society membership for her dedication to medical student teaching.
During her residency, she worked on an award-winning oncologic outcomes research project for nipple-sparing mastectomy that continues to be cited worldwide.
That same year, Dr. De La Cruz started her breast surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
Following graduation, she worked in private practice for a year before returning to the University of Pennsylvania as a faculty member in the associate program director of the breast cancer surgery fellowship program.
After relocating to Washington, D.C., to be close to her family, she founded the breast cancer fellowship program curriculum at the Inova Health System.
Now at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and The Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center, she continues teaching residents and fellows, pursuing research, and caring for patients – fulfilling her lifelong dream.
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Together, let's raise awareness, offer support to those impacted, and emphasize the importance of early detection. Together, we can make a difference in the battle against breast cancer. pic.twitter.com/29YeOhvWru
— Jose L. Dotres, Ed.D. (@SuptDotres) October 3, 2023
Humbled to be given the opportunity @MedStarGUH to fulfill this dream. I look forward to continuing to grow the program but mostly to show other minority women like myself that we can have a seat at the table. 🙏🏻 https://t.co/ZPsT9VvU6t
— Lucy M. De La Cruz MD (@LucyMDeLaCruzMD) January 20, 2022
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