News

Five faculty members from the Duke Department of Surgery have been selected to participate in the 2018 Duke Leadership Development for Researchers (LEADER) program sponsored by the Duke University School of Medicine Office of Faculty Development.

Duke Surgery’s participants include the following members:

For Rachel A. Greenup, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Advanced Oncologic and Gastrointestinal Surgery, understanding how the cost of treatment impacts women with breast cancer is paramount to her research. Dr. Greenup has been selected to present her latest research abstract, “The Financial Burden of Breast Cancer Treatment,” at the annual Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) meeting in October. 

Study finds little survival benefit and high costs from the preventive procedure

Mutations in the BRCA gene correspond to a higher lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, and many women who carry these mutations consider undergoing mastectomy or removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes as preventive measures.

Gayathri Devi, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery and Pathology, and Member of the Women’s Cancer Program at the Duke Cancer Institute, has received a Breakthrough Award from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (CDMP-BCRP) in the amount of $1,192,441.

Study Provides New Insights Into 3D Imaging and Targeting Tumor Emboli in Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Duke researchers have found that a drug used for alcohol abuse reduces the formation of tumor emboli in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), one of the most lethal types of breast cancer. Current barriers to the successful treatment of IBC include the presence and frequent infiltration of tumor cell clusters, termed tumor emboli, within the breast parenchyma and lymphatics.

Congratulations to Rachel Greenup, MD, MPH, Division of Advanced Oncologic and Gastrointestinal Surgery, for being selected as a recipient of the Health Policy Scholarship provided by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

According to Sanziana Roman, MD, and Julie Ann Sosa, MD, Division of Advanced Oncologic and Gastrointestinal Surgery, thyroid nodules continue to be a common problem worldwide. Though many nodules are benign, anxiety on the part of both the physician and patient can cause unnecessary interventions to take place.

A shorter regimen is scientifically sound, but most women still get the longer therapy

More than half of older women with early stage breast cancer received more radiation therapy than what might be medically necessary, adding additional treatment and health care costs, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award is presented annually to a Duke faculty member who embodies the characteristics recognized by the award: compassion, sensitivity, respect for patients and colleagues, and clinical excellence. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, this honor recognizes faculty of the highest caliber at nearly 80 of the nation’s medical schools.

The Duke University Postdoctoral Research Training in Surgical Oncology Training Grant has 3 positions available for 2-year research fellowships. Candidates must have an MD or equivalent degree and be in good standing or have completed a clinical training program that supports eligibility for certification in General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Urology, Head and Neck Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, or an ACGME-approved surgical subspecialty. Candidates must be US citizens or permanent residents.