Site Reviewer Profiles

Lisa R. Allen, MD FACS

Yardley, PA

Education

• Medical school: SUNY Upstate Medical University
• Residency: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Fellowship: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Allen is the Director of the Center for Comprehensive Breast Care at Capital Health. Dr. Allen believes NAPBC Accreditation offers an excellent opportunity for breast programs to not only keep up with standards of care in their own program, but also allow for continued improvement in quality of care.

“By becoming an NAPBC site reviewer, I have the opportunity to share my knowledge about certification and up to date standard of care with programs as well as learn new ways to help my program and patients. NAPBC accreditation allows patients to easily assess programs that provide quality care knowing there is oversight in that process.”

Dr. Allen enjoys spending time with her children in all sorts of outdoor activities. She's also interested in art and enjoys sculpture and painting.

Denise Barajas, MD, FACS
Derby, CT

Education

• Graduate of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
• Residency at Hospital of Saint Raphael

Dr. Barajas is the medical director of the Center for Cancer Care and the Hewitt Center for Breast Health at Griffin Hospital. She became a site reviewer to visit other facilities, share her passion for quality and learn from other centers on how to improve provided care. Dr. Barajas feels she can show the importance of each aspect of accreditation, and in her opinion the value of NAPBC accreditation is that the standards provide a framework to establish and maintain a high-quality breast program. Dr. Barajas enjoys running, hiking, and skiing.

Daniel F. Barnas, MD, FACS, FSSO
Kalamazoo, MI

Education

• Graduate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Residency at Michigan State University
• Fellowship at Lehigh Valley Health Network

Dr. Barnas is the medical director of The Breast Center at Ascension Borgess Cancer Center, a breast surgeon at Ascension Borgess Hospital, and an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Western Michigan University Stryker School of Medicine. Dr. Barnas feels that being a site reviewer provides the opportunity to share his passion for high quality breast care with other centers. He believes it can show how other breast centers have solved shared problems and offers the chance to learn new ways to improve his own center. In his spare time, he finds enjoyment in photography, golf, and coaching baseball.

Arnold M. Baskies, MD, FACS
Chelsea, MA

Education

• Graduate of Boston University School of Medicine
• Residency at Boston Medical Center
• Fellowship at Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute

Dr. Baskies is a surgical oncologist with more than 45 years of experience. He is a recipient of major awards in cancer research from the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Radium Society, has held state and national leadership roles in cancer prevention and treatment, and is also a member of many societies, including the American Society of Breast Surgeons. He served as the chief medical officer and is also a past president of the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey. In 2017, he was named Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, and serves on the Global Breast Cancer Initiative of the World Health Organization. He feels that the best representative of the Commission on Cancer is the site reviewer. His interests include his family, photography, music, golf, and travel.

Honnie Bermas, MD FACS

Appleton, WI

Education

• Medical College: University of Rochester School of Medicine
• Residency: University of New Mexico, Surgical Internship

                     Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, General Surgery Residency

• Fellowship: Northwestern University Breast Oncology Fellowship
• Certified in breast ultrasound through the ASBrS since 2009

Dr. Bermas is a breast surgeon who works at Fox Valley Surgical Specialists, an independent multi-specialty group.  She has been the Breast Director of the NAPBC certified breast program at her hospital since 2009.

“I strongly believe that NAPBC standards improve the quality of the care delivered.   After working with the standards and the NAPBC for 13 years, I have learned a lot and gained valuable insight into the challenges programs face while trying to comply with the standards.  I am interested in helping other programs to achieve and maintain accreditation by sharing all that I have learned.”

In her free time, Dr. Bermas likes to spend time with her family and she loves to travel.  She also loves the outdoors: hiking, kayaking, biking, and swimming.

Richard J. Bleicher, MD, FACS
Philadelphia, PA

Education

• Graduate of Temple University School of Medicine
• Residency at the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh
• Fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute

Dr. Bleicher is a breast surgical oncologist and director of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) approved breast fellowship program at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He is the leader of the breast cancer program at Fox Chase and has been on the faculty since 2006, currently as a professor in the department of surgical oncology. He has been a part of the NAPBC since 2007, serves on the Board and is the chair of the Quality Improvement and Information Technology Committee. His busy clinical practice is entirely devoted to patients with breast cancer and breast disease. He has been heavily involved in academic committees and organizations throughout his career, including his current position as the vice-chair of the SSO’s breast fellowship program directors subcommittee. For recreation, he enjoys general fitness activities and spending time outdoors.

Aaron Bleznak, MD, MBA, FACS
Lancaster, PA

Education

• Graduate of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
• Residency at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• MBA at the Isenberg School of Management of the University of Massachusetts

Dr. Bleznak is the breast services medical director for the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. He is a practicing breast surgical oncologist and adjunct associate professor of surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bleznak is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS). He has had a clinical and research focus on the quality and value of cancer care throughout his career in oncologic surgery and served on quality committees for both the SSO and ASBrS. While at the Geisinger Clinic, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and Sentara Healthcare, Dr. Bleznak was involved in Commission on Cancer (CoC) activities serving as a member, administrative liaison, cancer liaison physician, and chair of the cancer committees. He also served three terms as the CoC state chair for Pennsylvania and eight years as a CoC member representing the American College of Surgeons Fellowship, including stints as vice chair and chair of the Committee on Cancer Liaison. He was on committees for both the 2012 and 2020 accreditation standards revisions.

Everett J. Bonner, Jr., MD FACS FSSO

Baton Rouge, LA  

Education

• Medical College: Louisiana State University School of Medicine (New Orleans, LA)
• Residency: Mercer University School of Medicine (Savannah, GA)
• Fellowship: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY)

Dr. Everett J. Bonner, Jr is a General Surgeon and fellowship trained Breast Surgeon specializing in the treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer, as well as benign breast diseases.  Dr. Bonner is the chairman of Breast Oncology and medical director of Baton Rouge General’s Breast Surgery Program.  Additionally, he is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, St. George University School of Medicine, and American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. Dr. Bonner also serves as a Cancer Liaison Physician and was the recipient of the 2022 Commission on Cancer (CoC) Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award.

Dr. Bonner values the standardized delivery and quality of care that NAPBC Accreditation offers to breast cancer patients and became a NAPBC Site Reviewer to help improve the quality of care for his patients and patients across the nation.

Dr. Bonner, his wife and their three children relocated home to Louisiana after his tour of duty as a General/Trauma Surgeon in Iraq.  In his spare time, Dr. Bonner enjoys watching LSU football, reading and travels with his family.

Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MA, MPH, MBA, FACS, FRCS(C)
New Haven, CT

Education

• Graduate of University of Alberta Medical School
• Residency at University of Saskatchewan
• Fellowship at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• MPH at Harvard School of Public Health
• MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of Louisville
• MBA at Yale School of Management

Born and raised in Canada, Dr. Chagpar is a professor in the department of surgery at Yale School of Medicine. She joined the University of Louisville as an assistant professor of surgery after her fellowship and went on to become an associate professor with tenure and an academic advisory dean. While there, she was involved in the establishment of Kentucky’s first nationally accredited breast center located at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center in Louisville. In 2010, she joined the school of medicine at Yale where she led its effort to become the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northeast to have a nationally accredited breast center. She is a busy breast surgical oncologist who participates in investigator-initiated and cooperative group clinical trials, as well as translational and clinical research. The results of her investigator-initiated clinical trial to improve outcomes in breast cancer surgery were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. She enjoys teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty, and is passionate about global health and leadership in academic medicine.

M. Kathleen Christian, MD, FACS
LaCrosse, WI

Education

• Graduate from and Residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine

Dr. Christian is a general surgeon affiliated with Mayo Clinic Health System and Franciscan Healthcare in LaCrosse, WI. She became a site reviewer to promote the value and importance of NAPBC accreditation and believes accreditation gives assurance to both patients and families that they are receiving high-quality cancer care. In her down time, Dr. Christian enjoys hiking, and cycling.

Maureen Chung, MD, PhD, FACS
Providence, RI

Education

• Graduate of and Residency at McGill University School of Medicine
• Fellowship and PhD in Pathobiology from Brown University

Dr. Chung is a breast surgical oncologist and medical director of the South Coast Breast Program located in Southeastern MA. She is a member of numerous surgical societies including the New England Surgical Society, Society of Surgical Oncology, and American Society of Breast Surgeons. Dr. Chung believes patient education and disease prevention are as important as treatment, that breast cancer care should be personalized and patient-centered, and all treatment recommendations should be evidence-based. Her clinical research interests include the impact of screening mammography and contemporary management of breast cancer. She has authored numerous publications in medical journals and textbooks and has been interviewed by local, national, and international media. She enjoys playing tennis and cycling in her free time.

Bradley Cohen, MD, FACS

Bay Shore, NY

Education

• Graduate of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY
• Residency training at Lenox Hill Hospital, NY
• Fellowship training in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY

Bradley Cohen, MD, FACS is a general surgeon specializing in surgical oncology and breast cancer surgery and Chairman of the Breast Cancer Leadership Program at Good Samaritan Hospital, NY.  He attended Yale University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree, followed by his doctorate degree in medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, formerly known as Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Dr. Cohen believes accreditation is important to help ensure programs provide optimal care.  After years spent building a successful program at his center, he became a site reviewer to help other centers to build and establish their breast cancer programs.

Dr. Cohen enjoys tennis, gardening and playing bridge in his free time.

Mario R. Contreras, MD, FCAP
Lafayette, IN

Education

• Graduate of University of San Carlos School of Medicine, Guatemala
• Residency at Madison General Hospital in Madison, WI
• Fellowships at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, OH

Dr. Contreras was chair of pathology from 2000 to 2015 at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health in Lafayette, IN. With a background in anatomic and clinical pathology and experience as a College of American Pathologists inspector, he enjoys activities that promote compliance. Dr. Contreras believes an excellent cancer program follows the organizational, operational, and accreditation standards instituted by federal and professional organizations such as the Commission on Cancer. His interests and hobbies include Mayan history and archeology, playing soccer, and hiking.

Nayana S. Dekhne, MD, FACS
Auburn Hills, Michigan

Education

• Graduate of VM Medical College
• Residency at St. John Hospital and Medical Center
• Fellowships at Wayne State University VA Medical Center and William Beaumont Hospital

Dr. Dekhne is a fellowship-trained breast surgeon, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is currently the corporate medical director of the breast program and assistant professor of surgery at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. She is program director of the annual Multidisciplinary Breast Fellowship at Beaumont entitled the John A. Ingold, M.D., Distinguished Fellow in Breast Surgery. She is an active member of American Society of Breast Surgeons and Society of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Dekhne has established three comprehensive breast centers within the Beaumont System and developed several innovative programs such as high risk, cancer rehabilitation, lymphedema, and survivorship. She believes that the NAPBC standards can serve as a program’s organizational basis and the accreditation benefits both the patient and the program. Her other interests include travel, sports, and physical fitness.

Jill R. Dietz, MD MHCM FACS
Pittsburgh, PA

Education

• Graduate of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
• Residency and Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic
• Master in Health Care Management at Harvard

Dr. Dietz is director of breast growth and strategy and chief translational officer of the Cancer Institute at Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh PA. She has dedicated her practice to breast patients for more than 20 years and her research interests include value-based care delivery, patient reported outcomes, effects of radiation on reconstruction, Oncoplastic techniques, and the role that genetic factors play in developing breast cancer. She has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts related to her research, produced chapters for over a dozen textbooks and has participated in multi-society guideline development. She is past president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and is chair of the Standards and Accreditation Committee of the NAPBC. In addition, Dr. Dietz served as chair of the Society of Surgical Oncology program directors committee, chair of the Fellows Institute, and chair of the American Society of Breast Surgeons annual meeting in 2013–2014. Dr. Dietz is an intercontinental speaker and cofounder of Global Breast Hub, an international society dedicated to decreasing gaps in care worldwide.

William Dooley, MD, FACS
Oklahoma City, OK

Education

• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• Residency and Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Fellowship at Oxford University

Dr. Dooley is a surgical oncologist and a professor and chair of surgical breast oncology at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. He believes accreditation is important as it is instrumental in helping to focus on important goals such as best practices and reassessing treatments and outcomes. Dr. Dooley is passionate about community service and his pastimes include fly fishing, horseback riding, and gourmet cooking.

Firas Eladoumikdachi, MD, FACS

Hamilton, NJ

Education

• Medical School & Undergraduate study at American University of Beirut
• General Surgery Residency at Baylor College of Medicine
• Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Northwestern University

Dr. Firas Eladoumikdachi is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Breast Program Director, Cancer Institute of NJ, Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton. 

Dr. Eladoumikdachi believes accreditation and standardized care improves outcomes and patient experiences in breast cancer care.  He looks forward to meeting and learning from other providers and programs that are dedicated to providing patients the highest standards of breast cancer care. 

When not working, Dr. Eladoumikdachi enjoys spending time with his family.  Composing music, reading, playing sports, and designing tabletop games are some of his favorite pastimes.

Robert M. Flanigan, MD, FACS
Barrington, IL

Education

• Graduate of Medical College of Wisconsin
• Residency at Rush Medical Center

Dr. Flanigan was a board-certified general surgeon who practiced at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, IL from 1975 until 1979, and then at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington until his retirement in 2008. He was chair of the department of surgery and president of the medical staff while at Good Shepherd and his general surgery practice specialized in providing surgical care for patients with breast disease. His principal interest in being a site reviewer is to assure that cancer patients receive the best possible care for their cancers. In his spare time, Dr. Flanigan enjoys sailing in the Virgin Islands, biking, and reading military history

Thais A. Fortes, MD

Lansing, Michigan

Education

• Doctor of Medicine degree earned at Universidade Federal do Piaui - Brazil
• Residency training completed in Brazil and in the US
  • #1: OBGYN – Hospital Perola Byington – Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • #2: OBGYN – Sparrow Hospital – Michigan State University
• Fellowship training completed in Brazil and in the US
  • #1: Breast surgical oncology – Instituto Brasileiro de Controle do Cancer – Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • #2: Breast surgical oncology – Maimonides Medical Center – New York

Thais A. Fortes, MD is a gynecologic surgeon specializing in the management of breast diseases and she serves as the Director of Breast Cancer Program at Sparrow Hospital - Herbert-Herman Cancer Center.  She became a NAPBC Site Reviewer after leading her program through their accreditation process and looks forward to learning from the experiences of other centers.

“I am a passionate advocate for comprehensive wellness in women’s cancer care. I believe NAPBC Accreditation helps patients to identify high-quality breast cancer centers. Accreditation provides structure and standard goals that guide programs to provide quality care and drive better outcomes.”

Dr. Fortes loves reading and playing with her dogs, Winston and Ruby.  When she has a break, she loves to travel and explore new places with her husband, Bruce.  And “as a legit Brazilian” she is a big fan of soccer.

Hannah Gilmore, MD
Cleveland, OH

Education

•  Graduate of Case Western Reserve University
•  Residency and Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Dr. Hannah Gilmore is the Division Chief, Anatomic Pathology and Director of Breast Pathology at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. She completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and fellowship training in Breast Pathology. Dr. Gilmore believes strongly in the mission to ensure excellence in care for all patients with breast cancer and the NAPBC provides a framework for evidence-based and compassionate care. 

Dr. Gilmore has a personal interest in gardening, cooking, and spending time with family.

Caren Greenstein, MD
White Plains, NY

Education

• Graduate of Boston University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Internship and Residency at Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Greenstein is the director of breast imaging at White Plains Hospital, NY and oversees the breast imaging at three additional outpatient imaging centers in Rye Brook, New Rochelle, and Armonk. She has been specializing in breast imaging since completing her training in 1989 and is licensed in New York and Connecticut, is a member of American College of Radiology, Society of Breast Imaging, Radiologic Society of North America, and National Consortium of Breast Centers, and has been board certified by the American Board of Radiology. She is locally known as a leader in the field of high-risk screening for breast cancer and her areas of expertise include breast MRI and performance of all minimally invasive breast procedure types, including vacuum-assisted ultrasound-guided, stereotactic, and MRI guided breast biopsies. Dr. Greenstein co-authored a textbook on breast MRI, “Breast MRI: A Case-Based Approach,” in 2011.

Arnold H. Herman, MD, FACS
Providence, RI

Education

• Graduate of University of Kansas School of Medicine
• Residency at Boston University Hospital

Dr. Herman is a board-certified general surgeon who specialized in breast cancer surgery for more than 40 years until his retirement in 2015. He served in the U.S. Air Force after completing his general surgery residency and is the founder and medical director of Breast Health, the first dedicated breast center in Providence, RI. A clinical associate professor of surgery at the Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University, Providence, Dr. Herman serves as the American College of Surgeons cancer liaison for three hospitals in the Lifespan Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is on the Lifespan cancer committee and breast program steering committee as well as The Miriam Hospital institution review board. He feels that Commission on Cancer accreditation provides programs with a structure to analyze the quality of their program and tools to improve their performance. Dr. Herman is married and enjoys reading, tennis, hiking, traveling, woodworking, and the company of his nine grandchildren.

Suzanne A Hoekstra, MD, FACS
Portland, ME

Education

• Graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
• Residency at University of Nebraska Medical Center

An Illinois native, Dr. Hoekstra practices as a full-time breast surgeon and is the director of breast care specialists of Maine at Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland. She is board-certified in general surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition to her surgical practice, she is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of New England College of Medicine. Dr. Hoekstra is married with four children and has been involved in international medical missions since 1993. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors or reading a good mystery.

Peter S. Hopewood, MD, FACS
Falmouth, MA

Education

• Graduate of the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
• Internship and Residency at Harvard 5th Surgical Service at New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA

Dr. Hopewood is a general surgeon in private practice at Falmouth Hospital in Massachusetts. He believes accreditation shows cancer patients a commitment beyond the norm to improve the quality of cancer care, survivorship, and survival. His favorite aspect of the site review process is seeing community outreach and improvement programs. In his spare time, Dr. Hopewood enjoys family life, singing in an a cappella quintet, and playing the tuba.

Robbi Kempner, MD, FACS
Naples, FL

Education

• Graduate of New York Medical College, Valhalla
• Residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center

Dr. Kempner is a board-certified general surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons who received her undergraduate degree from Tel Aviv University. She is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgery and the Metropolitan Breast Cancer Group and was on the faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Bronx, and NY Presbyterian-Cornell, as an assistant professor of surgery. She currently works in the division of breast surgery at the Cleveland Clinic of Florida. Dr. Kempner has served in various leadership positions at major New York City community and academic medical centers and established and led numerous women’s breast centers from the ground up. Her primary focus is always on the patient, creating a multidisciplinary approach and specializing in the management of advanced breast cancers treating both men and women for benign and malignant disease while performing advanced oncological breast surgery. She believes NAPBC certification helps patients receive the highest standard of multidisciplinary breast care through the integration of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.

Patricia Rae Kennedy, MD, FACS
Saratoga Springs, NY

Education

• Graduate of and Residency at SUNY Stony Brook
• Fellowship at Faulkner Breast Center

Dr. Kennedy is a fellowship-trained breast surgeon and the clinical director of the Saratoga Hospital Center for Breast Care in Saratoga Springs, NY. She served as an assistant professor of clinical surgery at Indiana University where she developed the first NAPBC accredited program in Indiana at Indiana University Health North Hospital. Dr. Kennedy is committed to the accreditation process and standards that raise quality care for patients. She serves on the national board of trustees for Casting for Recovery, an organization that provides retreats to breast cancer patients and survivors that combine education, support, and fly-fishing instruction. In her spare time, she enjoys photography and fly fishing.

Scott H. Kurtzman, MD, FACS
Farmington, CT

Education

• Graduate of Albany Medical College of Union University
• Residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
• Fellowships at National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Kurtzman is a surgical oncologist and a professor of surgery at the Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter School of Medicine and at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He is also chair of surgery and program director for the general surgical residency program at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut. Dr. Kurtzman is chair of the NAPBC and previously served as the chair of the NAPBC Standards and Accreditation Committee.

Arvind Mahatme, MD, MHSA
Rockford, IL

Education

• Graduate of University of South Florida College of Medicine
• Residency at University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Fellowship at Medical College of Virginia.

Dr. Mahatme is fellowship-trained surgical oncologist and serves as medical director at Mercyhealth Women’s Center, as vice-chair in the department of surgery at Mercyhealth Rockford, IL, and as a clinical assistant professor in the surgery department at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He feels being a site reviewer provides a way to learn from and support breast care providers nationwide by recognizing their programs and elevating their attributes. In his spare time, Dr. Mahatme enjoys abstract painting, writing, travel, and cars.

Donna-Marie Manasseh, MD, FACS
Stamford, CT

Education

• Graduate of Harvard University Medical School
• Internship and Residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Campus
• Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

A surgical oncologist, Dr. Manasseh holds the position of assistant clinical professor of surgery at Columbia Presbyterian University and is the co-director of the Stamford Hospital’s Women’s Multidisciplinary Breast Center in Stamford, CT. Her hobbies include photography, being a pen aficionado, scuba diving, and playing chess.

Toan T. Nguyen, MD, FACS
Lakeland, FL

Education

• Graduate of St. George’s University
• Residency at University at Buffalo
• Fellowship at Mayo Clinic

Dr. Nguyen is the director of breast oncology at Lakeland Regional Health in Lakeland, FL, whose interest in elevating the delivery of care to patients with breast disease led to him becoming a site reviewer. Dr. Nguyen works with leading experts and all major national medical organizations in developing standards that are meaningful to each patient’s journey and feels a primary value of NAPBC accreditation is in showing patients that a program has been rigorously and comprehensively reviewed to meet or exceed national standards of care. He is chair of the Ethics Committee for the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the vice-chair for the American College of Surgeons Cancer Research Program Cancer Care Standards Development Committee. In his free time, Dr. Nguyen is an avid skier and enjoys spending time at the beach.

Mita Patel, MD, FACS

Strongville, OH

Education

• Medical College: State University of New York, Syracuse
• Residency: Northwell Health, New York
• Fellowship: Akron General, Cleveland Clinic

Mita Patel, MD, FACS is a Breast Surgical Oncologist at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Lorain, OH and serves as Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Program and Medical Director of Specialty Care.

Dr. Patel believes NAPBC Accreditation provides structure and resources to support new and evolving breast programs to continue the delivery of high-quality, standardized care that patients deserve.

“I want to share the values and benefits of being part of the NAPBC. I believe in providing the best quality of care for our patients and recognize most breast centers want to do the same. I hope to provide a collegial environment while sharing the mission of the NAPBC and elevating every breast program to provide the best care for patients nationwide.”

Dr. Patel enjoys reading, long walks with her family, traveling, and exploring.

Rogsbert F. Phillips, MD, FACS
Atlanta, GA

Education

• Graduate of Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons
• Residency at Emory University

Native Georgian and founder of Sisters by Choice, Dr. Phillips has been practicing in metropolitan Atlanta specializing in breast disease since 1982. She heads Metro Surgical Associates Inc., an organization at the forefront of breast cancer treatment and breast cancer research and is a board-certified surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Her other affiliations include the Association of Women Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, Georgia Surgical Society, and the Medical Association of Atlanta.

Susan Pories, MD, FACS
Cambridge, MA

Education

• Graduate of and Residency at University of Vermont
• Fellowships at New England Deaconess Hospital and Mount Auburn Hospital

Dr. Pories is an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and the chief of breast surgery and medical director of The Hoffman Breast Center at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, where she specializes in the management of complex breast cancers. She is also the associate chair for academic affairs for the department of surgery, past-president of the medical staff for Mount Auburn Hospital, a governor for the American College of Surgeons, and the associate co-director of the Arts and Humanities Initiative at Harvard Medical School.

William P. Reed, MD, FACS
Long Island, NY

Education

• Graduate of Harvard Medical School
• Residency at Stanford University Hospital
• Fellowship at Gustave-Roussy Institute

A New England native and the recipient of two Bronze Stars for his service as a commanding officer of a medical company during the Vietnam War, Dr. Reed currently lives in New York where he is a retired surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at SUNY-Stony Brook. He was chair of the department of surgery at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, NY, a clinical campus of SUNY-Stony Brook from 2000 until stepping down in 2013. Dr. Reed held faculty positions in surgical oncology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and at Baystate Medical Center (Tufts) in Springfield, MA, establishing multidisciplinary breast programs at each. He also served as president of the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and as a member of the state board at both locations. In Massachusetts, he served as state chair of the cancer liaison program. He believes accreditation provides feedback to institutions regarding quality of care and adherence to treatment guidelines associated with optimal care and his favorite aspect of accreditation is maximizing integration of the full range of cancer services. In his spare time, Dr. Reed enjoys visiting family, historical reading, hiking, opera and chasing solar eclipses.

Terry Sarantou, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO

Charlotte, North Carolina

Education

• Graduate of University of Illinois School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
• General surgery residency training at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
• Surgical oncology fellowship training at John Wayne Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, CA

Terry Sarantou, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO is a board-certified general surgeon specializing in surgical oncology. Dr. Sarantou is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has been a recipient of the Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award. He has a vast history of service to the ACS as North Carolina State Chair, former member to the Board of Governors, and previous chairman of the Patient Education Workgroup. Additionally, he has served on the NAPBC Board and various committees for the NAPBC, as well as the CoC.

Dr. Sarantou has been a site reviewer for the National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers (NAPBC) since 2009.  He is a member of the American College of Surgeons International Relations Committee, as well as the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) quality committee. He serves on the board of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) and has authored papers on the ethics of breast surgery, photography, and surgical innovation. He remains active in melanoma research and is a member of the Sentinel Node Working Committee and the Society of Surgical Oncology Melanoma Disease Site Working Group.

Dr. Sarantou is married, has two children, and lives in Charlotte, NC. 

John W. Shook, MD, FACS
Kansas City, MO

Education

• Graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine
• Residency at Truman Medical Center

Dr. Shook is a board-certified general surgeon who serves as the system medical director at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute Centers for Breast Care in the Kansas City metropolitan area. A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Shook has had a specialty focused breast-only practice for more than 20 years. He holds an academic appointment as associate professor of surgery at the UMKC School of Medicine and has organized and established four comprehensive and satellite breast centers in the St Luke’s Health System. Dr. Shook is an active member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and is certified in both stereotactic and ultrasound procedures. He is also a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology and participates in numerous clinical trials. A longtime site reviewer, Dr. Shook is passionate about the NAPBC quality standards of breast care and the programmatic development of multidisciplinary care. Outside of medicine he enjoys fishing, outdoors, family trips, music, cooking, and exercise.

Randy Stevens, MD
White Plains, NY

Education

• Graduate of New York University
• Residency at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Medical Centers

Dr. Stevens is director of radiation oncology at White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care where she specializes in the management of breast, gynecologic, and other cancers. She is the chair of the hospital’s Protocol Review Monitoring Committee and was also chair of its institutional review board for more than 10 years. Prior to joining the staff at White Plains, she served as an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Tisch and Bellevue Hospitals of New York University Medical Center, where she had both clinical and teaching responsibilities. A published author, her articles on breast and gynecologic cancers have been printed and cited in multiple peer reviewed journals. Throughout her career, Dr. Stevens has been active in many national and local societies, including having served as the vice president of the New York Metropolitan Breast Cancer Group, as former chair of the Education Committee of the NAPBC and with the American Society for Radiation Oncology. She is currently the lead site reviewer for the NAPBC.

Marie Ward, MD, MPH

Bronx, New York

Education

• Medical College: SUNY at Downstate
• Residency: Maimonides Medical Center
• Fellowship: Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

Marie Ward, MD, MPH is the Director of Breast Surgery at Jacobi Medical Center in New York. As a NAPBC Site Reviewer, Dr. Ward looks forward to becoming more involved in program quality initiatives, networking with peers and learning from others to find inspiration in quality and impactful initiatives for patients.

Dr. Ward believes in the value of NAPBC accreditation and the assurance that programs are held to meet national benchmarks and standards which translates into improved quality of care and optimal outcomes. 

In her free time, Dr. Ward enjoys traveling and working on her personal health and fitness.

Scott M. Weissman, MS, CGC
Gaithersburg, MD

Education

• Graduate of Northwestern University

Mr. Weissman is a certified genetic counselor with GeneDx who previously worked 11 years as a genetic counselor at Northshore University. Before Northshore, he was part of the hematology/oncology laboratory of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served as co-chair of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) cancer special interest group for two years. He was also the NSGC liaison to the NAPBC, where he sat on the Standards and Accreditation Committee. He has been a board member for the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer (CGA-ICC) and was involved in writing the NSGC/CGA-ICC Joint Practice Guidelines for the evaluation of and testing for Lynch Syndrome. Mr. Weissman is also active with a variety of advocacy groups and has authored several articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

Cheryl Ann Wesen, MD, FACS
Detroit, MI

Education

• Graduate of Temple University School of Medicine
• Residency at Brooke Army Medical Center
• Fellowship at University of Minnesota

Dr. Wesen, a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer, is a board-certified general surgeon, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and served 17 years in the United States Army. She practiced surgical oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit until 1995 following her military service. Dr. Wesen then joined the medical team of St. John Hospital and is a past president of that staff. She began the St. John Providence Health System Breast Program and under her leadership as medical director the breast program received initial NAPBC accreditation in 2009. She is a clinical associate professor at Wayne State University and is active in local and national surgical associations. Dr. Wesen and her husband have three adult sons and two grandchildren, and she enjoys reading and traveling in her spare time.

Austin Williams, MD MSEd

Philadelphia, PA  

Education

• Medical College: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
• Residency: Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, PA
• Fellowship: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Dr. Austin Williams is an Assistant Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center.  He believes the comprehensive, external review of a breast center's core activities, and the subsequent opportunity to undertake critical evaluation and improvement brings value to the NAPBC accreditation. 

“Becoming a NAPBC Site Reviewer will allow me the opportunity to promote access and quality for breast cancer care to all patients regardless of their socio-economic status or demographics.”

In his spare time, Dr. Williams enjoys running, gardening and beekeeping.

Katherine Yao, MD, FACS
Evanston, IL

Education

• Graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
• Residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
• Fellowship at John Wayne Cancer Institute

Dr. Yao is chief of the division of surgical oncology and vice-chair of research in the department of surgery at NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL. She is vice-chair of the NAPBC and has been a site reviewer since its inception. Prior to her current position, she was also chair of the NAPBC Quality Improvement and Information Technology Committee. She also serves on committees within the Alliance Clinical Trial group, the American Society of Breast Surgeons and she is on the Quality Integration Committee for the Commission on Cancer.

Kay Yoon-Flannery, DO, MPH, FACS, FACOS
Camden, NJ

Education

• Graduate of, MPH from, and Internship at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford, NJ
• Residency at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ
• Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Kay Yoon-Flannery is a breast surgical oncologist and a co-director at the Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. A member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the Philadelphia Academy of Surgeons, the Association of Women Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, she chose to become a site reviewer to increase awareness in the standardization of breast cancer care. She feels the main value of NAPBC accreditation is its ability to provide cancer care facilities the opportunity to communicate with each other regarding current recommendations and standards, and to ensure that each breast center is providing the highest level of care possible to its patients. When not working, Dr. Yoon-Flannery enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her four children.