Training & Curriculum

The Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship includes dedicated core rotations in breast surgery, medical oncology, pathology, radiation oncology, plastic and reconstructive surgery and breast imaging. Of the one-year fellowship, seven to eight months are dedicated to the surgical management of benign and malignant breast conditions. During this time the fellow works closely with the six breast surgical oncology faculty members of the Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center – A Project of Women’s Guild. The fellow will receive intensive training in surgical procedures, including sentinel lymph node biopsy techniques, various types of tumor resections, nipple-sparing mastectomy, oncoplastic surgery, reconstructive procedures, image-guided procedures and minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Additional rotations offer experience in genetics, psycho-oncology, community outreach, and survivorship and rehabilitation.

The core curriculum includes didactic sessions; specialty meetings and conferences; and clinical research. The breast fellow will present new patients at the Multidisciplinary Breast Tumor Board and at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Multidisciplinary Tumor Board where pathology slides and images are reviewed with multiple attending physicians for discussion of multidisciplinary care. Additionally, the trainee will participate fully in the management of complex breast problems, evaluate patients with both benign and malignant breast conditions and coordinate care with multidisciplinary specialists.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow will participate in writing journal articles and may participate in writing research protocols and grant proposals. The fellow will learn to evaluate scientific publications and to prepare research results for submission to peer-reviewed medical/scientific journals. The fellow will be expected to participate in ongoing clinical research protocols and will be encouraged to present research findings at local and national meetings. In addition, the fellow will attend basic science and clinical specialty research seminars, including a course in statistics, and will participate in the recruitment of patients for clinical and translational research studies.

We participate in national cooperative group trials including Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, NRG Oncology, and SWOG. Previously trained fellows have presented their work at the annual meetings of the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American College of Surgeons, the Pacific Coast Surgical Association, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.