The training and curriculum of NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Breast Surgery Fellowship prepares physicians for leadership roles in an academic setting.

Fellowship Clinical Training

Fellows in our program receive advanced technical training in breast surgical skills in the operating room, conduct preoperative evaluation of patients, and provide follow-up care. They participate in an average of 200 major cases during the 1-year program.

In addition to clinical responsibilities at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital, Kimmel Pavilion, and Perlmutter Cancer Center, trainees are an integral part of the Breast Service at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. They also rotate through other breast cancer treatment specialties, including medical and radiation oncology, pathology, plastic surgery, psychiatry, radiology, and rehabilitation, to gain a deeper understanding of the diagnosis and multidisciplinary care that breast cancer patients receive.

Fellowship General Schedule

Month	Rotation	Notes
1	radiology	training with breast radiology fellows
2	pathology	3 weeks in surgical pathology; 1 week in cytopathology clinic
3–4	surgery	breast attending staff
5	radiation oncology
6	surgery–psychiatry
7–8	surgery	breast attending staff
9	medical oncology	Bellevue and Perlmutter Cancer Center
10	research	clinical research project
11–12	subspecialties	genetics and high-risk; rehab and physical therapy; 2 weeks plastic surgery

Fellows receive two weeks of vacation during the year.

Fellowship Clinical Research

During the clinical research component of the Breast Surgery Fellowship, trainees gain the education and skills that enable them not only to develop and conduct clinical research at an academic institution, but also to take on leadership positions in the field:

• knowledge about and training in the regulations and regulatory bodies governing clinical research, including the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), and NYU Langone’s institutional review board (IRBs), and Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Clinical Trials Office
• understanding of and participation in the scientific process from hypothesis development to analysis of results by utilizing the institutional resources including the breast cancer database, the high-risk breast cancer database and registry, and the Biorepository Center
• data presentation skills including poster development, manuscript preparation, and oral presentation skills
• understanding of the clinical research track in academic medicine

In our program, fellows have the opportunity to participate in research with any faculty member involved in NYU Langone’s breast program. The multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers at our institution consists of surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, nurses, genetic counselors, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, clinical researchers, social workers, psycho-oncologists, and other cancer specialists. We anticipate that fellows will have specific expressed interests, and given the breadth and diversity of our faculty, we are confident an appropriate faculty member and project will fit their needs and interests.

During the program fellows meet regularly with Amber A. Guth, MD, director of the Breast Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Guth helps ensure that fellows receive appropriate mentorship from a faculty member who is active in their area of interest.

Breast surgery experts at NYU Langone are committed to our ongoing registry projects: the breast cancer database and the high-risk breast cancer database and registry. As part of the program, fellows design and complete a project utilizing data from one or both of these longitudinal databases, under the direction of Freya R. Schnabel MD, director of breast surgery and primary investigator for the databases. After developing the study IRB protocol, fellows have an opportunity to present their research to the Breast Cancer Disease Management Group, which consists of all the faculty and research leaders in the field of breast cancer at our institution.

Upon approval from the Breast Cancer Disease Management Program Group, fellows present the study to the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee (PRMC). The PRMC is responsible for evaluating the scientific merit of all cancer-related translational and clinical research studies that take place at NYU Langone. The PRMC submits approved protocols to the IRB.

Meetings and Conferences for Fellows

During the program fellows attend the weekly Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conference, at which they present cases and literature reviews. Pending approval, they also attend the annual meetings of the following organizations during the fellowship year, for which they receive a travel stipend:

• December: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)
• March: Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO)
• April: American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS)
• May: American Society of Clinical Oncology Fellows Program, which offers specific symposia on grant writing and clinical trial design

Further, fellows are expected to submit abstracts to the SABCS, SSO, and ASBS. They must also complete at least two papers for publication during the fellowship as a requirement for graduation. One month is allotted to completing one or more clinical research projects.

Fellowship Community Outreach, Genetics, and Supportive Services

During rotations, fellows are involved with and attend all NYU Langone community outreach programs, such as the Beatrice W. Welters Breast Health Outreach and Navigation Program, that pertain to breast cancer. They also interact with the High-Risk Cancer Genetics Program team as their patients are referred there for genetic counseling and testing, and work with other ancillary services such as physical therapy, nutrition, and social work to provide optimal multidisciplinary care for patients.

Teaching Responsibilities for Fellows

As the senior trainee on surgical rotations, fellows interact with NYU Grossman School of Medicine residents and medical students, maximizing their educational experience through teaching both in and out of the operating room.

Fellowship Eligibility Requirements and Application Process

To apply for the Breast Surgery Fellowship, applicants must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited general surgery training program and be eligible to sit for the American Board of Surgery examinations.

The Breast Surgery Fellowship is a Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO)–approved fellowship, and we participate in the SSO online match.