ALL BREAST CANCER ARTICLES
Lisa D. Curcio, MD, FACS
Medical Reviewer
From 2003 to 2004, she served as program director for Susan G. Komen in Orange County and remains involved with Komen outreach efforts. She was on the board of Kids Konnected, a nonprofit that helps children of cancer patients deal with the emotional fallout of a cancer diagnosis. Currently, she is on the board at Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing support services for people affected by breast cancer in New York's Hudson Valley. Dr. Curcio also has a strong background in breast cancer research, having contributed to dozens of peer-reviewed articles. She is currently a member of the Alpha Investigational Review Board.
Her practice includes benign and malignant breast diagnoses. Dr. Curcio was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. Although her fellowship training was in surgical oncology, this experience motivated her to provide compassionate, high level breast care and to focus on breast surgery.
Dr. Curcio is passionate about treating the patient and individualizing the care plan to their specific needs. Dr. Curcio strongly believes that cancer care must include lifestyle changes to focus on healthier habits to reduce future events. Her practice also focuses on breast cancer risk reduction, education, and access to genetic testing for patients with a family history of breast cancer.
Krystal P. Cascetta, MD
Medical Reviewer
Krystal P. Cascetta, MD, was an assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the director of operations at the Mount Sinai Queens Infusion Center.
She received her medical degree from Albany Medical College, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for demonstrating excellence in humanistic clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service. She completed residency training in internal medicine at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York. As a resident, she received the Intern of the Year award, a Humanism in Medicine award, and the Daniel Ross Gold DO Resident Teacher of the Year award. Dr. Cascetta then completed a fellowship program in hematology and medical oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she served as chief fellow.
Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, is tenured professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is director emeritus of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center and medical director of the Women’s Cancer Center at the UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. He also serves as the associate director for strategic initiatives for the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Brufsky received a bachelor's degree in chemistry (cum laude) from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He earned his MD and his PhD in developmental niology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington. He was an intern and resident in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital–Harvard Medical School in Boston. He then completed a fellowship in medical oncology and bone marrow transplantation at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, where his appointments included associate physician and instructor in medicine at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Brufsky is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research.
He has authored or coauthored more than 300 abstracts and research articles in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Lancet Oncology. Brufsky is a principal investigator on several research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and U.S. Army Breast Cancer Research Program.
Brufsky lives in Pittsburgh, where he enjoys playing golf, cooking barbecue, and traveling.
Preeti K. Sudheendra, MD
Medical Reviewer
Preeti K. Sudheendra, MD, is a highly regarded breast cancer medical oncologist and lifestyle medicine physician. After almost 15 years in full-time clinical practice, she is now focused on breast cancer drug development. She continues to see patients at The Ohio State University in the High Risk and Cancer Genetics clinic. Her practice philosophy is to incorporate the pillars of lifestyle medicine as important tools for cancer prevention and improve overall health and well-being.
Dr. Sudheendra has a background in quality improvement and operational planning, which she has combined with her love of design to be an effective consultant in healthcare and hospital design projects.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family.
Simran Malhotra, MD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Malhotra completed her internal medicine residency at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center, where she also served as chief resident in 2015. She completed her fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2016. She was named Top Doc in Palliative Medicine in 2019 and 2020 by Baltimore Magazine.
On a personal note, she is a BRCA1 previvor with a strong family history of breast and female reproductive cancers, and underwent a risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy and total hysterectomy in 2020 at 32 years old. After learning about her own genetic risk of cancer, and grounded in her professional experiences in palliative care, she founded Wellness By LifestyleMD, a platform where she works with and educates women at high risk for cancer with or without genetic mutations on the powerful impact that positive lifestyle changes can have on their quality of life and even longevity.
In addition to being a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, she completed the T. Colin Campbell plant-based nutrition certification in 2019, the CHEF culinary coaching certification in 2020, and the WellCoaches health and wellness coaching certification in 2022. She is a member of the ACLM women’s health member interest group and serves as the co-chair of the breast cancer subcommittee.
Malhotra has been featured on several blogs and podcasts, where she has shared her unique perspectives and experiences from palliative care as well as from being a genetic mutation carrier who is passionate about using lifestyle as medicine.
Walter Tsang, MD
Medical Reviewer
Outside of his busy clinical practice, Tsang has taught various courses at UCLA Center for East West Medicine, Loma Linda University, and California University of Science and Medicine. He is passionate about health education and started an online seminar program to teach cancer survivors about nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep health, and complementary healing methods. Over the years, he has given many presentations on integrative oncology and lifestyle medicine at community events. In addition, he was the founding co-chair of a lifestyle medicine cancer interest group, which promoted integrative medicine education and collaborations among oncology professionals.
Tsang is an active member of American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Integrative Oncology, and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He currently practices at several locations in Southern California. His goal is to transform cancer care in the community, making it more integrative, person-centered, cost-effective and sustainable for the future.
Nimit Sudan, MD
Medical Reviewer
Nimit Sudan, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist with UCLA. He is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA and serves as a lead physician at the Encino community practice. He has a special interest in integrative medicine and oncology.
Dr. Sudan provides comprehensive care for adult patients with all types of hematologic and oncologic conditions. His mission is to treat every patient with the utmost compassion and care, and to develop a strong doctor-patient relationship. He is passionate about patient and family education, and educating larger communities on cancer awareness and prevention. He also has a special interest in integrative medicine, and is certified in acupuncture.
Sudan is from the Midwest, and received both his medical degree and bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and his hematology/oncology fellowship at Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Angela Wright Marshall, MD, FACP
Medical Reviewer
Tingting Tan, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Tingting Tan, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist at City of Hope National Medical Center.
Dr. Tan's research has been published in multiple medical and scientific journals, including Oncologists, Cancer Cell, and Genes and Development.
A graduate of the Beijing Medical University, Tan holds an M.D. from Peking University Health Science Center and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Her training includes fellowships at the University of California San Francisco Cancer Research Institute and the Fox Chase Cancer Center at Temple University.
Thomas Urban Marron, MD, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Dr. Marron received his bachelor's degree in human biology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 2005, his PhD in immunology from the Icahn School of Medicine in 2010, and his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine in 2012. He remained at Mount Sinai Hospital for his internal medicine residency, which he completed in 2014, and for his clinical fellowships in hematology and medical oncology, which he completed in 2017.
Reyna Franco, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.
In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.
Kara Smythe, MD
Medical Reviewer
Kara Smythe, MD, has been working in sexual and reproductive health for over 10 years. Dr. Smythe is a board-certified fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and her interests include improving maternal health, ensuring access to contraception, and promoting sexual health.
She graduated magna cum laude from Florida International University with a bachelor's degree in biology and earned her medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. She worked in Maine for six years, where she had the privilege of caring for an underserved population.
Smythe is also passionate about the ways that public health policies shape individual health outcomes. She has a master’s degree in population health from University College London and recently completed a social science research methods master's degree at Cardiff University. She is currently working on her PhD in medical sociology. Her research examines people's experiences of accessing, using, and discontinuing long-acting reversible contraception.
When she’s not working, Smythe enjoys dancing, photography, and spending time with her family and her cat, Finnegan.
Kelsey M. Latimer, PhD, RN
Medical Reviewer
Kelsey M. Latimer, PhD, RN, is a psychologist, nurse, and certified eating disorder specialist, and is the founder and owner of KML Psychological Services.
Dr. Latimer earned her PhD and master's degree from the University of North Texas, with an emphasis in child and adolescent development and in neuropsychology. Throughout her doctoral training, she became passionate about the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, women's issues, trauma treatment, and anxiety management. She has since overseen several nationally recognized eating disorder treatment programs.
She recently earned a bachelor's in nursing from Florida Atlantic University and is in the process of completing a master's of nursing, with a psychiatric mental health focus, which will allow her to become a medication provider. In addition, she has been accepted into an intensive research training and certification program at Harvard Medical School for 2024.
Latimer's focus is on empowering people to be informed and aware of their health and well-being, which includes increasing access to care. She has made over 50 invited appearances to speak about topics such as body image, dieting downfalls, eating disorder evidence-based treatment, college student functioning, and working with the millennial generation. She has been featured in dozens of media outlets and is a coauthor of the children's book series Poofas, which helps children understand their emotions and develop positive self-esteem and self-talk.
Angela D. Harper, MD
Medical Reviewer
Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adults.
A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harper has worked as a psychiatrist throughout her career, serving a large number of patients in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital on the inpatient psychiatric and addiction units, a community mental health center, and a 350-bed nursing home and rehab facility. She has provided legal case consultation for a number of attorneys.
Harper graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a bachelor's degree and cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in adult psychiatry. During residency, she won numerous awards, including the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists, the Ginsberg Fellowship from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, and resident of the year and resident medical student teacher of the year. She was also the member-in-training trustee to the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees during her last two years of residency training.
Harper volunteered for a five-year term on her medical school's admission committee, has given numerous presentations, and has taught medical students and residents. She currently supervises a nurse practitioner. She is passionate about volunteering for the state medical board's medical disciplinary commission, on which she has served since 2015.
She and her husband are avid travelers and have been to over 55 countries and territories.
Ryland J. Gore, MD, MPH
Medical Reviewer
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Gore previously served on the board of directors for Every Woman Works, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower women and help them transition into independence and stability from common setbacks. Gore served as the chairwoman of the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign in Atlanta for three years (2019 to 2021). She is currently the co-director of Nth Dimensions’ Strategic Mentoring Program and the alumni board chair of the Summer Health Professions Educational Program (SHPEP), which is a collaborative effort by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the American Dental Education Association.
Gore is a highly sought after speaker, consultant, and lecturer on breast cancer and breast health, as well as women’s empowerment topics.