Featured News
-
January 20, 2022
The renowned 39-year-old breast surgeon becomes youngest Latina woman to lead breast surgery program in U.S. at major academic medical center
WASHINGTON – Lucy Maria De La Cruz, MD, has joined MedStar Georgetown University Hospital as chief of its Breast Surgery Program and director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center. Dr. De La Cruz is a fellowship-trained breast surgeon who specializes in advanced breast surgery procedures, including wireless lumpectomies, hidden scar technique, oncoplastic breast conservation, and nipple-sparing mastectomy. She has been published in more than two dozen peer-reviewed scientific journals, and her pivotal papers on nipple-sparing mastectomy and oncologic outcomes have been cited worldwide. She will also direct the hospital’s breast surgery fellowship program.
“I am honored and excited to lead the breast surgery program and the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital,” said De La Cruz. “It has been my life-long dream to bring my passion for medicine, helping others and building a state-of-the-art breast surgery program to advance breast health. I look forward to working with our multidisciplinary team of breast health experts to compassionately care for, educate and empower my patients in their health journey.”
Dr. De La Cruz is an academic breast surgeon who conducts outcomes-focused research, and among her special interests are the impact of genomic mapping to guide breast cancer treatment and male breast cancer treatment. Her work is guided by a long-standing commitment to promoting equity and efficacy in breast cancer care delivery, using the principles of value-based health care.
“The Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital are thrilled to have Dr. De La Cruz lead the breast surgery program. Her commitment to patients, their journey, and their outcomes are unmatched; and her expertise in novel surgical techniques brings new and beneficial options to patients,” said David H. Song, MD, MBA, FACS, Physician Executive Director, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Professor and Chair Department of Plastic Surgery, and Interim Chair, Department of Surgery, Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Dr. De La Cruz’s story
Dr. De La Cruz, 39, started her journey towards becoming the youngest Latina woman to lead a breast cancer surgery program at a major academic medical center at young age. As the daughter of international physician researchers, she spent a lot of time in labs where her parents worked, sparking her passion for medicine and “making a difference in people’s lives.” She grew up in Cuba, Mozambique, Spain, and Miami.
In college, she studied abroad in the Dominican Republic at the Universidad Central Del Este School of Medicine, where students were involved in patient care very early in their education and training. There, she completed her medical degree, founded an American Medical Student Association chapter and raised scholarship funds to help those who couldn’t afford tuition.
After graduation, she was told becoming a surgeon would be nearly impossible as a foreign medical graduate and a female. Despite this, De La Cruz obtained research fellowships from the University of Miami and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She continued her journey by obtaining a one-year residency internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami, where she earned the Intern of the Year award and an AOA medical honor society membership for her dedication to medical student teaching. During her residency, she worked on an award-winning oncologic outcomes research project for nipple-sparing mastectomy that continues to be cited worldwide.
That same year, Dr. De La Cruz started her breast surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation, she worked in private practice for a year before returning to the University of Pennsylvania as a faculty member in the associate program director of the breast cancer surgery fellowship program.
After relocating to Washington, D.C., to be close to her family, she founded the breast cancer fellowship program curriculum at the Inova Health System. Now at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and The Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center, she continues to teach residents and fellows, pursue research, and care for patients – the fulfillment of her lifelong dream.
About MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
About the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center
Browse news by hospital
For reporters
Share this
MedStar Health makes the news
All News
-
October 02, 201815TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER DRAWS MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE
McLean, Virginia – OCT. 2, 2018 — MedStar National Rehabilitation Network’s 15th annual Super H 5K Run, Walk & Wheel drew more than 200 participants and raised more than $50,000 this year. The race, which benefits athletes who participate in MedStar NRN’s adaptive sports programs, was held in very wet, rainy conditions on Sunday, Sept. 23.
MedStar NRN’s adaptive sports programs enable athletes with disabilities to compete in various sports such as wheelchair basketball; wheelchair tennis; adaptive rowing; sled hockey; quad rugby; Boccia ball; hand cycling, and more.
Funds raised from the Super H race have also enabled all of MedStar NRN’s adaptive sports teams to compete at the national level. Our wheelchair basketball team is currently ranked number 3 in the nation. Additionally, one of our players, Trevon Jenifer, is a gold medalist on the U.S. Paralympic basketball team, while Hallie Smith is a member of the U.S. Paralympic Rowing team. MedStar NRN’s programs range from introductory clinics to elite competitions.
“We sincerely appreciate all of the generosity of our sponsors and those who attended this year’s race,” said Joan Joyce, director of recreation therapy and community relations for MedStar NRN. “Our adaptive athletes are very grateful for all of the support they receive as well as those coming for our fitness classes. It really means a lot to everyone.”
MedStar NRN thanks all of this year’s race sponsors including: Volkswagen Group of America; Reyes Holdings; Darren Star Productions; Streetsense; Tetra Tech; Gregorio’s; Greenhill; Stein Sperling; APTA – the American Physical Therapy Association; National Seating & Mobility Clinic; MedStar Medical Group Radiology; Progressions Salon; NuMotion; Hanger Clinic; Tri-Union Express; ABC Home Medical; Data-Search, Inc; Robert’s Home Medical; District Amputee Care Center, LLC; Hollister; The Super H Family; Elle Leech-Black; Timmie Metz Band; MetroLogo; and Sport & Health, Tysons Corner.
Next year’s race takes place in September of 2019. Stay tuned for information on the date and time.
To contribute to adaptive sports even though the race is over go to: MedStarNRH.org/SuperH5K
(Photo gallery – photos that can be used by media sites with the piece.)
About MedStar National Rehabilitation Network
The MedStar National Rehabilitation Network is a regional system of rehabilitation care that offers inpatient, day treatment and outpatient services in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.
The Network’s interdisciplinary team of rehabilitation experts provides comprehensive services to help people recover as fully as possible following illness and injury. Rehabilitation medicine specialists, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists work hand-in-hand with other rehab professionals to design treatment plans tailored to each patient’s unique needs. Rehabilitation plans feature a team approach and include the use of state-of-the-art technology and advanced medical treatment based on the latest rehabilitation research.
The Network provides comprehensive programs specifically designed to aid in the rehabilitation of adults and children recovering from neurologic and orthopaedic conditions such as amputation, arthritis, back and neck pain, brain injury, cancer, cardiac conditions, concussion, fibromyalgia, foot and ankle disorders, hand and upper extremity problems, post-polio syndrome, stroke, spinal cord injury and disease, and sports and work-related injuries.
Inpatient and day treatment programs are provided at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital located in Northwest Washington, D.C., and at more than 50 outpatient sites conveniently located throughout the region. MedStar National Rehabilitation Network is fully accredited by The Joint Commission, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), with CARF accredited specialty programs for Amputations, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke.
For more on MedStar National Rehabilitation Network and to find a location near you, log on to MedStarNRH.org.
###
-
September 26, 2018 -
September 18, 2018Patients with Hepatitis C Can Safely Receive Kidneys from Hepatitis C-Positive Donors, then be Cured of the Virus -
September 12, 2018
James Spies, MD, MPH, and chair of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Department of Radiology, has been chosen to receive the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 2019 Gold Medal, the Society’s highest honor. The Gold Medal is awarded to individuals who, through outstanding achievement, advance the quality of patient care while also ensuring the future of interventional radiology.
Dr. Spies joined MedStar Georgetown in 1997 after working in private practice and serving four years in the United States Air Force. His practice and research in Uterine Embolization for fibroids has received acclaim internationally, where he is recognized as an authority on the procedure. Spies has published over 100 scientific studies and delivered more than 400 invited presentations on the topic which he continues to study at Georgetown, along with several other areas of interventional radiology.
“The Society of Interventional Radiology has been my professional home for 30 years and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to help advance the patient care our specialty provides,” Spies said. “I am truly honored to receive this award and, when I reflect on its past recipients, am humbled to be counted among them.”
Before receiving the Gold Medal, Dr. Spies has sat on many SIR committees, serving as chair of the SIR Foundation from 2006 to 2008 and SIR President from 2014 to 2015. According to SIR, only 60 individuals have ever been honored with a Gold Medal. The award will be presented during the SIR 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting in Austin, Texas, which runs March 23rd through 28th.
-
September 11, 2018Experts with MedStar Health’s National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare have leveraged their past research into the safety and usability of electronic health records (EHRs) to join with The Pew Charitable Trusts in offering recommendations to the federal government for making the health IT systems safer for children, whose unique needs make them particularly vulnerable to documented EHR usability and patient safety issues. -
September 05, 2018On August 28, 2018, The Pew Charitable Trusts released a landmark report providing important criteria to support usability and safety throughout the EHR life cycle.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
- 118
- 119
- 120
- 121
- 122
- 123
- 124
- 125
- 126
- 127
- 128
- 129
- 130
- 131
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- 137
- 138
