Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, assistant professor of surgery, has been named director of the Breast Care Center at the UCSF Cancer Center.

Designed to meet the complex needs of patients, the Breast Care Center is supported by a team of cancer specialists who work together to focus on the individual. The team includes surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists, as well as mammographers, cyto-pathologists, plastic surgeons, and nurse practitioners. Patient services range from screening examinations, diagnostic procedures, and treatment to emotional support groups and a free, comprehensive resource center.

"The job of a university program is to make sure we harness the latest knowledge available worldwide and bring it into a clinical setting. This may include starting a genetic testing program, teaming up with biotech companies on clinical trials, and bringing in our own novel therapies developed at UCSF to the clinic," Esserman said. "But it also includes developing lifestyle interventions and personal support programs as well as nutritional counseling."

The Breast Care Center is an active component of the UCSF Cancer Center which houses multidisciplinary teams organized around specific types of cancer.

Considered a leader in the fight against breast cancer by her peers and within the cancer community, Esserman, along with colleagues at UCSF and California Pacific Medical Center, obtained a $4.3 million grant from the Department of Defense to create the new Bay Area Breast Care Center--currently in progress--to study the effectiveness of a "one-stop" patient-focused breast care center to be housed at the UCSF Cancer Center.

If the grant's hypothesis proves correct--that a single-site integrated program offers advantages to the patient over a decentralized system--the center could serve as a national model to other institutions. (see previous Daybreak story).

Esserman's appointment was announced jointly by Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS, director of the UCSF Cancer Center, and Alan Glassberg, MD, associate director for clinical care of the UCSF Cancer Center.

"I am very pleased that Dr. Esserman has accepted the position of director of the Breast Care Center. The Center has been an outstanding example of quality clinical care. I expect, under Esserman's direction, that it will develop even further as the preeminent place in Northern California for coordinated clinical trials," McCormick said.

Glassberg added, "Dr. Esserman will bring the kind of leadership, energy, creativity and sensitivity to the Breast Center that will make the best in clinical care and science more widely available to the people of Northern California."

In addition to her surgical practice, Esserman has worked as part of a team of physicians and researchers in several areas. She is working to develop a non-toxic tumor vaccine to prevent pre-malignant lesions (called ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS) from turning into invasive breast cancer.

She also is researching the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a tool to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and to facilitate the introduction of new treatments, such as vaccines.

"We want to find the simplest, easiest and most patient-friendly way to evaluate people who have breast abnormalities and cancer," Esserman said. "We also want to make sure that innovations from the laboratory reach the patients as quickly as possible."

She added, "We have an intense interest in arranging our practice so it is really focused on our patients. We want to make sure it addresses their needs and provides treatments that reflect their values as well as the best in medical knowledge."

A graduate of Harvard College, Esserman completed her medical training at Stanford in 1983. In 1993, she received an MBA from the School of Business at Stanford where she studied the principles of cost-effectiveness and strategic management.

By Dale Martin

1st appeared 8/22/97