The latest installment of the Franklin-Bond Speaker Series was focused on innovation in breast cancer therapies. Named for the founders of the nation’s first hospital, Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, the series offers an “insider’s view” of PAH’s advances in biomedical research and patient care. Following an overview of the hospital’s historic preservation efforts given by Stacey C. Peeples, MA, curator and lead archivist of PAH’s historic collections, Dahlia M. Sataloff, MD, FACS, chair of Surgery, led an expert panel discussion on current advancements in the field and what the future holds.
“The evening highlighted the latest developments in breast imaging, oncological surgery, and breast reconstruction. For example, Ari D. Brooks, MD [director of the Integrated Breast Center and of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery], provided an overview of the innovations in breast-conserving therapy,” Sataloff said. “There has been so much progress in improving outcomes, but no matter how good we get, we can always get better. The Franklin-Bond Speaker Series provided the opportunity to talk about this extremely important public health issue and what’s next on the horizon.”
Here are some of the panelists’ reflections on their discussion:
“I talked about automated whole-breast ultrasound and the efficient, individualized, and patient-centric care we aim to provide. Everyone on the panel is dedicated to going above and beyond the standard, and we all work together to ensure that we’re minimizing the mental and physical impact on patients. The Speaker Series was a really great event, and I look forward to doing others in the future.” — Brian S. Englander, MD, chair of Radiology at Pennsylvania Hospital
“In ways big and small, breast cancer touches all of our lives, and it is so important for all of us to continue to partner together to keep pushing forward. Over the last several years, we have focused on improving the aesthetic outcome of reconstruction while minimizing the morbidity and speeding the recovery of our patients — as well as helping patients regain sensation to the reconstructed breast after mastectomy. We have thoughtfully abandoned the ‘old way of doing things,’ and the close collaboration between my colleagues across breast surgery, medical and radiation oncology, anesthesia, and nursing has allowed us to fast-track our patients through an enhanced recovery protocol. I am honored to be a part of a coordinated team that has made real strides in improving the patient experience.” — Suhail K. Kanchwala, MD, section chief of Plastic Surgery and an associate professor of Surgery
“Even just a few years ago, I never would have imagined being on that stage in my role. My work with Dr. Kanchwala to adapt a minimally invasive technique to tissue-based breast reconstruction allows patients to recover without the physical and mental hurdles common in the traditional approach. Our technique has been gaining traction, and we’ve had a lot of surgeons come to PAH to learn from us. It’s really exciting for this innovative work to be taking place at a community hospital like Pennsylvania Hospital, and I think it really shows that the spirit of Franklin and Bond is alive.” — Ian S. Soriano, MD, FACS, a clinical assistant professor of Surgery