“Specialized training adds to surgeons arsenal in fight against breast cancer” |
| Specialized training adds to surgeons arsenal in fight against breast cancer Posted: 17 Oct 2010 02:41 AM PDT Dr. Cecilia Stroede was an undergraduate majoring in international studies at Emory University in Atlanta when she had the epiphany. She was reading a paper for an African studies class, and she realized that she had read a similar piece that had been written about 10 years earlier. This meant to her that the study of diplomacy and international relations had moved very little in a decade. Stroede was aiming to work in the foreign service, but the incident spurred her to reevaluate. "I wanted to make an impact on the world, and I realized that any changes (through the foreign service) would be slow," Stroede said. She decided to switch gears and started down the road to become a medical doctor, so she could make concrete differences in peoples' lives. The decision ultimately led her to Wausau, where she specializes in breast surgery on cancer patients, and where her skills have the immediate influence she so craved as a young college student. Stroede, 42, of Wausau is a surgeon with Surgical Associates and works at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. In addition to going through the basic -- but long and grueling -- training required of a surgeon, Stroede also studied in a year-long fellowship that offered her even more specialized skills that allowed her to focus on breast cancer surgery. That specialization garnered the attention of the doctors at Surgical Associates, who were looking for a doctor who could give central Wisconsin women who have breast cancer a higher level of surgical care. Dr. Sally Mattingly was one of the doctors who recruited Stroede. "I was looking for somebody who turned out to be Cecilia, and hit the jackpot," Mattingly said. "She's the only (surgeon) who is fellowship-trained in Wausau and regions north." Mattingly is a general and vascular surgeon, and she does breast surgery as well, almost exclusively. Stroede's specialized training gave her insights on techniques such as oncoplastic procedures -- those that blend plastic surgery skills into breast cancer surgery -- so the end effect of procedures are more natural looking, Mattingly said. The additional training also helped give Stroede a deeper understanding of the work of other cancer doctors, such as radiation and medical oncologists. "It's fabulous," Mattingly said. "We wanted to get that expertise in the office." Stroede, who was born in Sweden and immigrated to the United States when she was 15, said she pursued the fellowship after working as a general surgeon for about five years. "I wanted to serve my patients better by becoming a better breast surgeon," Stroede said. "I think it makes you a more valuable member of the cancer-treating team." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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