Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center
The Breast Center opened officially in the fall of 1999. Renamed the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center in 2007, it is divided into two sections: the Breast Care Center and the Breast Research Program.
The mission of the center is to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast disease while providing top-tier education for future physicians and researchers.
Breast Care Center
Patchwork of Life: Learn about treatment options for early stage breast cancer through this interactive site. Details on other outreach activities are available.
The center offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary care and includes four sections:
- breast imaging
- breast cancer risk assessment
- genetic testing and counseling, and prevention
- evaluation and diagnostic clinic; and a breast cancer clinic
Clinical research is an integral component of the center, which offers nationwide and local-regional clinical studies in all aspects of breast health.
Breast Research Program
The research group of physicians and scientists is internationally recognized for its work. Currently this group is one of only six recipients nationally of the NIH Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) Grant in Breast Cancer, which highlights the accomplishments and productivity of the program.
The faculty is appointed in a variety of different departments including medicine, pathology, molecular and cellular biology, psychiatry, radiology, and human genetics. Faculty in these and other crucial clinical and basic science departments function as associate members of the Smith Breast Center and interact with the Smith Breast Center on a daily basis.
Medical Education
Training of physicians, fellows, medical students, and other healthcare providers is also an integral function of the Smith Breast Center.
Generous resources are available to recruit 5-7 new faculty members over the next several years. Funds are also available for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and major equipment purchase, so that rapid growth of both the clinical and research programs is expected in the next few years.
Part of an NCI-Designated Cancer Center
The Smith Breast Center is a major component of the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, which brings together research, patient care, education and outreach activities from BCM and its affiliated hospitals to expedite the fight against this devastating disease. The Duncan Cancer Center has been named a designated cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, a significant milestone that opens the doors for additional funding to combat cancer. It is one of two NCI designated centers in Houston.