Is there any answer or solution to the reimbursement puzzle our breast community faces every day? In this episode, the co-hosts confront the frustrations head-on, exploring why the system feels broken and what you can do about it. PLUS, learn about Michael’s unique retirement ‘plan’ and one co-host’s discovery which has enabled her to carve out more time for herself. 

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The Next Breast Thing is the official podcast of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS).  Learn more at www.breastsurgeons.org   

MEET THE CO-HOSTS

Michael Berry, MD is a breast surgical oncologist at the West Cancer Center in Germantown, TN. After practicing general surgery for 6 years, he completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at UT Southwestern in Dallas in 2002. Upon leaving Texas, he moved to the Memphis, TN area where he was the first fellowship trained breast surgeon in the region; and this is where he remains today. Dr. Berry has long taught breast ultrasound diagnosis, intervention and ablation. However, his particular interest is in education, as he currently serves on the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Training Committee, which oversees the fellowship programs in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Berry is currently the president-elect of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and will begin his term as president in May of 2025.

Susan K. Boolbol, MD, FACS is the system chief of breast surgical oncology and breast program at Nuvance Health. She is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgeon and performs a variety of breast cancer surgeries including lumpectomies and mastectomies. She has a special interest in oncoplastic surgery and nipple-sparing mastectomy; she is also a Hidden Scar certified surgeon. Dr. Boolbol’s personal mission is to diagnose and successfully treat breast cancer and breast conditions while caring for the whole patient – emotionally and physically – every step of the way. Dr. Boolbol is the immediate Past President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She joined Nuvance Health after serving as chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center. She completed her breast surgery fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after her residency in general surgery at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. Dr. Boolbol earned her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine.

Carla Fisher, MD, MBA, FACS is the Division Chief of Breast Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Surgery. Dr. Fisher is also the director of the IU Dept of of Surgery Breast Surgical Oncology fellowship. She earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed her residency in general surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina and her fellowship as a surgical fellow in breast oncology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Fisher is a certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncologists and the Association of Academic Surgeons.

Susie Hagen, MD, FACS received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina. She completed her residency in General Surgery at the University of Iowa.   In addition, Dr. Hagen earned her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina and a Master in Medical Education from the University of Iowa. Her special interests are benign and malignant breast disease, complex wound, and robotic surgeries.  Dr. Hagen obtained a certification in the Advanced Trauma Operative Management Course and she is an Advanced Trauma Life Support Instructor. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Colorado Medical Society and the Boulder County Medical Society.  She has received the following national awards; the American Medical Association Leadership Award, Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, and the American College of Surgeons Excellence in Teaching Award.  Dr. Hagen is the medical director of surgical services at Boulder Community Health, a level 2 trauma center.  While she does not claim to be a runner, she has almost completed 1000 days of running consecutively. 

Ellie Kraft, MD, FACS is a fellowship-trained breast surgeon at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, CA. Before pursuing medicine, she worked briefly in finance. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas and completed her general surgery residency at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Dr. Kraft then performed her breast surgical oncology and oncoplastic surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California and Hoag Hospital, training under Dr. Mel Silverstein, the “father of oncoplastic surgery.” She is a founding faculty member of Hoag’s first stand-alone Oncoplastic Fellowship, which began in July 2024, and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She lives in Laguna Beach with her husband Patrick and their two Labrador Retrievers, Dr. Kraft has a passion for learning new things in her free time, especially non-surgical topics like personal development, entrepreneurship, nutrition, and mindfulness and has a daily movement/ meditation practice. 

Shicha Kumar, MD, FACS is a surgical oncologist dedicated to the care of patients with breast cancer. She completed her training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. After her training, Dr. Kumar moved to Buffalo, New York where she helped build and lead the breast program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, acting as its Clinical Chief my last few years there.  She believes the management of breast cancer should not only be individualized and personalized, but also needs the expertise of a multidisciplinary team, including medical, surgical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, genetics, nursing, social workers and many others, who specifically focus on this disease.  In addition to taking care of patients, Dr. Kumar also engages in clinical research. In the past, she has worked on projects involving DCIS, bilateral breast cancer, novel ways to localize cancer, breast cancer in men, and certain types of rare breast cancers.  She has specific interests in understanding the challenges young women with breast cancer face, as well as those who do not have breast cancer, but are at high risk for developing it, such as BRCA gene mutation carriers.  Dr. Kumar is an active participate in local, regional, and national professional organizations, including the American Society of Breast Surgeons.  

CONTENT DISCLAIMER:  The content within The Next Breast Thing Podcast represents the views, thoughts, and opinions of the co-hosts and may not reflect the views, thoughts, and opinions of the American Society of Breast Surgeons.