Awards

Dr. Fou Receives Second "Women at Risk" Breast Surgery Fellowship

On October 13, 2005, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center announced that the second Women At Risk (WAR) Breast Surgery Fellowship has been awarded to Dr. Adora Fou. A one-year appointment, the Fellowship promotes advanced training in the treatment and prevention of breast disease.

"Dr. Fou is a talented young physician with a bright future. She has devoted herself to treating breast cancer, and this fellowship training will give her the tools and experience to fight the disease on many fronts," says Dr. Freya Schnabel, chief of the breast service and medical director of Women At Risk at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. Dr. Schnabel is the Vivian Milstein Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Fou holds a B.S. from the University of Dallas in Biochemistry and received her medical degree from the University of Texas at Houston Medical School. She completed her residency at New York Medical College's Sound Shore Program, and her current research focuses on risk management of breast cancer using ductal lavage, a new technique designed to evaluate breast cytology in high-risk women.

Dr. Fou says, "As a breast surgeon and in my new role as WAR Breast Surgery Fellow, I am interested in both the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the breast, as well as efforts to educate women and their families about breast cancer, and to promote effective screening measures for women in all walks of life."

A WAR fellow operates with the breast surgeons, assisting with all their breast cancer and oncoplastic surgeries. The fellow rotates through mammography, medical oncology, pathology, radiation oncology and genetic counseling. The fellow is required to have completed a five-year accredited general surgery program, is expected to complete at least one scholarly project suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, give at least one oral presentation, operate the outpatient clinic and participate in teaching medical students and residents.

The first WAR fellow was Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, currently director of breast cancer surgery research at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Joseph was selected to be a Southwest Oncology Group Young Investigator and was appointed to the President's Cancer Panel at the NCI/NIH. Dr. Joseph was named one of the "Power Women of 2005" in New York Moves Magazine, and to Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40" rising stars for 2005.

Women At Risk (WAR) is a 14-year-old organization at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center that serves women at high risk for breast cancer, as well as women with breast cancer, through research funding, educational programs, and support services.