Breast Surgical Oncologist Presents Public Lecture

Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, announces that Nathalie McDowell Johnson, MD, FACS will present a public lecture titled Breasts and the Surgeon: From Antiquity to Infinity on March 7 at 5:30 pm at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center’s Wolf Education & Training Center, 529 W. Junipero Street, Santa Barbara. Reservations are required, and requested by March 1. Contact Danielle Cassidy dcassidy@sansumclinic.org or call (805) 681-7528.

Dr. Johnson is Sansum Clinic’s Visiting Professor of Surgery.  She’s the Medical Director of the Legacy Health Systems Cancer Institute and the Legacy Breast Health centers in Portland, Oregon, Her talk will focus on the history and evolution of breast cancer treatment and the surgeon.  “This topic is fascinating, and the story is richly woven into today’s care.  I will explore the past to understand how these threads will color the future art of breast oncologic care,” remarked Dr. Johnson.

A native of the island of St. Thomas, Dr. Johnson began her professional life as a dancer with the Ballet Theatre of the Virgin Islands and with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. When her career focus turned toward medicine, she enrolled at Howard University in Washington, DC where she received her bachelor’s degree in radiation therapy technology. She received her physician training at the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University) and completed her residency and surgical internship at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC).

Dr. Johnson has served as the Commissioner of Health for the U.S. Virgin Islands. She was recruited to Oregon to develop Legacy Health-Good Samaritan’s breast health centers and to advance the care of cancer patients.  She is the past President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and currently serves on its Board of Directors. Besides her clinical practice, Dr. Johnson plays an active role in research projects related to breast cancer.

After being diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2013, Dr. Johnson credits this experience with giving her a deeper understanding of what patients go through during treatment. “My patient care philosophy is that we are not looking at a disease, but a whole person. We need to remember the holistic approach to care, so we treat the disease but we also think about the bigger picture,” she commented. Dr. Johnson is also passionate about creating access to excellent, affordable and equitable healthcare, and has stated that she believes with dedication, ingenuity and focus, this can become a reality.

The Visiting Professor of Surgery Education Program advances the level of surgical care for local surgeons and surgical residents in training at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Generous support for the program’s endowment fund allows a prominent national surgeon to be in residence in Santa Barbara for one week each year.

The selection committee for Surgical Academic Week, under the leadership of W. Charles Conway II, MD, FACS, surgical oncologist at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, is represented by the general surgeons at Sansum Clinic and the director of surgical education at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, is the leading nonprofit provider of high-quality, outpatient healthcare on the Central Coast. Both Sansum and Sutter share a century-long commitment to improving the health of their communities, and have embarked upon this partnership to shape the future of healthcare for those they serve. Sansum Clinic’s 200+ highly-trained doctors and compassionate staff of 1,200+ care for more than 125,000 individual patients per year, contributing significantly to the medical quality in Santa Barbara, which has a long history of being advanced despite its small size.