The Glenn Family Breast Center of Winship Cancer Institute welcomes Cathy L. Graham, MD, as the new director of breast surgery at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Winship’s Glenn Family Breast Center at Emory Saint Joseph’s offers a full-service program of breast care, including the management of benign breast diseases, as well as a clinic for patients at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Prevention, early detection, and a multidisciplinary approach to treatment are hallmarks of the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship, which oversees and coordinates breast cancer care and research throughout Emory.

An innovator in the field of breast surgery, Graham’s research interests include minimally invasive breast cancer therapies, aids to oncoplastic breast surgery and high risk breast lesions. In fact, Graham’s high risk breast cancer clinic specializes in preventive medicine for those patients with a family history or genetic predisposition to the disease. “Some of these may include atypical lesions, lobular neoplasias and high risk lesions, which are all risk factors for the development of breast cancer,” she says.

Graham’s model of clinical care is concentrated on providing early intervention for patients, including screenings and follow up. “Our focus is to identify cancer early so that it is a treatable disease,” she adds.

Additionally, Graham’s clinic manages benign breast diseases, a unique offering in north Atlanta. “Our community has a real need for a program focusing on benign diseases such as fibrocystic breast change, nipple discharge and lactation issues. An added convenience is that our specialized program allows us to care for patients in their own community,” she emphasizes. At the Glenn Family Breast Center at Emory Saint Joseph’s, patients also receive care from a multidisciplinary team, which includes specialists in radiology, genetics, medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical oncology.

Graham earned her medical degree from the Emory University School of Medicine, and completed her residency at the University of Cincinnati. She is the former medical director of the Breast Health Program at St. John West Shore Hospital in Westlake, Ohio. She previously served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in the departments of Surgery, Medical Oncology and Anatomy and was medical director of the breast health program at St. John Medical Center and Southwest General Health Center, both in Ohio.