Mount Sinai's new Dubin Breast Center to provide patients with seamless care

Apr 19 2011

The new Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai opened today, bringing a range of multidisciplinary services under one roof and marking a great leap forward in care of breast cancer patients throughout the region.

Encompassing more than 15,000 square feet at 1176 Fifth Avenue, the Dubin Breast Center represents a bold new vision for breast cancer treatment and research—one that focuses on the emotional, as well as the physical, health of individuals who have or are at risk of developing cancer. The new Center - under the leadership of Co-Directors Elisa Port, MD, FACS, Chief of Breast Surgery, and George Raptis, MD, MBA, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine - is the only one of its kind located within an academic medical institution in New York City.

"The Dubin Breast Center furthers Mount Sinai's commitment to translational research, and bringing the latest advances to the bedside," said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. "Patient care and research will be housed in a single setting, creating access to clinical trials and breakthrough treatments. We are very pleased to have been able to work with Eva and Glenn Dubin to establish this new Center."

The Dubin Breast Center is one of the first centers in the country and the first in New York City to offer 3D mammography technology called tomosynthesis. This diagnostic technique allows for easier and earlier detection of breast tumors. The Center also includes an evaluation and treatment center for breast medical oncology and an infusion center for chemotherapy. Additional services include screening, genetic and nutritional counseling, breast reconstruction, and psychosocial support for the patient and her family.

"Our goal for the Dubin Breast Center is to provide patients with seamless care," said Eva Dubin, MD. "From breast cancer screening to diagnosis to treatment and survivorship, patients will receive personalized, comprehensive care in a welcoming, private, and reassuring setting."

"Women and men with breast cancer benefit enormously from a comprehensive approach to their care that also focuses on their needs as individuals," said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "We are especially pleased to see the center's emphasis on patient needs from pre-screening through treatment and aftercare, including complementary therapies and research components. The Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center will undoubtedly be a beacon of hope for so many."

Dr. Dubin - a former model and Miss Sweden, as well as a mother, a wife, and a physician - says that when was told that she had breast cancer, it was like her whole world shut down. But she was better prepared to cope than most people who receive a cancer diagnosis. Her medical training gave her the ability to expertly evaluate the treatment options avialable to her. She set about on a months-long quest to identify the best medical care, and decided to be treated at Mount Sinai.

After Mount Sinai helped her win her battle against breast cancer, Dr. Dubin was determined to do more to help other women in the same situation. She and her husband Glenn Dubin, a Mount Sinai Trustee since 2004, envisioned creating a center where all the services that a breast cancer patient needs could be found under one roof.

Every detail of the new Center has been evaluated by Dr. Dubin and Drs. Port and Raptis. Helping them is an advisory panel of women, most of whom are also breast cancer survivors, who are able to suggest improvements to the patient experience.

With a multidisciplinary focus in mind, the three doctors shaped a program that includes space for diagnostic evaluation in radiology, surgery and reconstruction, medical treatment by experienced breast oncologists, and infusion for chemotherapy and other therapeutics. Services are available not just for women with cancer, but also for those in remission and those looking to minimize their risk of getting the disease.

Behind the scenes, the doctors have worked with Mount Sinai administrators to ease the paperwork and records burden typically associated with transferring care between facilities or between doctor's offices. Medical records for the Center's patients will be contained in one overall electronic medical record, so that records are easily transportable and accessible in one centralized location.

Source: The Mount Sinai Medical Center