Richard Bleicher, MD, FACS, recently appointed Chief of the new Division of Breast Surgery and a long-term director of the Fox Chase Cancer Center Breast Oncology Fellowship, describes the rigorous training and dedication expected of a Fox Chase Breast Oncology Fellow. “Our program is designed for the best of the best—preparing trainees for leadership roles in advanced multidisciplinary breast care settings throughout the country. Any candidate must be willing to immerse themselves in the surgical, clinical, and scientific exploration of breast cancer, to live and breathe it every day,” explains Bleicher.

“Each year, we typically have about 80 to 90 candidates apply for the two positions. It’s extraordinarily competitive. Our current Fellows—Walker Lyons, MD, who comes to us from his residency at Jefferson, and McAuley Fish, DO, who is from Virginia Tech—are bright, skilled, and clearly future superstars in the field. They exemplify the high quality of the applicants that apply.”

Bleicher continued: “As a tertiary and quaternary referral site, Fox Chase Fellows learn to manage some most difficult and complex breast cancer cases and must have the analytical, practical, and surgical skills to handle them. For example, a patient may arrive at the clinic with advanced breast cancer previously treated elsewhere that now is compounded with an early-stage lymphoma diagnosis. There’s no place in the literature where a doctor can go to ‘look up’ how to optimally treat this individual,” says Bleicher.

“Only through a deep understanding of the vast body of published literature, the data backing up the studies, and a nuanced grasp of treatment risks and benefits can a therapeutic recommendation be made.” Breast Oncology Fellows take their skills to the next level solving these problems and collaborating within a multidisciplinary team of breast surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapy specialists, and researchers.

Rigorous training like this produces a brilliant result. “Sixty-four percent of our Fellows go into academic medicine and/or leadership positions immediately after they complete Fellowship training, or within the first three years post-training,” says Bleicher.