Recipient of First-Ever Breast Cancer Fellowship for Gynecologic Oncologists is Named

CHICAGO, May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have named Marcia M. Humphrey Schmidt, MD, as the initial recipient of their jointly developed Breast Cancer Fellowship for gynecologic oncologists. After completing her fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of South Florida in June, Dr. Humphrey Schmidt will become the first to participate in the one-year fellowship training program dedicated to the care and treatment of breast cancer and related disease.

"I am honored to have been selected by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to participate in this inaugural program," said Dr. Humphrey Schmidt. "This additional training will be an invaluable extension of my gynecologic oncology practice. It will allow me to play a central role in overseeing and navigating the surveillance and treatment of gynecologic oncology patients with breast disease. After the completion of my dual training I plan to practice in an academic setting with a focus on breast-ovarian cancer syndromes."

Dr. Humphrey Schmidt will complete her fellowship at the Breast Health Center at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, which is affiliated with the Brown University Alpert Medical School. Her fellowship will be supported through a $75,000 grant from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.  

"We are excited to be able to offer Dr. Humphrey Schmidt this opportunity to further expand her knowledge and expertise into the area of breast disease," stated SGO President, Daniel Clarke-Pearson, MD. "As experts in women's cancer care, it seems only natural that gynecologic oncologists, who already possess an in-depth understanding of some women's cancers, would be interested in obtaining concentrated, advanced specialty training in the care and treatment of breast disease. Our goal in creating this program with The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was to allow gynecologic oncologists the opportunity to expand their practices to include more aspects of women's cancer care and hopefully pave the way for patients to get comprehensive cancer care in a single place. We believe the initiation of this fellowship will lead to numerous breast disease fellowships throughout the country, and eventually have a dramatic influence on the care and treatment for women battling breast cancer."

"Thirty-five years ago, only 75% of women survived for five years after a breast cancer diagnosis. Today, according to the National Cancer Institute, that number has reached 90%," noted Gerald F. Joseph, Jr, MD, president of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "We are tackling this disease like never before and are making great strides in overall prevention, detection, and treatment efforts. But we're a long way from conquering breast cancer, the second most deadly form of cancer in women (after lung cancer)."

Applications for the fellowship were accepted beginning in the summer of 2009 for those interested in a 2010-2011 fellowship. The program is designed to be flexible in nature, allowing the fellowship to be offered at a different institution each year, and afford a greater number of gynecologic oncology fellows interested in advanced training in breast disease the opportunity to apply, regardless of their current location.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is the nation's leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of approximately 53,000 members, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women's health care.

The SGO is a national medical specialty organization of physicians who are trained in the comprehensive management of women with malignancies of the reproductive tract.  Its purpose is to improve the care of women with gynecologic cancer by encouraging research, disseminating knowledge which will raise the standards of practice in the prevention and treatment of gynecologic malignancies and cooperating with other organizations interested in women's health care, oncology and related fields.  The Society's membership, totaling more than 1,300, is comprised of gynecologic oncologists, as well as other related women's cancer healthcare specialists including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, social workers and pathologists. SGO members provide multidisciplinary cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and supportive care.  More information on the SGO can be found at www.sgo.org.

SOURCE Society of Gynecologic Oncologists