D. David Dershaw - Physician Profile | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

I am a radiologist who specializes in breast imaging, including screening for breast cancer, the evaluation of breast symptoms, and imaging-guided breast biopsy. To do this, I use mammography, sonography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

I founded the Breast Imaging Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and was its director for 20 years. During that time, it was built into the largest breast imaging group in the world. The Service has made major contributions in refining breast biopsy techniques, replacing surgical biopsy with needle biopsy, understanding the appropriate imaging management of women having breast conservation surgery, and demonstrating the importance of MRI in breast imaging. Currently, the role of contrast-enhanced mammography is under investigation. This work has resulted in my publication of more than 200 peer reviewed articles, as well as invited articles and chapters, on breast imaging. I have written several textbooks on breast imaging. I have also worked to help establish breast cancer screening programs in several nations.

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I have served as president of the Society of Breast Imaging and have been on the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Task Force for many years, serving as the chair of the committee on government relations. I have also been the chair of the New York State Breast Cancer Detection and Education Program Advisory Council, a member of the US Department of Health and Human Services Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection and Control Advisory Committee, and am on the editorial board or review scientific papers for multiple medical journals. In recognition of these services, I have been awarded the gold medal of the Society of Breast Imaging, which is given once every two years to an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the breast imaging field.

Along with others on the Breast Imaging Service, I have worked to train more than 100 postgraduate fellows in breast imaging, as well as residents and foreign radiologists. Additionally, I lecture around the US and the world as part of my commitment to teaching. As founding chair of the American College of Radiology Committee on Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Accreditation, I have worked to make women in the US confident that the breast imaging services they receive will be of high quality wherever they seek care.

Location

New York City

Phone

646-888-4505

Clinical Expertise

Breast Imaging; Breast Biopsy

Languages Spoken

English

Education

MD, Jefferson Medical College

Residencies

The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center

Fellowships

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Board Certifications

Diagnostic Radiology

See My Colleagues in:

Department of Radiology›Breast Imaging Service

Publications by D. David Dershaw

Visit PubMed for full listing of D. David Dershaw journal articles

Pubmed is an online index of biomedical articles maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

biopsy (BY-op-see)

The removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. There are many different types of biopsy procedures. The most common types include: (1) incisional biopsy, in which only a sample of tissue is removed; (2) excisional biopsy, in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed; and (3) needle biopsy, in which a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle. When a wide needle is used, the procedure is called a core biopsy. When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.