- Cancer Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWomen diagnosed with breast cancer can face many different choices for treatment. With new advancements in technology and breast cancer therapies, it can be difficult to know what choices give the best chance for a cure and high quality of life. A lumpectomy or mastectomy? Chemo before surgery or after surgery? How will these decisions affect personal, family and career priorities? Oftentimes, there is no right or wrong answer. Each woman is at a different stage in life and every woman’s breasts mean something different to her. Although breast surgeons aim to educate and guide patients, patients must ultimately make the decisions about treatment. This model is known as “shared decision making.” For some women, identifying a personal “best” treatment may involve the support of a friend or mentor — such as volunteer with a peer-to-peer mentorship program, like Survivors Offering Support (SOS). Hospitals across the nation offer programs like SOS, which pair a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient with a breast cancer survivor to offer educated support and encouragement. SOS peer mentors don’t offer medical advice, but as breast cancer survivors themselves, they can relate to the worries and fears that women with breast cancer often experience. Here are just a few of the benefits that women with breast cancer can find from peer-to-peer mentorship programs: Support from friends or family members who survived breast cancer can be comforting, but unlike peer mentors, these people aren’t trained to remain objective. They mean well, but they don’t understand that their story is just that – their story. A woman needs to focus on her story, which peer mentors understand. Peer mentors can also help women who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer cut through information overload, which can result from researching online for hours. Mentors can help other women turn their concerns into questions for their surgeon. These conversations empower women to make informed decisions. Knowing that she has made her decision with the support of a trusted SOS mentor can help a woman minimize second-guessing herself, which means one less thing to worry about. Connecting with a mentor makes the cancer journey less lonely. Even if women have a strong social support system, it makes a huge difference to have someone who has been through the breast cancer journey themselves. Confiding in a mentor helps cut through the loneliness that can occur during the breast cancer journey. In fact, many women form lifelong friendships through these types of programs. Going through breast cancer can be both physically and emotionally taxing. To get through rough times, women can lean on the support of their mentor. Getting to know someone who has come through a breast cancer battle on the other side can give inspiration and motivation for women in their fight against cancer. No one has to go through something like this alone. Read more about Survivors Offering Support (SOS), including the personal story of a volunteer who discovered storm chasing in her recovery from a rare form of breast cancer. Author Lorraine Tafra, MD, is a breast surgeon and the medical director of AAMC’s Rebecca Fortney Breast Center.0
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) announces Jeanette Abell, MD, as its new associate chair of medicine. Dr. Abell comes to AAMC from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where she served as medical director and section head of palliative medicine. Prior to that, Dr. Abell was chief of hospital medicine at Sentara Medical Group in Virginia, providing leadership oversight of more than 80 medical hospitalist and palliative medicine providers. She has held several other leadership roles throughout her 26-year medical career. Dr. Abell assumed the role of associate chair of medicine in August 2016. In this position, she serves as the physician leader for the medical hospitalist program, palliative medicine program and conducts associated efforts in quality and patient satisfaction initiatives. Dr. Abell is one of two associate chairs of medicine at AAMC. “Dr. Abell is known for being an innovative, results-oriented and collaborative physician,” said Mitchell Schwartz, MD, chief medical officer and president of Physician Enterprise at Anne Arundel Medical Center. “She brings demonstrated ability in driving transformation in large healthcare organizations and shares our strong focus on quality outcomes. We are pleased to welcome her to AAMC.” Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Abell is a specialist in hospice and palliative medicine. She was fellowship-trained in hospice and palliative medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she was chief fellow. Abell completed her medical training at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and Riverside Methodist Hospital. She holds a physician executive master of business administration degree from the University of Tennessee.0
- News & Press Releases, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG), a multi-specialty physician group that is part of Anne Arundel Medical Center, is expanding its cardiac care network to the Eastern Shore. Juan Cordero, MD, joins AAMG Cardiology Specialists and is now accepting patients in Easton. Dr. Cordero practices cardiology and has a special interest in new techniques and devices that could be beneficial for cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Cordero attended the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus and began practicing medicine in 1998. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology. AAMG’s cardiac care network now includes nine doctors at two locations, Annapolis and Easton. Doctors are supported by specially trained staff and backed by Anne Arundel Medical Center’s award-winning cardiac care. Dr. Cordero is located at 505 Dutchmans Lane, Suites A3-A4, Easton, MD 21601. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 410-822-24400
- News & Press Releases, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG) Chesapeake Women’s Health has added three new physicians to their practice—making them the largest OB-GYN practice in Easton and Cambridge with a total of 11 providers. About the new providers: Sozdar Abed, MD Dr. Abed is an OB-GYN with special interest in infertility, endometriosis, hysteroscopy and laparoscopic/robotic surgery. She attended Damascus University Medical School and began practicing medicine in 2007. Dr. Abed is a member of a number of professional societies including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and the American Society in Reproductive Medicine. Afua Nyanin, MD Dr. Nyanin is an OB-GYN with special interest in sexual health, infertility, vaginitis, integrative medicine, education, health disparity and global health. Dr. Nyanin attended Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and began practicing medicine in 2010. She is a member of the National Medical Association and a junior fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Jonelle Samuel, MD Dr. Samuel is an OB-GYN with special interest in minimally invasive gynecology, adolescent gynecology and contraception. She attended Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC and started practicing medicine in 2007. Dr. Samuel is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Medical Association and the Philadelphia Obstetrics Society. “Our team is growing to support the needs of the community,” said Patrick O’Brien, MD, an OB-GYN who has been with the practice since 2006. “For more than a decade, we’ve dedicated ourselves to providing personalized care to women on the Eastern Shore. We’re proud to be a vital part of this community. Our patients are at the heart of who we are.” AAMG Chesapeake Women’s Health offers easy appointment scheduling with same-day appointments available. It is also the only OB-GYN practice on the Eastern Shore that offers in-office breastfeeding support with a board-certified lactation consultant on staff. AAMG Chesapeake Women’s Health is located at 401 Purdy Street, Suite 102, Easton, Md., 21601. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 410-820-0038.0
- Cancer Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMore than 60 studies agree that physical activity reduces breast cancer risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Overall, the studies report that getting at least 30 minutes per day of moderate- to high-intensity physical activity reduces risk. More exercise — in terms of both time and intensity — is even better. The key to adopting an active lifestyle is choosing activities that make you happy, advises Rubie Sue Jackson, MD, a breast surgeon at the Fortney Breast Center. “If you adopt something that fits naturally into your lifestyle and you find it enjoyable, there’s a much better chance that you’ll stick with the activity long term.” Here are a few tips to help increase activity and decrease your risk for breast cancer: If your destination is in the neighborhood, walk or bike instead of driving. Join a recreational sports team, which serves as both physical activity and a social event. Add a walk or stretches to your lunch routine. Track your steps with a pedometer, smartphone app or fitness tracker. The general goal is 10,000 steps daily. Consider an active vacation that includes biking, hiking, walking tours, scuba diving or whatever gets you moving with a smile. “Studies tell us that postmenopausal women benefit the most from weight control in terms of decreasing breast cancer risks. So it’s really never too late to get up and get active,” Dr. Jackson stresses. Read about two more ways to fight breast cancer: Ways to Fight Breast Cancer: Get Support and Ways to Fight Breast Cancer: Understand Your Risks. Contributor Rubie Sue Jackson, MD, is a breast surgeon at the Fortney Breast Center.0
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