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Lynn Sage Profiles
Dr. Nora Hansen
Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation Profile
As a surgeon for nearly 20 years, Dr. Nora Hansen has seen how breast cancer can be one of the most positive developments in a woman's life. "Breast cancer is a very emotional disease for women yet at the same time, most of them will say that their experience makes them see and appreciate their life in a new way and that they are changed for the better because of it," she explains.
At the urging of a physician-mentor during a surgical oncology fellowship in the early 1990s, Dr. Hansen own life was positively changed when she was encouraged to pursue breast surgery specialization. She followed her mentor's advice, becoming in 1997 the Assistant Director of the Joyce Eisenberg Keefer Breast Center at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, CA, a position she held until joining Lynn Sage in 2005.
"The main reason I focused on breast cancer surgery was the ability to get to know the patients; it is a continuing relationship through their life that is very meaningful," she explains, adding that her father is an ob/gyn.
Like so many individuals today, Dr. Hansen's family has been touched by breast cancer. At a family holiday party one year, she was talking with a cousin with a family history of breast cancer. After hearing her cousin's concern about her family history, Dr. Hansen performed an exam on her at that party and found a lump. Her cousin's cancer was confirmed and she underwent successful treatment.
Now, as the Director of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center, Dr. Hansen has become very much an advocate for breast cancer awareness and survival - from both the patient and the clinical perspective.
She has become a passionate advocate for the need for breast surgery fellowships as a way to specifically train surgeons in the nuances of breast cancer as well as make the whole experience for breast cancer patients better. "Our job is to help guide our patients through a challenging and scary situation as well as making sure they are knowledgeable about their options and comfortable with their decisions because ultimately these are their choices," she says.
She also works hard to foster patient involvement in clinical research, explaining that her facility has a tumor bank and she encourages patient participation. "If you had 100 patients who had a very aggressive breast cancer and 100 patients whose cancer was not that aggressive, the tissue from these individuals allows us to compare molecular and genetic differences that can lead to advances in care," she says. As a result of her efforts, about 95 percent of Lynn Sage patients participate in the tumor bank.
Knowing Dr. Nora Hansen
| On Her Schedule: | Two days a week she sees patients in the breast center, two days a week she is in the operating room and on the fifth day she completes administrative work and meets with individuals and groups on how Lynn Sage can increase its reach and services to patients.
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| On Advocacy: | "We can always do better as advocates for our breast cancer patients - by directing them to resources, by making the experience easier and having all our services on one floor for them and so on. There is always something for us to do for our patients."
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| On Fellowships: | "Many residents (physicians) do not realize how prevalent breast cancer care will be in their practice and I feel we are not training these residents well enough. I feel strongly about the importance of breast cancer fellowships as a way to train surgeons well so they can provide the best care possible in their communities."
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| On Surviving Cancer: | "We are making a difference, a dent, in terms of survival and that is an important part of the overall effort to understand, detect and treat this disease."
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| On Life Outside Of Work: | "I just adopted a baby and he turned one and so a lot of my life outside of work is spending time with him. I am fortunate to have great friends and family who are very supportive."
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