Insights & Events

Inspired by her personal challenges facing breast cancer (and life) this past year, here is a new single by my patient, friend, and gifted singer/songwriter Kathryn, and her husband, multi-platinum producer Philip. This also my first - and last - attempt at lyric video animation. One of most rewarding parts of practicing medicine is getting to know people I would have never otherwise met. Discovering each person’s talents and passions brightens my day to day, and collaborating with them enriches…

The NYBRA community is full of thoughtful, generous individuals. This week, our patient Angela Heilig used her talents to provide 36 fabric masks with crocheted extenders for our medical staff to use, along with 50 heart-shaped pillows to enhance post-op comfort for other patients. This wasn't Angela's first time creating things for others. She started with chemo caps while she was on chemotherapy herself. “I was making hats for cancer patients to keep busy during chemo. I saw the one…

I recently became an official consultant for a new company called EZbra. EZbra is a sterile post-op bra that provides the highest quality of care for women after breast operations. The all-in-one post-op bra meets our needs as surgeons; it's sterile, adjustable, and disposable, while providing maximal comfort for patients throughout their initial recovery period. Founded by Efrat Roman, a powerhouse of a survivor, EZbra is a women-led startup and a part of the emerging Fem-Tech industry, focusing on women’s…

During the height of the pandemic, many breast cancer patients were left hanging in various stages of their treatment. Many people had questions; we had very few answers. Nonetheless, we shared our approach and offered some insight from our vantage point. Cancer Wellness magazine addressed the topic on cancer care during COVID-19 in their interview with me for their summer 2020 edition. Read the full piece here.

We had the pleasure of having a visit from Dana Donofree, founder and owner of AnaOno Intimates, in our office in Great Neck today. Dana founded AnaOno after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27. She began to design the first pieces out of her own necessity and desire for comfortable and beautiful lingerie during a recovery period that was everything but. She made it her mission to design specifically for those who’ve had breast reconstruction,…

Much like surgery, tennis is an individual sport. A basic skill set, some rules, many unknowns, and strategy that at times hinges on tactical split-second decisions and executions. I partially paused both of these passions from March to May 2020. While necessity is the mother of invention, this wasn’t purely an invention of mine (it was inspired by back-ordered, overpriced, online devices.) For certain circumstances in reconstructive surgery, necessity requires us to do what we can with spare parts. Social…

Last week I saw one of my patients in the office for follow-up. She had recovered well from her first stage of her breast reconstruction. I was planning her next stage and we spoke about her recovery experience. She was overflowing with gratitude for the help and support she received from one of my other patients. The two met through the Patient to Patient Caring Team. This is a program offered by Mollie Sugarman, who runs the Patient Empowerment Program…

One of the most difficult parts of a breast cancer diagnosis is the loss of control that comes with it. You’re plunged into a world full of unfamiliar terms and procedures, a world that demands action and choices. The reconstruction process can be extremely demanding both physically and emotionally. That’s why it’s so essential to ensure that you have the tools you need to work through it. Our practice encourages patients and their significant others to attend a pre-operative guided…