Dr. Alexander Miller is a surgical oncologist who specializes in treating breast cancer and people at high risk of the disease. Currently at the START Center for Cancer Care in San Antonio, Texas, he trained at MD Anderson and the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Miller has received awards for excellence in research, education, and patient care. He has been lead or collaborating researcher for several studies on breast cancer treatments, prevention, genetic testing, and the psychosocial experiences of people receiving cancer care.

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Dr. Dawn Hershman is professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University. She also serves as leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia and is nationally recognized for her expertise in breast cancer treatment, prevention, and survivorship. A member of the Breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board, Dr. Hershman also has conducted extensive research on breast cancer treatment and quality of life -- she has published more than 250 scientific papers and has received the Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Advanced Medical Achievement Award from the Avon Foundation. Dr. Hershman is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is an associate editor at the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Dr. Sherene Loi is a medical oncologist who specializes in treating breast cancer. In addition to treating patients, particularly patients diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, she also leads the Translation Breast Cancer Genomics and Therapeutics Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, where she is a professor. Much of her clinical research focuses on investigating new treatments, such as immunotherapy, especially for breast cancers that have become resistant to standard treatments.

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Dr. Timothy Pluard is medical director at the Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute and the Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer in Kansas City, Missouri. A medical oncologist, Dr. Pluard specializes in offering comprehensive care, including treatments that use advanced genomics and immunotherapy to women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. He also incorporates nutrition planning, spiritual counseling, exercise physiology, massage, yoga, palliative care, and emotional support into patient care. He also advises patients on participating in clinical trials on leading-edge treatments for advanced-stage breast cancer. Many of Dr. Pluard’s patients have praised his communication skills.

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Beth Fairchild was diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2014 at age 34. The diagnosis was a surprise to her because her mammogram results from the month before were negative, and she had never had a lump in her breast. Beth was familiar with breast cancer though. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44, and her paternal grandmother died from breast cancer at age 33.

An artist and tattoo professional, Beth and her husband own five tattoo studios. Her focus is on permanent cosmetics, scar camouflage, and areola restoration for people diagnosed with breast cancer. Beth is the current president of METAvivor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of metastatic breast cancer and funding research on metastatic disease. Beth also is one of the creators of the Serenity Project, a metastatic breast cancer support campaign that gives patients an opportunity to tell their personal metastatic breast cancer stories through a series of photos and videos.

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Listen to Beth's other podcast, Permanent Cosmetics, Scar Camouflage, and Nipple Tattooing.

Beth Fairchild was diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2014 at age 34. The diagnosis was a surprise to her because her mammogram results from the month before were negative and she had never had a lump in her breast. Beth was familiar with breast cancer though. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44 and her paternal grandmother died from breast cancer at age 33.

An artist and tattoo professional, Beth and her husband own five tattoo studios. Her focus is on permanent cosmetics, scar camouflage and areola restoration for people diagnosed with breast cancer. Beth is the current president of METAvivor, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of metastatic breast cancer and funding research on metastatic disease. Beth tattoos permanent cosmetics, such as eyebrows or eyeliner, as well as nipples and areolas for women who have had breast cancer surgery.

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Listen to Beth's podcast about the Serenity Project.

Cristina Nixon is a licensed certified genetic counselor with the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics Program at Main Line Health in Pennsylvania. In addition to counseling patients, she also assists with research, including a study looking at multi-gene panels in BRCA1/BRCA2-positive families. Cristina also has completed the City of Hope’s intensive course in cancer risk assessment.

In the wake of the March 6, 2018 U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization of the 23andMe Personal Genomic Service Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) test, we talked to Cristina about at-home genetic testing.

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