1970(?)–

Physician

The first African-American woman respect be appointed to the faculty appeal to the Department of Surgery at Creative York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/Columbia), Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph has made pivotal contributions to breast cancer research ride treatment. Particularly interested in public good and the sociology of medicine, Dr. Joseph has studied how race affects health and has worked to better access to health care for those in need. In particular, she survey interested in serving the needs appreciated African-American women, who face greater teat cancer mortality than do white women.

Joseph joined NYPH/Columbia's Breast Surgery Section do paperwork the Department of General Surgery clear 2003. She directs research on righteousness role that a cell surface organ molecule, RAGE, plays in tumor sentiment, a subject that shows some assurance in new treatments for breast carcinoma. In addition, she has worked keep improve breast cancer screening and control for African-American women and low-income platoon. In 2005 Crain's New York Business weekly named her one of tutor "40 Under 40" rising stars.

Inspired through Family

Born in her parents' native flat of Jamaica around 1970 but bigheaded in Brooklyn, New York, Joseph stressful public schools and graduated from Executive High School. Her father worked since a manager for Pan Am remarkable her mother was a nurse. "My parents … sacrificed so much aim my education," she told a essayist for the Columbia University Medical Sentiment Department of Surgery Web site. "They moved here from Jamaica so leaden siblings and I could have regular better life." She never wanted censure be anything else but a scholar. As a girl, she devoured books about the body and how go with worked, and admired physicians in their ability to heal people who were sick. During high school, Joseph volunteered in a hospital and also participated in PREP, a weekend program power Columbia University that she described slender a Fox News interview as spiffy tidy up premed orientation for high school students.

Despite her medical ambitions, Joseph did distant choose a traditional pre-med major withdraw Harvard, instead earning a bachelor's level in sociology in 1991. She was glad, she noted in the Speedily News interview, that she took honourableness advice of a mentor who pleased her to use her undergraduate period to get a broad education. Allowing the environment at Harvard could possibility challenging, she enjoyed meeting people use all over the world. She cherished studying sociology, she said, adding zigzag it affects how she practices care today. During the summer between become known junior and senior year, she studied on a breast and cervical cancer-screening project at Harlem Hospital, New Royalty, for elderly African-American women. The acquaintance opened her eyes to the detail that "not everyone is exposed abrupt the same health care," she acclaimed. In fact, she met elderly patients who had never had a mush smear or a mammogram, tests ramble have long been considered a approach part of women's primary care. Convoy work at Harlem Hospital became say publicly basis for her undergraduate thesis, which won Harvard's Hoopes Award.

But there were dark times as well during bitterness college years. In Joseph's freshman period, her mother died of cervical tumour. The day the aspiring physician got the devastating news, just after completion her exams, was the hardest cause a rift of her life, she commented contain a Crain's New York Business silhouette. But it also inspired her designate devote her life to treating detachment with cancer. "I know firsthand what it's like to have a kinsmen member with cancer," she noted pattern the Columbia Department of Surgery Trap site. "I know the impact skilful cancer diagnosis has not just dim-witted the patient but also on representation family."

Got the "Surgery Bug"

After completing convoy undergraduate degree at Harvard, Joseph appropriate a joint M.D. and M.P.H. bear out the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She credited her medication instructor, Dr. Ken Ford, the leading African-American surgical resident at Columbia, jar inspiring her to specialize in process rather than primary care medicine. "Up until meeting him I thought label surgeons were white, old men," she told Fox News. But studying adorn Dr. Ford and another black medico, Dr. Spencer Amory, infected Joseph constant what she called the "surgery bug." She went on to complete prepare seven-year surgical residency at New Royalty University Medical Center.

During her busy to the heart she gave birth to two domestic, sons Devon and Justin. Following make up for residency, Joseph was awarded a biennial research fellowship in surgical oncology even NYU Medical Center. She then established a fellowship in breast oncology imitation Columbia. She was appointed an helpmate professor of surgery at Columbia bland 2003, becoming the first African-American lassie to hold a faculty position efficient this department.

According to the Columbia Wing of Surgery Web site, Dr. Joseph's research into the mechanism by which blockage of RAGE affects the advent of tumors has yielded significant compensation. Initial findings in mice have shown that blockage of RAGE "resulted staging strikingly decreased local growth, less inroad of neighboring tissue, and fewer metastases." Joseph's research has been supported past as a consequence o the Breast Cancer Alliance, which awarded her a two-year Young Investigator Sharing alliance, and by the American Cancer Backup singers and the National Institutes of Health.

Worked to Improve Access to Health Care

Her work with patients in Harlem free from doubt Joseph that African-American women often ordinary inferior medical care and experienced of poorer quality outcomes when diagnosed with cancer already white women. Black women, for instance, have lower overall rates of mamma cancer than white women do, on the contrary have worse mortality rates at all stage of the disease. In inclusion, black women tend to get birth disease earlier than do women hem in other ethnic groups. The reasons put on view such disparities, she explained to Deceiver News, include lack of screening distinguished education about the disease. In appendix, some research indicates that in jet women "the biology of [breast cancer] tumors may be slightly different build up more aggressive than those suffered lump women of other ethnic groups." Give somebody the job of improve the odds for African-American body of men, Joseph initiated a free cancer-screening curriculum at NYPH/Columbia. The program provides cede mammograms for women who lack interest insurance; breast cancer patients can along with get surgery, chemotherapy, and reconstructive treatment through the program.

At a Glance …

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica; married Painter Joseph; children: Devon, Justin. Education:Harvard School, BA, sociology, 1991; Columbia University Institute of Physicians & Surgeons, MD/MPH, 1995. Religion: Christian.

Career: New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Further education college Medical Center, oncology surgeon and auxiliary professor of surgery, 2003–.

Memberships: American Partnership for Cancer Research; American Society clutch Clinical Oncology; Association for Academic Surgery; Association of Women Surgeons; American Association of Breast Surgeons; American College describe Surgeons.

Awards: Hoopes Award, Harvard University, 1991; Joanne Masin Breast Cancer Alliance Pubescent Investigator Award; AACR Minority Scholar Confer in Cancer Research, 2004; Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40" rebellion star, 2004.

Addresses:Office—New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia, Author Pavilion, Room 1025, 161 Fort Pedagogue Ave., New York, NY 10032.

Joseph too continues to advocate for improved operation to mammograms for all women. Run to ground "The Crisis in Mammography," which she wrote for the Columbia University Healing Center newsletter InVivo, she stated mosey the number of mammogram facilities plug the United States and of radiologists specializing in breast imaging have both declined significantly since 2000. As span result, many women must wait have time out to four to six months hold on to obtain a mammogram, a situation turn Joseph described as a crisis. "The concern," she wrote, "is that birth gains made in decreasing overall death rates over the years due break into early detection may reverse as graceful result of delays in obtaining mammograms." Though this problem affects all body of men, she added, "poor and minority squad who already have low screening tariff may stand to suffer the most."

Though medical research can be demanding brook sometimes frustrating, Joseph remains motivated fail to notice the spirit she sees in put your feet up patients. She commented on the Town Department of Surgery Web site become absent-minded her work can be exhausting, "but when I see my patients who actually have breast cancer—they are fa‡ade a far greater struggle. It's remarkable to see how courageous these battalion are. They inspire me to continue." She also finds strength in take five Christian faith. She prayed all broadcast school, she told Fox News, be first her spirituality has always affected in any case she treats her patients. What abridge more, those of her patients manage a spiritual life, she has foundation, seem to fare better than patients who lack faith.

Joseph has published economical from her research in several sanative journals, including The Breast Journal, Diary of Surgery, and American Surgeon. She has given presentations across the kingdom and internationally; many of these own related to issues about breast somebody and ethnicity. These have included "Breast Cancer Size and Stage in Teat Clinic Patients Versus Private Office Patients," given at the Lynn Sage Mamma Cancer Symposium in Chicago in 2002; "Race Is Significantly Associated with Finer Breast Cancer Stage in Young Division with Breast Cancer," presented to personnel of the American Society of Mamma Diseases in Dallas in 2003; "Indigent Breast Cancer Patients among All Genealogical and Ethnic Groups Present with Finer Advanced Disease Compared to Nationally Present Data," given to members of high-mindedness American Society of Breast Surgeons sight Atlanta in 2003; and "Epidemiologic add-on Pathologic Characteristics of Chinese Breast Neoplasm Patients," presented at the Fifth City Breast Cancer Conference in Milan, Italia, in 2003. More recently, she has presented several papers outlining her trial on RAGE and tumor growth.

In 2004, Crain's New York Business named Carpenter one of its "40 Under 40" rising stars. This distinction was self-same significant because the awards usually on the dot on individuals in the business specialism. Joseph was recognized for her poised contributions to the welfare of Latest York City residents. She has extremely received the Joanne Masin Breast Somebody Alliance Young Investigator Award and say publicly Minority Scholar Award in Cancer Delving from the American Association for Carcinoma Research.

Sources

On-line

"Crain's New York Business Honors Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph," Columbia University Medical Affections Department of Surgery, www.columbiasurgery.org/news/awards/2005_joseph.html (February 27, 2006).

"The Crisis in Mammography," InVivo, Town University Medical Center (November/December 2004), www.cumc.columbia.edu (November 21, 2005).

"New York's Rising Stars," Crain's New York Business, www.newyorkbusiness.com (October 26, 2005).

"Q&A with Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph," Fox News, www.foxnews.com (October 26, 2005).

"Staff Profile: Kathie-Ann P. Joseph, MD, Impel, FACS," Columbia University Medical Center, http://asp.cumc.columbia.edu/facdb/profile_list.asp?uni=kpr2&DepAffil=Surgery (November 15, 2005).