Ellie Proussaloglou, MD, is a surgical oncologist who specializes in breast surgery.
Growing up with a mother who is a breast pathologist, Dr. Proussaloglou says she was naturally interested in medicine.
“My mother showed me that if you’re drawn to caring for women with cancer, you can do that from a variety of specialties and it sparked an interest in interdisciplinary learning,” she says. “I knew I wanted to explore aspects outside of traditional medical training. I wanted to become an expert at understanding how policy, business, and health care all intersect.”
Between college and medical school, Dr. Proussaloglou worked as a healthcare consultant for two years to further educate herself. During medical school, she continued interdisciplinary work with research on financial toxicity (how the cost of care impacts patients). She then took a unique training path focused on reproductive health.
“Most of my surgical oncology colleagues completed a general surgery residency, but I chose a residency in obstetrics and gynecology,” she says. “I wanted to better understand the spectrum of reproductive health care for women, trans and nonbinary patients, and how cancer care impacts their fertility, sexual health, and quality of life.”
When she meets a patient, Dr. Proussaloglou says the most important thing she can do is figure out “where they are.”
“Everyone comes to a new doctor's appointment with their own history, and it's impossible to get to know someone and their family fully in the course of even an hour-long visit,” she says. “I try to find out what they've heard about breast cancer. Do they have fears from seeing family members or friends who have gone through it? What is important to them? And then I walk them through their imaging, pathology, and diagnosis, and build a picture for them of what we are seeing. I try to break things down into digestible next steps.”
Dr. Proussaloglou says she tells them about the other doctors they will see, what surgery and recovery might be like, and addresses their questions and concerns.
The best part of her job, she says, is working with patients. “It's such a privilege to meet someone and to have them trust you,” she says. “Every time we go into the operating room, I love holding my patient’s hand as they go off to sleep, reminding them that we're going to take the best care of them. I wouldn't have chosen this field if I didn't really love it. And I feel so fortunate to take care of people.”
Her research focuses on patient experience and quality of life after cancer care, with a focus on young patients with breast cancer. She is also interested in caring for people who are considered high risk for developing cancer based on genetic screening.
“We all know that early detection of cancer improves outcomes and saves lives. But how can we best support individuals in making the surgical decisions that make the most sense for them and their future life,” she says.
