I am a surgeon and cancer researcher; my main professional goal is to provide surgical treatment for women with breast cancer, those at high risk for it, and those with benign breast problems. To deliver the best surgical care, I strive to help women with breast cancer and those with benign breast conditions understand their disease so that they will make informed treatment decisions that give them the best chance of cure with the best quality of life. My research interests are driven by the goal of improving the identification of women at high risk for breast cancer, in order to improve strategies for prevention. Towards this goal, I am studying the molecular profiles of benign breast disease, to both aid identification of high-risk women and to find targets that can be manipulated for breast cancer prevention. A major focus of this work is to find safe ways of preventing breast cancer that will lead to lowest risk of breast cancer with the best quality of life. Specifically, we are looking at DNA alterations in benign breast disease, the influence of progesterone signaling on breast cancer risk, the effects of lipid metabolism on risk, and early phase clinical trials in breast cancer prevention.