Suzanne Hoekstra, MD, FACS was one of 47 health professionals selected to present at a national conference. The 18th Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference of the National Consortium of Breast Centers was held from March 1 – 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dr. Hoekstra, the Medical Director of the Park Ridge Breast Health Center, also participated in a course on Hereditary Breast Cancer. This course introduced new tools for determination of an individual’s risk for breast cancer based on family history, and introduced new prevention strategies.
Additionally, Debbie Gentry, RN, OCN, attended the conference, tested for and passed the Certified Breast Examiner Certification and Teaching Self Breast Exams Certification. Debbie is the Breast Health and Mammography Nurse for Park Ridge Hospital and these new skills will help her expand her services, particularly in the area of breast screening and education.
More than 800 breast health professionals from around the world attended this conference. Speakers emphasized the need for comprehensive, patient-centered breast care. Topics included imaging, pathology, surgical approach, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone treatment and targeted therapy.
Park Ridge Hospital is an acute care facility that has provided superior medical care with Christian compassion since 1910. The hospital is one of 37 hospitals in the U.S. which are part of Adventist Health System. For more information about Park Ridge Hospital, or about other hospital services, visit www.parkridgehospital.org. To request a copy of the Park Ridge Hospital Physician Directory, contact the Business Development office at (828) 687-3947.