Contact:
Maureen Curran Kleinman
Marketing and Communications
(201) 291-6310
Ridgewood, NJ - October 12, 2009 - Audrey Meyers, president and chief executive officer of The Valley Hospital, announces the appointment of distinguished breast surgeon and researcher Laura A. Klein, M.D., as the new medical director of The Valley Hospital Breast Center.
“The addition of Dr. Klein to our Breast Center means that women and men seeking breast care now have access at Valley to one of our country’s leading experts in the surgical treatment and diagnosis of benign and malignant breast diseases,” says Meyers. “Patients from all over the country have already sought Dr. Klein’s expertise. I am pleased that we can now offer our patients this level of advanced breast surgery and diagnostic services within their community.”
The Breast Center is a component of Valley’s comprehensive Daniel & Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center in Paramus. Valley’s Breast Center has received national recognition for its high-quality patient care, and is one of only two hospital-based breast imaging centers in Bergen County to be designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. In addition, Valley is the only hospital in the state to hold Joint Commission Certification – the coveted Gold Seal of Approval – for cancer care in five clinical areas, including breast cancer.
Dr. Klein comes to Valley from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, where she was an attending breast surgeon for the past four and one-half years. She is currently an assistant clinical professor of surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Klein sees patients full-time at the Blumenthal Cancer Center, located at the Robert and Audrey Luckow Pavilion in Paramus, N.J. She participates in most insurance plans, including Horizon, Cigna, Aetna, United, Oxford, and Medicare.
Dr. Klein received her medical degree from the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine in Israel. She completed her general surgery residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where she was chief resident. She completed her fellowship in breast surgical oncology and oncoplastics at the University of Southern California/Keck School of Medicine with internationally renowned breast surgeon Melvin Silverstein, M.D., as her mentor.
Dr. Klein’s technical specialties include oncoplastics, which combines breast preservation surgery with plastic/reconstructive surgery to offer patients cosmetically superior results. Based on their individual situations, patients may opt to have tumor removal surgery combined with breast reduction surgery or breast lift surgery (mastopexy). Dr. Klein is skilled in performing minimally invasive surgical procedures, “hidden scar” surgery, and nipple-sparing mastectomy. Her special interests include breast cancer in young women, DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), novel approaches to breast cancer treatment, and patients at high risk for developing breast cancer.
“At Valley, I look forward to developing a true multidisciplinary Breast Center that focuses foremost on my patients’ unique needs and offers the highest standards of breast care,” says Dr. Klein. “Women and men can come here for centralized services that will offer all aspects of diagnostic and therapeutic care in one convenient location. By utilizing percutaneous needle biopsy for diagnosis we can reduce the number of trips a patient must go to the OR. The patient can go from biopsy to treatment in a very short period of time.”
Board-certified in general surgery, Dr. Klein is a strong patient advocate who is dedicated to not only treating breast disease but to developing treatment and survival strategies that are mindful of the whole person. Patients may opt to combine their medical treatment with the Cancer Center’s Integrative Health Services, including acupuncture, massage therapy, support groups, and educational classes.
Dr. Klein joins Andrey Gritsman, M.D., chief of Valley’s Pathology Department, and Valley’s dedicated breast imaging specialists, Lauren Levy, M.D., and Jaclyn Calem-Grunat, M.D., to hold a “triple test” conference to evaluate every breast biopsy and then determine optimal treatment. Dr. Klein will also collaborate with Valley’s radiation oncologists Michael Wesson, M.D., and Chad DeYoung, M.D., to offer accelerated partial breast irradiation (breast brachytherapy).
Joining Dr. Klein on the multidisciplinary breast team is physician assistant Mary Beth Hans, P.A., who has more than 15 years of experience working with patients with diseases of the breast.
Dr. Klein’s goals for the Breast Center include establishing a multidisciplinary breast team and a survivorship program. She is also working with Valley gynecologic oncologists William Burke, M.D., and Noah Goldman, M.D., and with genetics counselors, medical oncologists, dietitians, and other health care professionals to create a screening and surveillance program for patients at high risk for developing breast cancer. These include women and men with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, carriers of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and patients who may have other genetic risks or risks associated with having undergone radiation therapy in the past.
“In the Bergen County area, there are a large number of women who are at high risk for breast cancer,” says Dr. Klein. “We aim to identify women [and men] who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes as well as other risk factors for breast cancer and then develop risk-reduction strategies, which may include monitoring them closely with mammograms, MRIs, ultrasounds, and clinical breast exams. If they develop breast or ovarian cancer we can detect it early when there is a greater chance for a cure.”
At The Valley Hospital Breast Center, Dr. Klein will conduct clinical research, both independently and within multi-center clinical trials, including research groups funded by the National Cancer Institute. She is an active member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Society of Breast Diseases, and the Society of Surgical Oncology. She has received several teaching awards related to the surgical education of medical residents and fellows.
Dr. Klein’s office is located in The Valley Hospital Daniel and Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center, just off Route 17 North in Paramus, N.J. To make an appointment with her, call 201-634-5557. For more information about Valley’s Breast Center, visit www.valleyhealth.com.
