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Dr. Patricia A. DeFusco Named Director of Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute Breast Program
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July 17, 2018
Dr. Patricia A. DeFusco will become director of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute Breast Program on Oct. 1. In this role, Dr. DeFusco will help further our ambitious vision of building the region’s most comprehensive breast program that provides patients with compassionate care coordinated among a team of specialists and access to the latest therapies.
Dr. DeFusco – whose commitment to personalized, compassionate patient care was recognized by the Malta House of Care with its Wonder Woman Award in 2013 – has led the system’s Breast Disease Management Team since its implementation five years ago. She has guided the development of breast standards of care across the Cancer Institute, promoted clinical research and established a strong relationship with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center clinicians. Such extensive experience will be a tremendous asset in her new position.
Dr. DeFusco has been a senior attending physician at Hartford Hospital for almost three decades while in private practice at Starling Physicians. She earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in advanced internal medicine, both at Hartford Hospital, before completing a fellowship in medical oncology at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. DeFusco serves as a clinical instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Since 1989, she has served as the principal investigator (PI) of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) and continues in the role of corresponding PI for NRG Oncology. She was also the PI for the nine-hospital Connecticut Task Force which participated in the pivotal NSABP Prevention Trial and the follow-up NSABP STAR trial. She served on the NSABP Board of Directors from 2005- 2009 and is currently a member of the NRG Human Research Committee.
Dr. DeFusco will leave practice at Starling Physicians in mid-September but will continue to see patients as a member of the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group in Avon and the soon-to-be-opened health center at 376 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester. For questions about new referrals or to transfer care to Dr. DeFusco’s new practice, please call 860.972.8800.