The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have named USF Health’s Marcia M. Humphrey Schmidt, MD, as the first recipient of their jointly developed Breast Cancer Fellowship for Gynecologic Oncologists.

After completing her fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in June, Dr. Humphrey Schmidt will begin the one-year fellowship training program. She will conduct her advanced postdoctoral training at the Breast Health Center at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, which is affiliated with the Brown University Alpert Medical School. Her fellowship will be supported through a $75,000 grant from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

“This additional training will be an invaluable extension of my gynecologic oncology practice,” said Dr. Humphrey Schmidt. “It will allow me to play a central role in overseeing and navigating the surveillance and treatment of gynecologic oncology patients with breast disease. After the completion of my dual training, I plan to practice in an academic setting with a focus on breast-ovarian cancer syndromes.”

“We are excited to be able to offer Dr. Humphrey Schmidt this opportunity to further expand her knowledge and expertise into the area of breast disease,” said SGO President Daniel Clarke-Pearson, MD. “As experts in women’s cancer care, it seems only natural that gynecologic oncologists, who already possess an in-depth understanding of some women’s cancers, would be interested in obtaining concentrated, advanced specialty training in the care and treatment of breast disease. Our goal in creating this program with The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was to allow gynecologic oncologists the opportunity to expand their practices to include more aspects of women’s cancer care and, hopefully, pave the way for patients to get comprehensive cancer care in a single place.”

Thirty-five years ago, only 75 percent of women survived for five years after a breast cancer diagnosis. Today, according to the National Cancer Institute, that number has reached 90 percent.

“We are tackling this disease like never before and are making great strides in overall prevention, detection, and treatment efforts. But we’re a long way from conquering breast cancer, the second most deadly form of cancer in women (after lung cancer),” said Gerald F. Joseph, Jr, MD, president of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The annual fellowship program is designed to be flexible in nature, allowing the fellowship to be offered at a different institution each year, and afford a greater number of gynecologic oncology fellows interested in advanced training in breast disease the opportunity to apply, regardless of their current location.