Getting to Know Dr Chandler Cortina, Breast Surgical Oncologist

Throughout February, The American Journal of Managed Care^® will be introducing you to the next generation of great thinkers and groundbreakers in health care. They represent the fields of oncology, public health, and managed care and are fast making their marks as key opinion leaders in their fields.

First up is Chandler Cortina, MD, MS, FSSO, FACS, assistant professor of surgery and breast surgical oncologist at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, since September of 2019, following general surgery residencies at John H. Stronger Jr Hospital of Cook County and Rush University Medical Center, as well as a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, all in Chicago. His current research focuses on breast cancer risk both in general and among transgender and gender-diverse populations. Our article on the poster he presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium was our top conference item for that meeting.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I think sometimes whenever we're going through school and we're learning about science, it can be pretty black-and-white, can sometimes be a little bit dry. But there's a lot of creativity in what we do in medicine, a lot of creativity in what we do in research,” he says. “I think sometimes whenever we're in class or in lectures, or we're hearing stuff, it doesn't seem that way, but as someone who does this every day, it's a super creative area to work. It's a really great and challenging job where I get to do a lot of thinking, and I really enjoy that.”

We hope you enjoy getting to know him and learning more about his research, how he decided on breast surgical oncology as a career, and the advice he has for the next generation of aspiring surgeons.