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Dedicated to Breast Health

Dr. Julia Terhune

Dr. Julia Terhune has joined the clinical team at the VA Maryland Health Care System as a dedicated breast surgeon.

“I had been providing care for Veterans in my practice already, and the opportunity to provide care to even more Veterans at the VA seemed like a natural decision for me,” said Terhune, who also serves as an assistant professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

At the Baltimore VA Medical Center, Terhune provides surgical treatment for patients with breast cancer and is often the first provider to meet with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and therefore serves as an introduction to the multi-disciplinary breast cancer team. Breast cancer patients are recommended for a few years of regular monitoring with imaging and breast examinations by a surgical provider after their initial treatments are complete and she is able to provide that care.

Benign breast tumors and other abnormalities require a surgical evaluation. “Sometimes patients with benign breast disorders will require surgery, but many times they simply need repeat imaging in several months and follow-up, with reassurance that surgery is not necessary,” Terhune said. Distinguishing the non-cancerous conditions from the cancerous ones can sometimes require a specialist like Terhune to determine the differences. “It is worth noting that both breast cancer and the non-cancerous breast disorders can also affect men,” she said.

As a surgical oncologist, Terhune provides preventive treatment for patients at high-risk of developing breast cancer due to a prior history, a strong family history, or positive genetic testing, and her care is not limited to women veterans.  “Men can be diagnosed with breast cancer, too, in addition to non-cancerous breast disorders.”

Fellowship trained in complex general surgical oncology, she received her medical degree from Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey before completing a general surgery residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She completed her fellowship at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Rochester in Western New York.

“I’m happy to provide high-quality, multi-disciplinary care to Veterans with breast cancer and other breast disorders at the VA,” Terhune added.

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