This post was updated Nov. 8 at 12:40 a.m.

Dr. Mediget Teshome, the newly appointed chief of breast surgery for UCLA Health, sat down with science and health editor Shaun Thomas to discuss breast cancer programs, innovative therapies and serving diverse communities.

Teshome, who has practiced medicine for over a decade, is a UCLA alumnus and received her medical degree from the University of Michigan. Teshome said she plans to improve health equity and raise awareness related to breast cancer in the Los Angeles area in her new role.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Daily Bruin: What got you interested in investigating and raising awareness specifically around breast cancer?

Mediget Teshome: Even though breast cancer personally affects one in eight women in the United States, it honestly affects each of us. I think it’s hard to find somebody who doesn’t know somebody who has been impacted by this disease.

Breast cancer has a really large evidence base that guides our practice, and thankfully, we’ve been able to see progress over many years and have been able to better understand the disease and how to target it more effectively and have better and better outcomes. We also highly value having the best cancer outcomes, like the best survival and minimizing recurrence, but also how we can think about and improve and support patients’ quality of life as they are going into their survivorship. There’s a lot of advocacy. There’s so much that we’ve learned, but there’s still so much more to learn and still so much more progress to make. Unfortunately, women and men still die from breast cancer each day, and so trying to make any contribution that can help to improve outcomes is really meaningful.

DB: What are some of the most important steps students and young adults can take for early breast cancer detection?

MT: (We) usually recommend breast cancer screening with mammograms to start at age 40 and to be done on an annual basis, and that is mostly for women who have an average risk of breast cancer in their lifetime, but for women who are at a high risk – sometimes based on their family history or genetic predisposition – we may also add in an MRI every year as well.

Breast cancer becomes more common as we age, but it still is something that we can sometimes see in young women. If anyone were to have a symptom that they noticed, like a mass or change to the nipple, change to the skin – anything that doesn’t seem right and persists – then it would be good to see your doctor so that it can be looked into a little bit further. Then they can help best counsel you on the next steps and understanding the context of your family history and personal history.

DB: Could you talk about some common misconceptions about either breast cancer or breast cancer risk factors?

MT: One is that all breast cancers are genetic, but really it’s only 5 to 10% of all breast cancers where we can see a hereditary cause, like from a gene mutation that can be passed down in the family. Breast cancer can occur even if you don’t have a family history.

Another one is that breast cancer only affects women. Breast cancer can also affect men, although it’s to a lesser degree.

What are some other common misconceptions? That we always treat breast cancer the same. There are different subtypes of breast cancer that have different profiles of biologic activity and can be associated with different outcomes. So, the treatment plans that we have are different for each of these, so it’s not really a one-size-fits-all approach. We do really try to tailor the treatment to the specific type of cancer as well as to the individual person and take into account a lot of different things as we’re guiding that treatment plan.

DB: Are there any lifestyle changes that might help lower risks, especially in younger populations?

MT: Some of the cancer risks can be attributed to some of these more modifiable lifestyle factors.

Smoking – that’s kind of a big one. Smoking has been linked to or associated with almost every cancer that we can see. Moderating alcohol and limiting alcohol can be really important, because increased alcohol is associated with increased breast cancer risk. Maintaining a healthy body weight and physical exercise are important – that can also help to lower the risk.

DB: Are there any events, support groups or educational workshops hosted by UCLA to foster community awareness and support for breast cancer?

MT: One thing I did want to highlight is that we have an amazing breast cancer program here at UCLA, and a lot of this has been well-supported by medical oncology, with the community oncology clinics that are positioned throughout the greater LA area, and also our breast surgery clinics are similarly positioned. Through the cancer center, with the community outreach team, also through the Simms Mann Center for Integrative Oncology, there’s a lot of patient support for all of our patients dealing with any cancer, and even for their caregivers as well. So we’re really always trying to figure out ways that we can help support our patients and also really look to them to help guide us on what the needs are and how we can meet those needs as well.

DB: Where do you see the future of breast surgery and oncology heading? How might these changes impact patient care and outcomes?

MT: We’re going to go more and more towards this precision medicine, precision oncology, trying to develop more specific and targeted treatments that even may not require chemotherapy as part of the treatment, so it would be really much more targeted for the cancer.

I do think artificial intelligence is going to probably play a larger and larger role in the future. How exactly is that going to unfold? I can’t tell you.

With surgery, we’re always trying to find out how we can do – and in whom we can do – less surgery and still have better outcomes. Usually, it means partnering with radiation oncology and medical oncology.

DB: How does UCLA ensure that breast cancer care is accessible and inclusive for both diverse populations and marginalized populations within UCLA’s surrounding communities?

MT: Across our program, and even across all of UCLA Health, we have the care that we provide here on the Westwood campus throughout the community, oncology clinics, which are all throughout all of Los Angeles. There are a lot of services that are available and open to all patients and also a lot of focus on trying to meet the needs of a more diverse patient population and support research in this area. Living in Los Angeles, there’s so much richness to the populations that we serve here that we have a lot that we can offer.

DB: Breast cancer can be mentally challenging for both patients and their families, so how does UCLA support their mental health through the treatment and recovery process, in addition to physical treatments?

MT: In our clinical care, that is something that we do try to address and help patients (with) as they navigate through their treatment plan. We also have the Simms Mann Center for Integrative Oncology. They have a lot of resources for support for patients with mental health, other psychosocial needs and other quality of life concerns. They have support groups, therapy, nutrition, access to yoga – anything you think could be needed.

Being diagnosed and having cancer can be a very life-changing event, and sometimes the needs unfold even over time, and support is needed throughout (and) even after treatment has been received.

DB: What are some ways the UCLA community could spread awareness about the specifics of breast cancer or breast cancer risk factors?

MT: The most important thing is having awareness and helping to decrease any stigma around breast cancer, helping to share what to look out for and what the needs are around screening, even understanding some of these risk factors (and) your family history and supporting one another. It really makes a big difference.

Even recently, someone shared with me that she only knew to think that she could get cancer as a young woman because she had seen someone else (who) had just gone through it. We mostly see breast cancer in women as they age, but it’s not an insignificant amount of young women that get breast cancer.

About 16% of (newly diagnosed) breast cancers are diagnosed under the age of 50, and so it’s something that we still need to be raising awareness around and supporting each other to make sure that we’re advocating for what we need and to be evaluated, and that’s what we’re here for at UCLA. If anyone has any concerns or any questions, we have a breast health clinic. We are happy to see anyone anytime and help work through what’s going on. If ultimately the diagnosis is a breast cancer, (we will) help to treat it with high-quality care and in a comprehensive way.