2024 AWSF Visiting Professor

The Association of Women Surgeons is pleased to announce Jennifer Plichta, MD as the 2024 Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor!

Dr. Jennifer Plichta is an Associate Professor of Surgery & Population Health Sciences at Duke University. She joined Duke in 2016 and currently serves as the Director of the Breast Risk Assessment Clinic in the Duke Cancer Institute, where she cares for patients with breast cancer, benign breast problems, and those with an increased risk of breast cancer. She also serves as the Co-Director for the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program. Her clinical interests include establishing routine breast cancer risk assessment for women and creating personalized management strategies for those found to be “high risk”.

Dr. Plichta’s research focuses of identifying and managing women with risk factors for breast cancer, including those with genetic mutations, such as BRCA, those with abnormal breast biopsies, and those with a family history of breast cancer. She is also studying how breast cancer staging can be used to improve patient care and education, and she is currently a BIRCWH (Duke K12) scholar. 

However, her dedication to breast cancer extends beyond her clinical and research interests, as she also enjoys educating others about breast cancer. Currently, she is the Program Director for the Duke Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship, and she is the creator and primary coordinator of Duke’s free, annual breast education day for the community, “What’s best for breasts?”.

Additionally, Dr. Plichta is a graduate of the AWS Signature Speaker Series and serves as the AWS AJS Editor and on the AWS Reviewer Academy Faculty.

Dr. Plichta provides lectures in the following topic areas:

  • Teaching, training, mentorship, sponsorship
  • Overcoming challenges for success
  • Building teams and maximizing efficiency 
  • Staging for metastatic breast cancer
  • Breast cancer risk
  • Breast cancer and genetics
  • Breast surgery

2024 AWSF Visiting Professor Host Site 

Rhode Island Hospital/Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University

The Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Program provides training institutions the opportunity to host top women surgeons as speakers, heightening the visibility of women surgeons and encouraging women medical students to pursue similar careers. Congratulations to the 2024 Visiting Professor Host Site, the Rhode Island Hospital/Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University!


 

The Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Program

This program is named in honor of Kim Ephgrave, MD , who served as AWS President from 2000 to 2001 and is funded by the generosity of our donors. Donate now and support the AWS Foundation in providing opportunities for the educational and professional growth of women in surgery.   Click HERE to view the full list of all the Dr. Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professors and Host Sites.

Apply to be the 2024 AWSF Visiting Professor

Applications are CLOSED!
The AWSF Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Program provides an established surgeon the opportunity to be a positive role model for women in surgery. Apply today to share your professional and personal experiences with department chairs, faculty, residents, and students at a select host institution through grand rounds, walk rounds, lectures, research presentations and more.

Qualifications & Responsibilities
  • Be a practicing surgeon member of the Association of Women Surgeons in good standing and in an active clinical practice in the United States or Canada.
  • Coordinate with the host institution to determine the optimal time for the visit. Visits usually include lectures, discussion groups, patient evaluation, patient rounds, and possibly operative procedures and take place over two days.
  • Interact professionally with local women surgical faculty, residents, and medical students as a representative of the AWS and AWS Foundation (AWSF).
  • Share information about AWS and the AWSF at appropriate opportunities.
  • Work with the host institution to plan the visit including travel and accommodation reservations.
  • Submit an expense form with appropriate back-up receipts to AWSF within 30 days after the visit.
  • Submit a report to AWSF summarizing the visit within 30 days of the visit that includes information about the experience and thoughts on the process and the overall program.

Apply to Host the 2024 AWSF Visiting Professor

Preference is given to those institutions in which women represent a significant minority of the department. Both community and university training programs are encouraged to apply. The Chair of the Department of Surgery or surgery residency Program Director must complete this application. The AWS Foundation (AWSF) will provide a stipend of up to $2500 to cover travel and accommodation expenses for the Visiting Professor. The host institution will be expected to provide an honorarium to the Visiting Professor. 

Host Site Department of Surgery Responsibilities

  • Sponsor the program and coordinate a schedule for the two-day visit.
  • Provide opportunities for interaction between the Visiting Professor (VP) and local women surgical faculty, residents, and students. (Options include: reception, breakfast, luncheon, grand rounds and surgery.)
  • With the Visiting Professor, plan travel and accommodation reservations as well as other details of the visit.
  • Arrange for appropriate privileges and policy compliance if clinical rounds or operative procedures involving the VP are planned.
  • Submit a final report to the AWSF summarizing its experience with this program within 30 days of hosting the AWS VP.
  • Provide the VP an honorarium.

Please see a sample itinerary here: https://womensurg.memberclicks.net/assets/Foundation/Sample%20Itinerary%20for%20application.pdf