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Rachel Brem

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Rachel Brem
Alma mater
OccupationRadiologist Edit this on Wikidata
Employer
Spouse(s)Henry Brem Edit this on Wikidata
Awards
  • Fellow of the American College of Radiology (2011) Edit this on Wikidata

Rachel Brem is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist, professor of radiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, and director of the Breast Imaging and Interventional Center at George Washington University’s Cancer Center. She previously served as director of breast imaging at Johns Hopkins.[1][2] Brem develops novel technologies to better support early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.[3] She is a fellow of the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging.[4]

Early life and education

From a young age, Brem wanted to be a doctor, a decision that was reinforced when her mother, Lea Frydman, was diagnosed with breast cancer when Brem was only 12 years old. Despite being given only six months to live, Lea went on to survive breast and ovarian cancer for another 44 years.[5]

Brem attended Brandeis University, receiving a B.A. in 1979. She then went to Columbia University's medical school, graduating with honors in 1984.[6][4] Brem completed an internship in internal medicine at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore,[7] and a residency in diagnostic radiology (1985-1989) and a fellowship in breast imaging (1989-1990) at John Hopkins. She holds board certification in diagnostic radiology.[8]

In the mid 1990's, researchers discovered that Ashkenazi Jewish families were at higher risk for breast cancer due to the BRCA mutation. In 1996, after a maternal aunt had also been diagnosed with breast cancer, Brem chose to be tested for the gene. It was detected, and she scheduled a radical mastectomy on the basis of her genetic results. Ironically, she subsequently diagnosed the existence of an actual tumor in her breast while testing new ultrasound equipment for the hospital.[5][9] Brem strongly recommends early testing for women who are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent or who have a family history of breast cancer.[5]

Career

External videos
video icon Co-Pilot Your Breast Health with Dr. Rachel Brem, March 19, 2024
video icon Dr. Rachel Brem is a Breast Cancer Survivor and now a COVID-19 Survivor and she has an Important Message to Share with You, April 3, 2020

After completing her training, Brem joined the faculty at John Hopkins, where she became the Director of Breast Imaging.[2] Between 1991 and 1999 she introduced the use of image guided techniques for minimally invasive surgery at John Hopkins.[10] She continues to be active in developing new technologies for early, less invasive detection of breast cancer.[11][12]

In 2000, Brem moved to George Washington University where she became a Professor of Radiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences.[1][10] In 2015 she became the Program Leader for Breast Cancer at the GW Cancer Center,[2] which is collaboratively operated by the GW Hospital, Medical Faculty Associates, School of Medicine and Health Sciences.[13] She is currently the Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention at The George Washington University Medical Center, Professor of Radiology and a Vice Chairman of the Department of Radiology.[4]

Brem is known for her research, publishing and mentoring of students.[14] Brem is a principal investigator for clinical trials including molecular imaging approaches for the improved detection of breast cancer.[14] Brem is active in developing new technologies to decrease invasiveness and improve effectiveness of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Approaches she is investigating include breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI[15], a type of Molecular breast imaging), ultrasound tomography, the use of artificial intelligence to increase accuracy of cancer detection, particularly in women with dense breast tissue, and the development of a noninvasive breath test for breast cancer detection.[2][16][17]

She has published over 100 journal articles about breast cancer.[18] She is the co-author with Christy Teal of the book No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right For You (2023).[19]

Brem has directed the Mobile Mammography program (Mammovan, established in 1995[20]) at George Washington University, making cancer care more accessible to women in underserved communities by bringing mammography services to their neighborhoods.[4][21] In 2004, Brem founded the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, in support of research, education and clinical care.[4][22] Through the Brem Foundation, she has worked with Lyft to create the Lyft on Wheels for Women program, which provides free transportation to and from breast cancer screenings for women in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland area. The Brem Foundation has also developed an online tool for risk assessment, called CheckMate, to help women assess their personal breast cancer risk given their family's medical history. They can then discuss the test results and their concerns with their health care providers.[22]

Brem advises legislative policy-makers on the importance of education, awareness, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.[14] She advocates for policies to require that women with dense breasts be informed of the possible need for additional types of breast cancer screenings. She recommends that medical plans should cover breast cancer screening methods such as MRIs and ultrasounds, not just mammograms.[23]

Brem serves on scientific advisory boards for the Prevent Cancer Foundation[24], Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), and the Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Cancer Research Center.[4] She was appointed to the Board of Delphinus Medical Technologies in 2019.[25] As of 2024, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Breathe BioMedical (BBM), serving as Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer.[7]

Awards and honors

  • 2002, Ten Women to Watch, Jewish Women International[14]
  • 2009, Woman of Valor award, Chabad at Johns Hopkins[3]
  • 2010, Editors Recognition Awards, with distinction, Radiology[26]
  • 2011, Fellow, American College of Radiology[27]
  • Fellow, Society of Breast Imaging
  • Exceptional Women In Medicine: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • America's Top Doctors, Castle Connolly book series (6th-14th Editions)[8]
  • America's Top Doctors for Cancer, Castle Connolly book series (5th-10th Editions)[8]
  • 2015, Top Cancer Doctors, Newsweek[8]

Selected publications

  • Brem, Rachel; Teal, Christy (16 May 2023). No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right For You. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-6680-0115-8.
  • Zafar, Nadia; Wolf, Andrea B; Kepniss, Julia L; Teal, Ashley C; Brem, Rachel F (1 April 2024). "Effectiveness of Community Education for Breast Cancer Screening". Journal of Breast Imaging. 6 (2): 166–174. doi:10.1093/jbi/wbae002.

References

  1. ^ a b "Rachel Brem, MD". GW Medical Faculty Associates. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dr Rachel Brem". Screen Point Medical. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Past Honorees - 2009 (5770)". Chabad at Johns Hopkins.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "We are proud to welcome two new members of our medical advisory board: Dr. Rachel Brem and Dr. Eleni Tousimis". Outlook. Vol. 24, no. 2. Breast Cancer Alliance. 2018. p. 4. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Bergel, Tori (7 June 2023). "The Washington doctors helping women navigate breast cancer". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Rachel Brem, MD". GW Cancer Center.
  7. ^ a b "Breathe BioMedical announces new Executive Director". Canadian Manufacturing. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Dr. Rachel F. Brem - Diagnostic Radiology - Washington, DC". Castle Connolly. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  9. ^ Brem, Rachel; Teal, Christy (16 May 2023). No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right For You. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-6680-0115-8.
  10. ^ a b "Definitive Proxy Statement". www.sec.gov.
  11. ^ Radiological Society of North America (December 9, 2008). "New Breast Imaging Technology Targets Hard-to-detect Cancers". ScienceDaily.
  12. ^ Orenstein, Beth W. (2023). "A better option: New technology improves the utility of breast ultrasound". Radiology Today. No. January. pp. 19–21.
  13. ^ "We are the GW Cancer Center". GW Cancer Center. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d "Previous Women to Watch". Jewish Women International. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  15. ^ De Feo, Maria Silvia; Sidrak, Marko Magdi Abdou; Conte, Miriam; Frantellizzi, Viviana; Marongiu, Andrea; De Cristofaro, Flaminia; Nuvoli, Susanna; Spanu, Angela; De Vincentis, Giuseppe (2022-09-23). "Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging: An Added Value in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, a Systematic Review". Cancers. 14 (19): 4619. doi:10.3390/cancers14194619. ISSN 2072-6694. PMC 9559460. PMID 36230540.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  16. ^ Moeller, Amy (27 September 2023). "How Artificial Intelligence Is Improving Cancer Screening". Washingtonian.
  17. ^ "Breast Cancer Diagnosis". George Washington University Hospital. 30 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Rachel Brem - Publications Affiliations: Radiology The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States". Neurotree.
  19. ^ Springen, Karen (April 15, 2023). "No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right for You". Booklist. 119 (16).
  20. ^ Lynn, Jean M.; Segal, Holly (2004). "A Model Breast Care Center at George Washington University Medical Center" (PDF). COMPREHENSIVE BREAST CARE PROGRAMS. No. May/June.
  21. ^ "The GW Cancer Center Announces New Mobile Mammography Van in Washington, D.C." GW Cancer Center. 17 October 2017.
  22. ^ a b O'Malley, Lisa (2 January 2024). "Brem Foundation Improves Breast Cancer Outcomes for Underrepresented Women". Insight Into Diversity.
  23. ^ Ovalle, David (9 March 2023). "FDA sets national mammogram standards to protect women with dense breasts". Washington Post.
  24. ^ "Medical Advisory Board". Prevent Cancer Foundation.
  25. ^ "Delphinus Medical Technologies Appoints Dr. Rachel Brem to Its Board of Directors". BusinessWire. 31 July 2019.
  26. ^ Kressel, Herbert Y. (January 2011). "Editor's Recognition Awards". Radiology. 258 (1): 10–11. doi:10.1148/radiol.10102022. ISSN 0033-8419.
  27. ^ "SMHS Physician Inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Radiology". School of Medicine and Health Sciences. 21 May 2011.


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