Jill Richardson Dietz '89Uses Cutting-Edge Techniques to Make a Difference with Her Patients
When Jill Richardson Dietz '89 first began her studies at Allegheny, she didn't originally plan on being a breast surgeon that is, until she saw how much she could help people. "When I was in school, I thought I would eventually go into family practice," she says. "But then, I became interested in surgery because I liked the satisfaction of being able to cure my patients quickly."
Now a breast surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Dietz is using several cutting-edge techniques to help her patients heal not only quickly - but efficiently and effectively as well. Dietz has helped to organize a program at the Foundation that aids breast cancer victims. The technique, known as the sentinel node biopsy, allows surgeons to map the lymph node that drains the cancer, Dietz explains.
"Through this technique," she says, "surgeons can often avoid the unpleasant step of axillary dissection of the breast, which means less surgery, pain and the possibility of arm swelling." While oncologists have been using similar procedures on melanoma for a relatively long time, the technique has only been applied to breast cancer within the last decade.
As the procedure is becoming more popular among surgeons, larger hospitals - such as the Cleveland Clinic - have begun to offer it to patients. However, even though it has been gaining acceptance in the field for its effectiveness and practicality, the procedure is not yet considered standard of care.
As a member of the breast oncology unit, Dietz works in research as well as surgery. And even in this aspect of her position, Dietz is experimenting with technology that is at the forefront of breast research. The Cleveland Clinic is one of the only medical centers in the country that uses a mammary ductoscope, or a tiny camera, that can research milk ducts more effectively.
In addition to these procedures and technologies, though, Dietz says she has another edge as a breast surgeon that's a lot more natural: being a woman. "Breast cancer is a sensitive topic, which I can relate to personally as a female surgeon," she says. "Patients are often more accepting of my advice because they know I could face the same fears.
"The two biggest questions I hear from breast cancer patients are 'Am I going to die?' and 'Will I lose my breast?'" she adds. "I think I can be a little more sensitive to those concerns because I know from where these patients are coming."
But whether you're an oncologist or an oceanographer, or a male or female surgeon, Dietz says that the real key to success is engaging your work. "In the end, you really have to love what you do," she says. "If you have that, everything else can kind of fall into place."
"And for me, making a difference with just one patient," Dietz adds, "is what makes the work so worthwhile."
