ZSFG Celebrates 20 Years of Comprehensive Breast Care

“We have a lot to be proud of,” remarked Lori Strachowski, MD, a breast imaging specialist and co-founder of the Avon Comprehensive Breast Center at Zuckerburg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG). In July 2024, she addressed a crowd of doctors, nurses, technologists, and staff who gathered among the plants and flowers in the center’s courtyard to celebrate its 20-year anniversary.

“This center is a gift to the underserved women of San Francisco. A testament that all patients are equally deserving of comprehensive and compassionate medical care,” said Strachowski.

When Strachowski joined the faculty in 1998, the breast imaging center did not exist. Screening and diagnostic mammogram services were housed in Building 5 of the San Francisco General Hospital, right next to the emergency room. The county hospital’s two mammogram machines were running seven days a week serving around 4,000 patients annually, but often with long wait times. The inconvenient location and wait time led many women to skip regular screenings, and as a result, breast imaging specialists often saw patients with advanced stages of cancer.

This center is a gift to the underserved women of San Francisco. A testament that all patients are equally deserving of comprehensive and compassionate medical care.

Lori Strachowski, MD

Visionary Leadership

“Lori Strachowski and Judy Luce are the dynamic duo who had the foresight to apply for grant funding to build a center that’s a one-stop shop for women,” said UCSF Breast Imaging Division Chief Bonnie Joe, MD, PhD.

Strachowski and oncologist Judith Luce, MD, led a groundbreaking partnership with beauty products company Avon to envision a patient-focused facility with the potential to dramatically increase access to screening mammography and serve as many as 10,000 patients 
per year.

Avon began its crusade against breast cancer in 1992, and held the first 3-day walk in San Francisco to fight breast cancer in 1998, with proceeds donated to the local community. In 2000, Avon announced that San Francisco General Hospital (renamed Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in 2016) would receive a $10 million grant to build a flagship breast cancer center. San Francisco General Hospital was selected because of its ability to provide a tertiary care center affiliated with the county hospital that could offer cancer care and research. UCSF also contributed $3.6 million for research projects.

The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center opened its doors in 2004 – a 5,000 square foot, modular building just outside the main hospital, at 22nd Street and Main Campus Drive. Designed by Tsang Architecture of San Francisco, the building features a healing garden in the center that was designed and donated by landscape designer Topher Delaney. The garden is named in honor of Glen Ellen resident Carolyn Stolman, who believed in the healing power of nature and died of breast cancer in February 2004.

Mary McGinty, Director of Imaging and Pathology at ZSFG, was one of the first mammographers at the center. Today she manages the center where she has worked for 20 years. The team ensures all patients are supported throughout their experience. Patient navigators — fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish — provide critical care coordination and emotional support for patients, helping them overcome language barriers and offering information about the benefits of annual screening mammograms in their native languages.

Avon Comprehensive Breast Center

The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center is a vital safety net for uninsured, low-income women. Last year, more than 12,000 women were screened for breast cancer at the center, which serves a diverse patient population: 40% Asian, 30% Hispanic, 14% Caucasian, and 11% Black.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer, claiming about 40,000 lives annually. Early detection is key to survival, and regular screening mammograms are the best way to catch breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat successfully.

Dedicated physicians and technologists, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, provide the highest quality care to improve patient outcomes through early detection and treatment of breast cancer. To reach even more women, the team takes the center’s services on the road with the MammoVan, a van equipped with a mammography machine that functions as a mobile clinic and visits nine San Francisco community centers, making mammography accessible to women who are more likely to get screened in the comfort of their neighborhood.

The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation is currently leading a campaign to secure funding for the MammoVan program in 2025. The existing vehicle will be retired due to emissions standards, and new funding is needed to continue the program.

A Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

“As breast imagers, we’re passionate about early cancer detection and caring for patients, educating our trainees, and being mindful of translational research to improve the standard of care,” said Joe. She highlighted that the center, accredited by the American College of Radiology in Mammography, Breast Ultrasound, Stereotactic Biopsy, and Breast MR, was the first in San Francisco to deploy top-of-the-line digital mammography units, along with dedicated breast ultrasound machines for targeted breast ultrasounds and ultrasound guided biopsies.

“Just as it was the first site to get digital mammography capabilities, I’m proud to tell you it was also the first to get Digital Breast Tomosynthesis,” said Joe, who highlighted what’s next for the future of imaging services at the center.

In 2025, Heather Greenwood, MD, will be the center’s new operations director, replacing Rita Freimanis who transitioned to Emeritus Professor in December 2024.

“We still haven’t met all patient needs,” said Joe. She is actively recruiting faculty and technologists and has plans to continue to develop a breast imaging nursing navigation program specific to the center.

“Here’s to another 20 years of fantastic patient care at the Avon Center under Dr. Bonnie Joe’s leadership,” said Mark Wilson, MD, Chief Radiologist at ZSFG, at the anniversary celebration. He congratulated the co-founders on this remarkable achievement and expressed gratitude to the ZSFG radiologists, technologists, patient navigators, medical assistants, schedulers, oncologists, and surgeons who continue to deliver comprehensive patient care at the Avon Comprehensive Breast Center.