Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women in the United States, behind skin cancer. It is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. Each year about 288,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed, and more than 43,000 people will die from it.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we are teaming up with VCU Massey Cancer Center for a seminar on the topic on Wednesday, Oct. 19, from noon to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom: visit www.vcuhealth.org/cmh-core for the Zoom link. We will look at breast cancer risk factors, early detection, symptoms and treatment. Bring your questions and learn from an expert in the field. This seminar will be recorded and posted to the VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital website and Facebook page.

Our speaker is Masey Ross, M.D. She is the medical director of clinical research affiliations network at VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU School of Medicine. She is also the medical director of Massey’s Integrative Health Program and an assistant professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, Department of Internal Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine. Ross joined VCU in 2011 for her internal medicine residency, then completed a hematology/ oncology fellowship and joined the faculty in 2017 as an assistant professor. She earned a medical degree from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and a master’s degree in integrative health from Georgetown University. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology. Ross sees patients at three different locations: the Hendrick Cancer Center in South Hill, the Adult Outpatient Building in downtown Richmond and at Stony Point in Richmond.