Breast surgical oncologist Maggie DiNome, MD, joined Duke Cancer Institute in October as medical director of Wake County Breast Cancer Services, overseeing the breast cancer service line there and leading expansion efforts for breast cancer care in the community. She also comes to Duke with a faculty appointment in the Duke University School of Medicine as a professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Breast Section, with research interests that include studying the role of epigenetic modifications in conferring drug resistance and cancer progression in triple negative breast cancer.
DiNome is a former Blue Devil, having graduated in 1994 from the School of Medicine where she was encouraged by Theodore Pappas, MD, and others in Duke Surgery to pursue a career in surgical oncology. She completed her surgery residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, served as director of the Margie Peterson Breast Center at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Los Angeles, then joined UCLA where she served as chief of Breast Surgery and director of UCLA Breast Health.
"After having spent the last 20 years in California, my family and I are happy to have rejoined family and friends in North Carolina," said DiNome. "I'm honored and thrilled to be a part of the Duke Blue Devil family again. It's very much like coming home!"
DiNome hit the ground running, joining DCI breast surgery colleagues Jennifer Plichta, MD, MS, and Gayle DiLalla, MD, as a co-captain for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Walk & 5K held on October 23 and lending her voice to the cause, in a video.
"Dr. DiNome is a talented surgeon, leader, and researcher and we are very excited to have recruited her back to Duke," said Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, interim director of the Breast Cancer Disease Group at DCI, vice chair of Research in the Department of Surgery, and The Mary and Deryl Hart Distinguished Professor of Surgery. "She will partner with the director of Medical Oncology in Wake County, Dr. Neeraj Agrawal, to provide a strong foundation for outreach and engagement in the Wake County cancer community, and will be an outstanding resource for state-of-the-art breast cancer care for patients in our region. Welcome Dr. DiNome!"
