BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Dr. Wendy Wilcox aims to help end the
disparities in breast cancer diagnoses and care
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
When it comes to breast
cancer in New York
City, there are still
disparities in care for communities
of color. Dr. Wendy Wilcox,
board-certifi ed Obstetrician Gynecologist
and the Clinical System
Lead for Women’s Health, as well
as Chairperson of Obstetrics and
Gynecology for NYC Health +
Hospitals/Kings County, has
practiced obstetrics, gynecology
and women’s health with a focus
on achieving health equity and
eliminating disparities across
populations throughout her
career.
After earning a BA in Biomedical
Ethics from Brown
University, Dr. Wilcox attended
SUNY Upstate Medical Center
and completed her residency at
Long Island College Hospital in
Brooklyn.
“There were women’s care
counselors that were placed in
the dorms to help students get
to the right resources in case
of date rape, or to help inform
about public health topics like
STIs, how to stay healthy, or
how to identify eating disorders.
I became intrigued, not thinking
that this would inform what I do
later,” said Dr. Wilcox. “In that
rotation, I learned that liked talking
to my patients – you talk to the
parents. I really enjoyed a lot of
teaching and informing. As I was
moving over to women’s health,
it’s such a wide-open fi eld – it just
drew me in.”
Dr. Wilcox became an attending
at Montefi ore Medical Center,
which led to her being director of
her medical group and Assistant
Professor in Ob-Gyn at the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine.
Recently, Dr. Wilcox was named
Co-chair for Governor Cuomo’s
Taskforce on Maternal Mortality
and Disparate Racial Outcomes,
which recommended the newly
formed New York State Maternal
Mortality Review Committee.
In her experience, Dr. Wilcox
notices that those who are coming
for their annual check-ups and
mammographies are generally
already engaged in their health
and tend to follow the recommended
practices. The problem
comes with those who aren’t seeking
treatment, particularly those
who are African American or are
of African descent, who are at a
higher risk of dying from breast
cancer.
“There is still a mistrust of
the medical community for
valid reasons,” said Dr. Wilcox.
“Historically we can look back
and see many many examples of
how African Americans and immigrants
sometimes have been
the victims of some really horrifi c
medical experiments. African
American women are much more
likely to die of breast cancer than
Caucasian women because they
are generally diagnosed at a later
stage, and are more likely to have
triple negative breast cancer. The
gap is widening where there was
a disparity before.”
Triple negative breast cancer,
which shows no estrogen receptors,
progesterone receptors, and
excess HER2 protein accounts for
10-15% of breast cancer and has
a low survival rate. It is common
for African American women
under the age of 40, or women
with the BRCA1 mutation.
Multiple health organizations
recommend that women start getting
regular mammograms at the
age of 40. In Dr. Wilcox’s experience,
she fi nds that many women
aren’t getting their mammograms
because they think the procedure
is more painful than it actually is.
While in the age of COVID-19,
Dr. Wilcox notes that her practice,
as well as others throughout
the city, are taking precautions to
make sure a doctor’s visit is safe
for patients.
While there are some genetic
factors that can lead to the development
of breast cancer, Dr.
Wilcox says that maintaining your
overall health can help reduce
your risk factors for developing
breast cancer. Certain things like
quitting smoking and managing
your weight can be benefi cial, as
well as staying away from processed
foods can help reduce the
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. WENDY WILCOX
risk for women at any age, while
women of reproductive age can
breastfeed to reduce their risk.
“The healthier one is in general,
then the healthier one will be
when looking at certain diseases,”
said Dr. Wilcox. “Eating healthy,
eating correct amounts of fruits
and vegetables, exercising, trying
to avoid refi ne and processed
foods and sugars, reducing alcohol
intake. There are some changes
that happen during menopause
— many gain weight and experience
insomnia We may not be as
concerned about our nutritional
intake, the older one gets the
higher the chances of one having
breast cancer is a lifetime risk, and
it increases in menopause. Being
thoughtful of maintaining overall
health is good for your breasts.”
Schneps Media Oct. 8, 2020 3