About Barbara Smith, MD, PhD
Barbara L. Smith, MD, PhD. is the Director of the Breast Program and Co-Director of the Women's Cancers Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and at the MGH. Dr. Smith received her undergraduate training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD. from Harvard Medical School's Harvard/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and a PhD from Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Smith's research activities have focused on reducing the extent of surgery and radiation required to treat breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment issues in young women with breast cancer, and three dimensional breast anatomy as it relates to breast surgery and pathologic analysis of specimens. She has been a Visiting Professor at Sun Yat-sen University in China since 2006 where she has assisted in development of multidisciplinary breast cancer programs and clinical research activities.
Dr. Smith was named one of Boston Magazine's Top Docs for 2013 for Breast Cancer.
Departments, Centers, & Programs:
Clinical Interests:
- Breast cancer treatment
- High-risk patients
- Innovations in breast surgical techniques
- Nipple sparing mastectomy
Treats:
- Adult
Locations
Mass General Surgery: Surgical Oncology
55 Fruit St.
Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care
7th Floor
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-4000
Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham
52 Second Ave.
Suite 1110
Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: 781-487-6100
Medical Education
- MD, Harvard Medical School
- Residency, Brigham and Women's Hospital
American Board Certifications
- Surgery, General, American Board of Surgery
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Cigna
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Coventry
- Fallon Health
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Humana
- Maine Community Health Options
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- MassHealth
- Medicaid ME
- Medicaid NH
- Medicaid RI
- Medicare
- Medicare ACO
- Multiplan
- Railroad Medicare
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- United Health Care
- Wellpoint
- WellSense
- WellSense NH
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Nipple sparing mastectomy
Margin assessment
High risk patients
Publications
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Select Publications:
- Learn more about Barbara Smith, MD, and how a nipple-sparing mastectomy can reduce breast cancer recurrence.
- Nipple-sparing mastectomy. Rusby JE, Smith BL, Gui GP. Br J Surg 2010 Mar;97(3);305-16.
- An inferolateral approach to nipple-sparing mastectomy: optimizing mastectomy and reconstruction. Colwell AS, Gadd M, Smith BL, Austen WG Jr. Ann Plast Surg. 2010 Aug;65(2):140-3.
- Occult nipple involvement in breast cancer: clinicopathologic findings in 316 consecutive mastectomy specimens. Brachte EF, Rusby Je, Michaelson JS, Chen LL, Muzikansky A, Smith BL, Koerner FC. J Clin Oncol 2009 Oct 20;27(30):4930-2
- Development and validation of a model predictive of occult nipple involvement in women undergoing mastectomy. Rusby JE, Bracte EF, Othus M, Michaelson JS, Koerner FC, Smith, BL Br J Surg: 2008 Nov;95(11):1356-61
Dr. Smith is an extremely knowledgeable and caring surgeon.
Conscientious, empathetic, very experienced and patient explaining procedures. Empathetic. Compassionate.
I was lucky having Doctor Barbara Smith she is my best doctor who took care my health problem.
Excellent. Top rated.
A cancer diagnosis is not an easy one to digest; however, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have Dr. Barbara L. Smith as my doctor/surgeon. She has shared my treatment plan in clearly understandably terms and continues to do so in a calm and patient manner. I most certainly appreciate Dr. Smith.
Dr. Barbara Smith was extremely professional. I'm a listen to all of my concerns and she explained everything very clearly. She was excellent.
Dr Smith was kind, compassionate, confident, straightforward... I could go on and on. The perfect blend of kindness and expertise in explaining everything clearly. She was direct and made sure that I understood all of the options and what lies ahead. I feel like I am in the best possible hands for what is ahead.
Dr. Smith is empathetic, compassionate, patient, and explains the process from the beginning to the end. She listens carefully and validates concerns and is a superb provider at bedside as well as a surgeon, period.
Wonderful.
I found Dr. Barbara Smith to big in a league of her own, held to the highest of doctors. Her knowledge, explanation of my medical care, professionalism and the time given to me was outstanding. She made me feel so comfortable and I know I am in the best of hands for my upcoming surgery.