Today we’d like to introduce you to Starr Mautner.
Hi Starr, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was focused on a career in medicine and specifically in surgery from a young age. In high school, I had a hands-on opportunity to shadow a family friend who was a plastic surgeon and this piqued my interest. I attended the University of Miami with the goal to go to medical school and was accepted to their highly competitive Medical Scholars Program where I earned a combined BS/MD degree in 7 years and gained early admission into medical school.
Throughout undergraduate and medical school, I worked with several surgeons at the University of Miami. My experiences in cardiothoracic and trauma surgery during this time solidified my desire to become a surgeon. Ultimately, I matched in general surgery in New York and completed my residency at NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center.
As a resident, I completed a research year in breast surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I ultimately decided to specialize as a breast surgical oncologist and completed my clinical fellowship there. After 7 years in New York, in 2015, my husband and I decided to move back to Miami and I was recruited to Miami Cancer Institute where I have been working as a breast surgical oncologist for the past 8 years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a woman in a male-dominated field, training to be a surgeon was not an entirely smooth road, but fortunately, I had a lot of support from my family. In addition, I had several mentors in surgery, that encouraged me to pursue my goal of becoming a surgeon. One of my first career struggles was a year into my general surgery training, as an intern at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village, when the hospital declared bankruptcy and closed.
My future as a trainee was in jeopardy and I found myself forced to reapply and interview all over again for a new general surgery residency position to continue my training. I was aggressive in my pursuit of a new position and my perseverance paid off as I was offered a position to continue my general surgery training at Cornell. There are always going to be bumps in the road when you are working toward a lifelong goal, but staying focused and not giving up on achieving this goal is what got me through this tough situation.
Additionally, as a medical student focused on achieving a career in surgery, I never thought that it would be possible to also have a family. This became a more realistic possibility as a resident when I saw other co-residents who were pregnant during training and having children. As I became more focused on becoming a breast surgical oncologist, I also began working closely with other female surgeons that set an example that it is possible to have a successful career as a surgeon and have a family.
I became pregnant with my son during my last year of training, my fellowship year. It was a challenge to do everything at once, becoming a new mom and graduating fellowship simultaneously. I used my 6 weeks of maternity leave to fly down to Florida and interview for jobs, but in the end, it all worked out for the best and I wouldn’t have changed any of it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work at the Miami Cancer Institute as a Breast Surgical Oncologist. I specifically treat patients who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Many of the patients I see require a team approach- I work closely with breast medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, genetic counselors, and plastic reconstructive surgeons, to provide multidisciplinary care for my patients.
In my role as a surgeon, I specialize in breast-conserving surgery along with mastectomy and specifically in nipple-sparing mastectomies where the entire skin envelope of the breast including the nipple-areolar complex can be preserved for patients who are candidates. I take pride in the relationship I form with many of my patients and always act as an advocate for my patients to receive the best care.
I meet my patients at an extremely vulnerable time in their life when they have just been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease. I always try to place myself in their shoes- many of my patients are young mothers and I do everything I can to make the process of treating their cancer as stress-free as possible. I will always make a call to help them schedule an appointment or set them up with a support group or a former patient who can walk them through what to expect from treatment.
My job is extremely fulfilling as many of my patients have excellent outcomes- both in curing their cancer and achieving excellent cosmetic results. The long-term connections I form with my patients allow me to meet and form relationships with their families and friends and I value these relationships as one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
What’s next?
I plan to continue to help as many women as possible who are diagnosed with breast cancer. I am also focused on raising awareness for breast cancer in young women. Many women and even some physicians have the misconception that breast cancer is very rare in women under the age of 40.
Unfortunately, I see many women in their 30s and even 20s diagnosed with breast cancer and there are too many delays in diagnosis in this group of women. The reasons why we are seeing an uptick in young breast cancers are not yet entirely understood and I am researching this. In the meantime, women need to be their own advocates and if they feel a new breast mass this cannot be assumed to be benign and ignored.
I will continue to advocate for early and annual screening mammograms as this is the best way to save the most lives. Additionally, I am the Lead Physician for Breast Cancer Surgical Clinical Trials at the Miami Cancer Institute. In this role, I plan to expand the number of breast surgical clinical trials that are available to patients in South Florida.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://doctors.baptisthealth.net/provider/Starr+Koslow+Mautner/868013
- Instagram: @drstarrmautner (https://www.instagram.com/drstarrmautner/?hl=en)
- Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/drstarrmautner/
