New Breast Center Honors the Legacy of Barbara Parker, MD
The career of Barbara Parker, MD, at UC San Diego Health has left an indelible mark on the field of oncology, particularly in her specialty of breast cancer. Now, a generous $10 million gift from Price Philanthropies and the Price family will soon make her mark physical — expanding access to UC San Diego’s leading- edge breast cancer research, treatments, and compassionate, patient-centered care. The Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center will be located within McGrath Outpatient Pavilion, slated to open in summer 2025 as part of the comprehensive redevelopment of UC San Diego Health – Hillcrest Medical Campus.
This new center will strengthen UC San Diego Health’s renowned breast cancer program while delivering expert care to the Hillcrest community. Designed with healing and innovation in mind, it will provide integrated services — including surgery, oncology, radiation therapy and imaging — in a state-of-the-art environment. The Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center’s strategic location will enhance accessibility, bringing leading-edge treatments and research closer to those who need them most.
“Having known Dr. Parker personally through the years, we have continually admired her accomplishments in oncology,” says Robert Price, president of Price Philanthropies. Indeed, Dr. Parker’s accomplishments span the entire spectrum of cancer care: promoting personalized screening research, developing new therapies for advanced breast cancer, and studying the importance of lifestyle factors in breast cancer survivors. Yet, along with these research advancements, the hallmark of Dr. Parker’s career is her dedication to compassionate and comprehensive support, with an emphasis on treating the whole patient.
“Trust is the cornerstone of cancer care,” says Dr. Parker. “Trust comes from active listening and sincere conversations with patients and their loved ones while providing both comprehensive care and emotional support. Ensuring that individuals across our diverse region have access to state-of-the-art, specialized care is vital to maximizing cancer survival in our community. When all patients benefit equally from access to the most advanced care and the latest research advancements, we truly make progress in cancer treatment.”
Alongside access and compassion, the center will foster scientific discoveries — another extension of Dr. Parker’s values and vision. “I have always sought to incorporate leading-edge clinical trial research along with innovative treatment advances in my practice,” she says. This aspiration will continue with a host of next-generation pioneers at the new center. Our breast cancer experts, who have been actively building a strong presence in Hillcrest, are now poised to expand with the Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center. Their established relationships and commitment to the community will further elevate specialized care in the region, ensuring seamless access to advanced treatments.
Trust is the cornerstone of cancer care. Trust comes from active listening and sincere conversations with patients and their loved ones while providing both comprehensive care and emotional support.
Anne M. Wallace, MD, a general and plastic surgeon who directs the Comprehensive Breast Center, is advancing breast surgery through both traditional and innovative approaches, including leading-edge imaging technologies such as nuclear and fluorescence imaging. Her focus on precision surgery is designed to improve outcomes and minimize invasiveness in breast cancer treatments. Through her work, Dr. Wallace is advancing both traditional and gender-affirming treatment options, ensuring personalized treatment for every patient at UC San Diego Health. Together with her surgical team — Ava Armani, MD; Julie Le, MD; and Vince Genna, MSN, FNP-BC — the Comprehensive Breast Center has been instrumental in building surgical breast services in Hillcrest, operating in their current location for the past several years, and they are thrilled to have a new space to grow and better serve our patients in San Diego.
Catheryn Yashar, MD, radiation oncologist and chief medical officer at UC San Diego Health, is leading efforts to advance breast cancer treatment at the pavilion. She and her team are expanding radiation oncology services, including the region’s only brachytherapy, a technique that delivers targeted radiation directly to tumors. By improving precision and minimizing side effects, Dr. Yashar’s team members are advancing new clinical trials to better define individual treatments for breast cancer patients.
Rebecca A. Shatsky, MD, associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and medical oncologist at UC San Diego Health, is similarly bringing precision to the forefront of therapy, targeting aggressive cancer subtypes, such as inflammatory and triple-negative breast cancer. Dr. Shatsky and her colleagues — Angelique Richardson, MD, PhD; Alyssa Beck, MD; Quinn Semper, MD; and Kim Posada, BSN, MSN, RN, NP-C, CNS — have all been practicing in Hillcrest and will expand our presence with the opening of the new breast center.
“UC San Diego Health combines the leading edge of scientific discovery from the bench to the bedside, delivering truly personalized patient care,” says Dr. Shatsky. “It’s the only place in San Diego to have such a close connection to basic scientific research in an academic university setting, especially as far as clinical trials are concerned. It really is a special place to receive cancer care.”
The Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center will be a home for not only leading physician-scientists but also their discoveries. Haydee Ojeda-Fournier, MD, professor of radiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and radiologist at UC San Diego Health, is focusing on new imaging and treatment techniques that improve early detection and reduce invasive procedures. As the principal investigator in clinical trials for a new laser ablation approach, she is leading the way in high-precision interstitial laser therapy, which could be a far less intrusive alternative to the traditional lumpectomy for small breast tumors.
Dr. Ojeda-Fournier is collaborating with Adam Yala, PhD, AI expert and assistant professor of computational precision health at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, to leverage artificial intelligence in improving early breast cancer detection. They are preparing to launch a multisite trial using the Mirai AI mammography risk model developed by Dr. Yala’s team to identify high-risk patients for MRI screening.
From compassionate support to access and innovation, the Barbara Parker, MD, Breast Center is a shining example of what can be realized when a legacy of excellence meets philanthropic support. “It is a privilege to work alongside Allison and Robert [Price] in their vision to improve cancer and supportive care services,” says Dr. Parker. “This naming honor reflects the many contributions of trainees, staff and faculty who enabled my accomplishments and the courageous patients who inspired me over the years. To anyone who walks through those doors in the future, I want you to know that we are here to accompany you on your cancer journey — to give you hope and healing.”
To anyone who walks through those doors in the future, I want you to know that we are here to accompany you on your cancer journey — to give you hope and healing.