Maimonides Breast Center Fellow Mukuhi Ng’ang’a, MD, is a rising star breast surgeon with a vision to use her medical training to improve women’s health and breast cancer care in her native Kenya. Maimonides is proud to be a world-class center at which future global leaders train.
Improving Health Outcomes for Women in Kenya
According to Dr. Ng’ang’a, there is an urgent need for improvement of breast cancer treatment in Kenya, heightened by factors like a lack of widespread screening and a shortage of highly specialized providers, as well as cost and infrastructure limitations.
“Breast and cervical cancer are the leading causes of oncology-related mortalities amongst women in Kenya,” she explains. “We have less-than-optimal outcomes because most patients come to the hospital with symptomatic and often late-stage disease. Currently, there is significant awareness about breast cancer, but we do not universally have the infrastructure needed to improve our outcomes.”
Dr. Ng’ang’a explains that Kenya does not currently have a national breast cancer screening program – something that would greatly impact the trajectory of these statistics. What’s more, according to Dr. Ng’ang’a, Kenya currently has only two dedicated breast radiologists nationwide and no dedicated breast pathologists. (They have other non-specialist radiologists and pathologists who support the breast cancer service but do not exclusively specialize in it.)
A Vision for a Comprehensive Breast Center in Kenya
Dr. Ng’ang’a believes that women should be able to get imaging (both screening and diagnostic) and biopsies done and interact with their medical team all in one place. This holistic approach is like that of the Maimonides Breast Center model, Dr. Ng’ang’a explains. She plans to learn all she can during her time here and then take that knowledge back to Kenya to improve health and outcomes.
Some hospitals in Kenya offer levels of care almost equivalent to Maimonides Cancer Center, according to Dr. Ng’ang’a – but she says they account for less than 10% of healthcare facilities and are far out of reach for most Kenyans. Therefore, another key aspect of Dr. Ng’ang’a’s future breast center is affordability and accessibility.
“Finding an economic model and the resources that would allow one to set up an affordable, holistic one-stop breast center will be a complex problem to solve,” she says. However, she’s certainly up to the challenge.
Dr. Ng’ang’a’s Background
Dr. Ng’ang’a comes from a large, close-knit family and has long been passionate about women’s health. She completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She then completed her residency at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she trained in general surgery and graduated with honors. Dr. Ng’ang’a has a great interest in teaching and holds a post-graduate clinical education certificate from Edinburgh University.
Dr. Ng’ang’a says that her foremost mentors throughout her life have been her parents, whose values, especially hard work and loyalty, have been invaluable in her journey as a doctor.
“My late father brought me up to be resilient, fiercely independent and have the mental strength to conquer anything,” says Dr. Ng’ang’a. “My mother instilled in me open-mindedness, introspection and empathy.”
Coming to Maimonides Health
“To be honest, Maimonides chose me,” she explains. “When I applied for fellowship training, I didn’t think I would get into an American training facility.” However, fate led her to Maimonides Breast Center. “When I met the Maimonides team for the first interview, I immediately knew I had found a good fit,” she explains. “They are an amazing group of highly qualified human beings.”
Dr. Ng’ang’a shares that Maimonides Breast Center is a patient-centered organization.“Everything here is done to ensure patients receive the highest quality care,” she says. “It’s all a patient would want from their healthcare provider.”
Learn more about Maimonides Breast Center by visiting our website or calling 718-765-2550.
