FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2000

Contact: Laurie Slothower
(916) 734-9023
pgr: (916) 762-9855

UC DAVIS NAMES DIRECTOR OF BREAST CANCER PROGRAM
Helen Chew, M.D., will coordinate services, expand programs for breast cancer patients.

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Dr. Helen K. Chew, a breast cancer researcher and faculty oncologist from the University of Texas, has been named director of the breast cancer program at the UC Davis Cancer Center.

In her new position, Chew, an assistant professor of internal medicine, will coordinate surgical, medical and radiation oncology services and clinical trials for the breast cancer program. She is also charged with establishing and expanding multidisciplinary clinics for breast cancer and benign breast conditions.

A native of El Paso, Chew comes to UC Davis from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, where she was staff oncologist for the breast clinic and medical director of the Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment Clinic.

Chew earned her M.D. degree from the University of Texas and completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology with research in molecular medicine. Her research interests involve cancer genetics, notably breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. These tumor suppressor genes have been implicated in the five to 10 percent of breast cancers that are believed to be hereditary. Previous studies have shown that women carrying mutations in these genes have a much greater chance of developing breast cancer, and that they tend to develop the disease at a younger age. Research into how these mutated genes promote breast cancer holds promise in developing novel diagnostic tools and treatments for breast cancer.

Chew has completed research examining how the protein NoRPl affects the expression of BRCA 1. She has five active grants studying cancer genetics and chemoprevention of breast cancer.

Editor: For a photo of Dr. Chew: click here for a high-resolution JPEG file and click here for a low-resolution JPEF file. Copies of all news releases from UC Davis Health System are available on the web at http://news.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

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