Helen Chew to receive Joyce Raley Teel Award for outstanding dedication to the cause of breast cancer

Helen K. Chew, director of the Clinical Breast Cancer Program and assistant professor of hematology and oncology at UC Davis Cancer Center, is the 2006 recipient of the Joyce Raley Teel Award for outstanding dedication to the cause of breast cancer. The award will be presented at the start line of Sacramento’s 10th annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure at Cal Expo on Saturday, May 13.

“It is with great pride we present the Joyce Raley Teel award to Dr. Chew. Her outstanding dedication to the cause of breast cancer has had significant impact throughout our region, for which we extend our sincere gratitude and thanks,” said Donna Sanderson, executive director of the Sacramento Valley Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Chew has treated hundreds of women with breast cancer from throughout Northern California and the Central Valley. She speaks frequently about breast cancer screening, early detection and treatment to community groups throughout the region, with a particular focus on raising awareness among medically underserved women. Among her many outreach activities, Chew is medical director of Sacramento AANCART, a National Cancer Institute-funded project headquartered at UC Davis that seeks to reduce cancer incidence and mortality among Asian Americans.

“I am honored by this recognition and want to acknowledge the dedication of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Ms. Raley Teel in breast cancer research,” Chew said.

Previous recipients of the Joyce Raley Teel Award include Vincent Caggiano, longtime director of the Sutter Cancer Center in Sacramento; Ernie Bodai, a Kaiser Permanente surgeon and originator of the breast cancer research stamp; and Sandy Smoley, who served as secretary of the California Department of Health Services in the Wilson administration and is now a member of the UC Davis Cancer Center Capital and Endowment Initiative Steering Committee.

In addition to her clinical work, Chew is also an active research scientist. She has a special interest in developing novel agents via clinical trials and in improving breast cancer patient education. She has funding through the National Cancer Institute and the national Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to study potential tumor markers in the blood of patients with breast cancer. In addition, she conducts research focusing on venous thromboembolism, or blood clots, as a complication of cancer.

Chew earned her bachelor of sciences degree at Stanford University and her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, where she also completed her fellowship in hematology and oncology. She is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology.

Before joining UC Davis, Chew served as medical director of the Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment Clinic at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio and as a staff oncologist for the medical center’s breast clinic.