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Dr. Tari A. King is the Anne E. Dyson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Women’s Cancers at Harvard Medical School, the chief of the Division of Breast Surgery and the vice chair of multidisciplinary oncology in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and the chief of breast surgery at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. She is also the director of the Breast Cancer Personalized Risk Assessment, Education and Prevention (B-PREP) Program at BWH and the co-director of the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship program. Dr. King received her medical degree from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completed a general surgery residency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation Hospital (now Ochsner Medical Center) in New Orleans. Dr. King completed both a surgical research fellowship and a breast surgery clinical fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
As a surgeon-scientist Dr. King has focused her clinical and research efforts on several challenging clinical scenarios. First, to elucidate the clinical and molecular factors that determine the carcinogenic potential of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and second, to determine the biologic predictors which may allow for the selection of appropriate candidates for local therapy in the setting of stage IV disease. These efforts have included prospective collection of patient tissue and blood samples and have led to the publication of important translational findings in both the LCIS and stage IV patient population. To continue her research efforts focusing on women at increased risk of developing breast cancer, Dr. King initiated the B-PREP Program at BWH, a multi-disciplinary program designed to provide comprehensive breast cancer risk assessment, tailored recommendations for screening, risk reduction counseling, and education for women of all racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds concerned about their risk.
In her position as vice chair for multidisciplinary oncology, Dr. King is working to identify and implement innovative and effective approaches to deliver multidisciplinary oncology patient care at BWH and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, focusing on the role of the surgeon as an integral member of the patient care team and disease center program.
Dr. King is a member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee and serves on the Steering Committee for the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. In addition, she is Chair of the Finance Committee and Treasurer for the Society of Surgical Oncology.