PeaceHealth is a leading, not-for-profit medical organization with multiple primary and specialty care clinics and four hospitals in Northwest Washington, including PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. Recently, new PeaceHealth physician Quynh Le, DO, sat down with WhatcomTalk to discuss her role as the only surgeon who is fellowship-trained specifically in breast surgical oncology in Whatcom County. Dr. Le also expressed her hopes for the future of PeaceHealth’s breast cancer program, where she serves as co-director of the Breast Cancer Program at the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center.
Education and the Early Years
When Dr. Quynh Le turned 19, she was actively involved in karate. During one of her classes, she broke her leg while sparring with her opponent. Dr. Le credits the expertise of the surgeon who helped heal her as the main inspiration behind pursuing her own career.
“It was the first time where I needed surgery, actual medical help,” says Dr. Le. “I was able to walk again within a couple of weeks — with a boot on, of course. I just thought that was so powerful, what that surgeon was able to do for me. He was able to give me back my freedom. From then on, I wanted to go to medical school and become a surgeon.”
Dr.Le sought her medical degree at Pacific Northwest University in Yakima after receiving her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Washington State University in Pullman.
“I completed five years of general surgery residency at the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan,” she says. “During my five years there, I became passionate about breast cancer care and breast cancer surgery, so I ended up applying and got accepted to the breast surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Southern California.”
Dr. Le trained at Keck Hospital, Los Angeles Country Hospital, and Hoag Hospital from 2020 to 2021. “During this time, I wanted to return to the Pacific Northwest, so I ended up working at Virginia Mason Chi Franciscan in Seattle for about three years. And while I was there, I recognized there were a lot of patients coming down from Bellingham to see me.”
Some patients were taking the bus all the way to Seattle for her specialized care. Dr. Le recognized the growing need for her skillset and healthcare specialty in the Whatcom area, eventually relocating to Bellingham and joining PeaceHealth. “Everything kind of fell into place,” she says.
The Only Whatcom Surgeon Fellowship-Trained in Breast Surgical Oncology
“Our community has several experienced cancer surgeons. What sets me apart is that my fellowship training focused specifically on techniques related to breast cancer surgery,” she says. “As a fellowship-trained breast surgeon, I have additional training in benign and malignant breast diseases. While at USC, I worked closely with well-respected breast surgeons concentrating on treating all breast diseases with most of our focus on breast cancer to truly master breast cancer treatment.” Dr. Le explains that when a patient needs multi-disciplinary care, they typically seek out those services in a larger area, such as Seattle. Her goal is to make that comprehensive, high-level care available here in Whatcom.
“That’s why I’m here,” she says. “I want to start a program where you can get your care in Bellingham, and it’s just as good as anywhere else. I think we just need someone to spearhead it, organize it and make sure it flows well.”
With Dr Le’s specialized training, she’s also able to combine tumor removal and with specific techniques to conserve breast tissue during surgery.
“My number one goal is to safely remove all of the breast cancer. Secondly, I want to provide an aesthetic outcome for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. My fellowship training at the University of California taught me to not only remove the cancer but also prevent undue distortion of the breast, helping to maintain an aesthetically pleasing breast after all of the treatment for cancer is complete.”
This expertise and specialization enhance the surgery experience for patients, making the process faster and more efficient while also preventing delays due to scheduling conflicts between multiple surgeons. However, Dr. Le does partner with local plastic surgeons when major reconstruction is needed in combination with breast cancer surgery.
An Active Lifestyle in the Community
Outside of her work, Dr. Le enjoys every bit of the unique recreation Whatcom County has to offer. She snowboards, skis, golfs and hikes with friends and also enjoys cooking with her family. “I’m very passionate about golf,” she says. “I started learning how to golf when I was in medical school. During my residency at Henry Ford, while I was taking care of a patient in his 80s in the ICU, he said to me, ‘Why am I here? I’m so bored,’ and he mentioned he used to play in the PGA Tour.”
Dr. Le jokingly asked the patient if he could help fix her swing and grip. To her surprise, he said, “Yes! How else am I going to survive boredom in the ICU?” A video was taken of the entire interaction, and even now, Dr. Le references that sweet moment in time. “He made his daughter bring in a golf club so we could actually have something to practice on,” she says. “He completely changed my grip and my swing, and it’s still the same to this day. After that, I really got into golf. I find it so soothing and a mental relief from medicine, almost. I became serious about it when I moved here to Washington, and I still watch those videos to this day, just to make sure I’m doing everything correctly.”
Alongside her active lifestyle, Dr. Le also enjoys cooking with her mother. “I like to cook a lot of Vietnamese food because they’re my mom’s recipes,” she says. “It’s another way to connect with or keep in touch with my family, especially in our group chat where we send each other pictures of the final product.”
Cancer Services at PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth has a comprehensive roster of cancer services, including those for breast cancer and other breast care needs. They also work closely with Mount Baker Imaging for mammograms and breast imaging services.
In addition, PeaceHealth provides support services to help process a cancer diagnosis and educate the patient on every step of their healthcare journey.
PeaceHealth’s fully integrated system of care allows every specialist involved to collaborate effectively for the patient’s needs. They offer a host of services and expertise, including surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, clinical trials and genetic testing, while working as a team to provide social work, financial advocacy and survivorship support for their patients.
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