Dr. V. Suzanne Klimberg, professor and division chief of Surgical Oncology and Colorectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, was inducted as president of the Southern Surgical Association. Klimberg is the first woman to hold the position of president for the Southern Surgical Association and previously served as treasurer.
Founded in 1887, the association is a fellowship of more than 800 accomplished professionals actively practicing in surgery or one of its subspecialties.
“Strengthen your own success by boosting the success of those around you,” Klimberg said. “The Southern Surgical Association just applied and received a grant from the American College of Surgeons to help identify and mentor diverse surgeons from the south, as we believe we can achieve excellence only through diversity. A special congratulations to our own Dr. Abe DeAnda who was just inducted into the Southern Surgical Association, one of the oldest and most prized societies in Surgery.”
Klimberg is a board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeon with three decades of experience in breast surgical oncology. She joined UTMB in 2017 and holds the Courtney M. Townsend, Jr., M.D., Distinguished Chair in General Surgery and is also the clinical director of the UTMB Cancer Center and medical director of the Breast Cancer Service Line.
Throughout her career, Klimberg has pioneered innovative breast cancer treatment methods and holds several patents in surgical treatment methods. Her clinical interests include prevention of lymphedema using Axillary Reverse Mapping technique; needleless breast surgery; minimally invasive breast surgery; treatment of breast cancer with radiofrequency ablation; diagnosis of breast cancer with tears; high-risk management; breast pain; and chest wall pain after surgery.