Margenthaler Named Inaugural Endowed Chair for Surgical Excellence in Breast Cancer

New endowed chair honors renowned breast surgeon and will advance innovative care and research

WashU Medicine surgeon Julie Margenthaler, MD, FACS — nationally recognized for her surgical expertise and compassionate, personal approach to care — has been installed as the inaugural Endowed Chair for Surgical Excellence in Breast Cancer through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

The endowed chair was made possible by donors, many of whom have been patients of Margenthaler at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine.

“It’s about how many patients she took care of and how many patients she helped and how many patients she cured,” Siteman Cancer Center Director Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, a breast surgeon himself, said during the installation ceremony. “I don’t think there is a better person who could be better feted with this endowed chair than Julie Margenthaler because, as many of you in the audience will attest, she is the most caring, compassionate but superb physician.”

Margenthaler has taken a holistic approach to patient outcomes that incorporates the three pillars of academic medicine: clinical care, research and educating the next generation of physician-researchers.

In the clinic, she is both a surgical oncologist and director of Breast Surgical Services at the Joanne Knight Breast Health Center at Siteman, which emphasizes screening and imaging excellence.

On the research side, Margenthaler’s interests include identifying minimally invasive approaches to breast cancer staging using imaging combined with molecular techniques. She also studies the identification of non-BRCA genes responsible for the development of breast cancer in young women under the age of 40, as well as the design of novel gene-specific approaches to breast cancer treatment.

To prepare those following in her footsteps, Margenthaler is both a professor of surgery and director of the Surgical Fellowship for Advanced Training in Breast Disease at WashU Medicine.

“This endowed chair will allow us to continue to push the envelope in research for advances to come 10 or 20 years from now,” she said. “And it will allow us a regenerating mechanism for research, specifically research that may not be traditionally funded by the National Institutes of Health. It also creates a legacy that will allow us to recruit the best people who want to continue our mission.”

Pam Nicholson is one of Margenthaler’s patients whose generosity led to the creation of the Endowed Chair for Surgical Excellence in Breast Cancer.

“You’re in such a vulnerable position when you’re first diagnosed,” Nicholson said. “Dr. Margenthaler is just that right person who is so calming, and she instills confidence. Your doctor matters and where you go matters. I think Dr. Margenthaler is a jewel for the hospital, for St. Louis and for all the Midwest.”

Nationally, Margenthaler has served in many roles, as well, including as president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. Currently, she is section editor for the Annals of Surgical Oncology and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Surgical Research. She also reviews 12 other journals and is the author of more than 240 peer-reviewed publications, reviews, editorials and book chapters.

For the past decade, Margenthaler has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, a recognition of excellence in clinical care, education and research for the top 7% of practicing U.S. physicians. She is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). She also is a specialist focused on early detection, genetic counseling and proactive management for women with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Read more about Margenthaler’s path to becoming a physician, and her impact. Watch video of her chair installation.