The AAS Membership Committee presents the “Member Spotlight” – an opportunity to introduce you to a member of your association.
Dr. Gutnik is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery at The University of Alabama, Birmingham. She also serves as the Associate Vice Chair for Global Surgery and the Assistant Program Director for Global Surgery in the General Surgery Residency program. She serves as an associate scientist in the Cancer Control and Population Science Program in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, the Minority Health and health Disparities Research Center, and the UAB Social Science and Justice Research Initiative. She is also the faculty advisor the UAB chapter of the national medical student organization- Socially Responsible Surgery.
Dr. Gutnik specializes in the care of malignant and benign breast disease. She is particularly interested in improving access to quality care for vulnerable populations. She also provides breast surgery services at Russell Medical Center in Alexander City, Alabama, a diverse and more rural setting in Alabama. Dr. Gutnik’s research interest lies in the care of patients with breast cancer in resource-poor settings, in particular the impact of screening and early detection in these communities. Additional interests include global surgery, health disparities and financial toxicity. She is currently conducting research on breast cancer stigma in Tanzania and Kenya, a multi-level program evaluation of bundled breast and cervical cancer screening program in Cameroon (supported by the ASCO Career Development Award), and disparities in clinical trial enrollment at UAB. She is also one of the 10 constituents of the UICC 2023 Young Leaders Program in Global Cancer Control.
Dr. Gutnik is an Associate Member of the Association for Academic Surgery and serves on the Global Affairs Committee. She previously served on the Finance and Economics Committee of the Lancet Commission for Global Surgery. She also serves as a board member for two international NGOs working to improve breast cancer screening and detection worldwide.
Dr. Gutnik completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at NYU. She earned her medical degree at the Medical School for International Health- a joint program between Ben Gurion University and Columbia University. She also holds a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University. She completed general surgery residency at The University of Utah and then went on to breast surgical oncology fellowship at Duke University. She is a board certified general surgeon.
It isn’t okay, but maybe it can be?