Former Port resident Susan R. Drossman, MD, an interventional breast radiologist in private practice in New York City, specializing in imaging-guided biopsies, will be honored at the American Cancer Society’s Mothers of the Year Luncheon on Monday, Oct. 19, at the St. Regis Hotel, along with Elaina, Marion and Rosanna Scotto, of Fox 5’s Good Day New York.
The Mothers of the Year Luncheon, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is supported by prominent members of New York City’s social and philanthropic community and is one of the American Cancer Society’s signature events in Manhattan. The luncheon was created in 1995 to shine a spotlight not only on what work mothers do on a daily basis as caregivers, but also to highlight their extraordinary community service efforts.
“I am honored and humbled to receive such an award from the American Cancer Society,” said Dr. Drossman. “I have dedicated my career to the early detection of breast cancer and to be recognized for this is truly wonderful.”
Since the event’s inception, the Mothers of the Year luncheon has raised nearly $5 million. These funds have been channeled into helping people get well, stay well and find cures.
Dr. Susan Drossman and her husband, Adam Sokoloff, have three children—Eliana, Julia and Gabriel. Drossman’s parents currently live in Port Washington.
“I think it is extremely important to love what you do and to be passionate about your work,” said Dr. Drossman. “As a full-time working mother, I always had some guilt leaving my children and heading off to work when they were young. But I knew that I was making a difference in other people’s lives, using my skills to detect and diagnosis breast cancer.”
Like all working parents, Dr. Drossman strives for a balance between work and family life. “I made sure to be at all the important events of my children’s lives,” she said. “While I may not have been there to bake Valentine cookies, I was at every play or concert and every parent-teacher meeting.”
Dr. Drossman continued, “I made sure to let my children know that I loved them and wanted them to be independent and caring individuals, and that when I was at work, I was taking care of other moms, grandmothers and sisters that needed me to help keep them healthy. I think that my children respect and applaud all I have accomplished.”
Dr. Drossman graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in biological basis of behavior and received her Doctor of Medicine with honors from the Mount Sinai Medical School in 1988. She completed her internship at NYU/Bellevue Medical Center, her radiology residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and a fellowship in breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She served as director of breast imaging at Mount Sinai Medical Center from 1994 to 1999 and started their interventional breast imaging program. She joined Schaffer, Schonholz & Drossman LLP, a women’s imaging private practice in New York City, in 1999.
Dr. Drossman is also a member of the faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she has served for more than 20 years. She often describes her job as a hybrid between a breast surgeon and a radiologist, performing breast biopsies using imaging guidance. She has lectured all over the U.S. about the benefits of early detection using mammography and ultrasound, and coauthored a textbook on correlating pathology and breast imaging in evaluating breast core biopsy specimens.
She has appeared on numerous news and talk shows, including the Today Show, The CBS Evening News, Fox News’ Good Day New York and The Meredith Viera Show, as an expert in breast imaging. Dr. Drossman is an active member of many breast cancer organizations and advisory boards, including The Breast Health Advisory Board at Mount Sinai Hospital and Power of Pink (aka Tickled Pink), a division of Susan G. Komen, Greater New York Chapter. She serves on the board of overseers of the school of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania and as a member of the Trustees Council of Penn Women. She also serves on the board of trustees at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx.
For more information about the luncheon, visit www.main.acsevents.org/mothersoftheyear.
