Three Women, Three Centuries, Three Breast Cancers

Local Pathologist Presents "Three Women, Three Centuries, Three Breast Cancers," sponsored by the Col. William McIntosh Chapter NSDAR and the at the Needham Historical Society (1147 Central Avenue) on Sunday, April 11th at 2 p.m.

Susan C. Lester, MD, PhD will present the stories of three women and their experiences with breast cancer. Dr. Lester is Chief of Breast Pathology Services at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Her talk will trace the history of breast cancer treatment through the lives of Nabby Adams in the early 1800s, to Julia Child in the 1960s, to Dr. Carolyn Kaelin in the early 2000s. 

 As radical changes have occurred in treatment, so have the experience of women with the disease. Dr. Lester, a Newton resident, is also a member of the Colonel William McIntosh Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).

Dr. Lester graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, received a PhD in genetics from the University of Wisconsin, and received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. During medical school, she took two years off to work on a project on antibiotic resistant bacteria, studying children in Boston,Venezuela, and China.  She worked on this project with Tom O'Brien (Conan O'Brien's father, a professor of infectious disease at BWH, and also a history buff). 

Dr. Lester trained in pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is now Chief of Breast Pathology Services there and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.  She is the author of a bestselling medical textbook "The Manual of Surgical Pathology" and is currently working on a book on breast pathology.

Any woman over the age of 18, regardless of race, creed or religion, is eligible for membership in the DAR, providing she can prove direct descent from a Revolutionary War-era patriot. Chapters are named after a local event, landmark, or patriot. Col. William McIntosh, who lived in Needham, fought under George Washington and was later a representative in the General Court (state legislature).