Ep. 27 - How to Best Navigate Genetic Testing with Patients with Special Guest Dr. Eric Manahan

Are you doing everything you can regarding patient genetic testing? In this episode, the co-hosts welcome Dr. Eric Manahan to explore the complexities of genetic testing in breast care. Together, they discuss how to guide patients through risk assessment, test selection, and emotionally charged results with clarity and confidence. SPECIAL GUEST

Eric R. Manahan, MD, MBA, FACS is a board-certified general surgeon who has served the Dalton, Georgia community since 2001. He joined Hamilton Physician Group in 2018 following leadership roles as Medical Director of Southeastern Breast Care Specialists and as a partner at Dalton Surgical Group. A native of Tennessee, Dr. Manahan earned his undergraduate degree from Auburn University. He completed his medical education and general surgery residency at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University, later returning to Auburn to earn his MBA. Dr. Manahan is nationally recognized for his leadership in breast surgery. He currently serves as President-Elect of the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS), following a three-year term as the Society's Secretary-Treasurer. He also chairs the Breast Surgical Oncology Training Committee, a joint initiative of the ASBrS and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) that oversees breast surgical fellowships. His work in medical education includes long-standing service on the ASBrS Education Committee and as faculty for the SSO Fellows Institute. He chaired a national panel of experts to develop the ASBrS consensus statement on genetic testing for breast cancer and has contributed to multiple Society-led initiatives, including physician salary surveys. His clinical interests include percutaneous breast procedures and breast cancer cryoablation, and he is actively involved in several national clinical trials. In Dalton, Dr. Manahan is the Co-Director of the Breast Program at Peeples Cancer Institute and maintains a robust general surgery practice in a community hospital setting. He has chaired the Department of Surgery at Hamilton Medical Center and served as chair of the hospital's Cancer Committee. Outside the operating room, Dr. Manahan is an active elder at ChristChurch Presbyterian in Dalton. He is married and the proud father of twin daughters.

MEET THE CO-HOSTS

Michael Berry, MD is a breast surgical oncologist at the West Cancer Center in Germantown, TN. After practicing general surgery for 6 years, he completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at UT Southwestern in Dallas in 2002. Upon leaving Texas, he moved to the Memphis, TN area where he was the first fellowship trained breast surgeon in the region; and this is where he remains today. Dr. Berry has long taught breast ultrasound diagnosis, intervention and ablation. However, his particular interest is in education, as he currently serves on the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Training Committee, which oversees the fellowship programs in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Berry is currently the president-elect of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and will begin his term as president in May of 2025.

Susan K. Boolbol, MD, FACS is the system chief of breast surgical oncology and breast program at Nuvance Health. She is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgeon and performs a variety of breast cancer surgeries including lumpectomies and mastectomies. She has a special interest in oncoplastic surgery and nipple-sparing mastectomy; she is also a Hidden Scar certified surgeon. Dr. Boolbol's personal mission is to diagnose and successfully treat breast cancer and breast conditions while caring for the whole patient – emotionally and physically – every step of the way. Dr. Boolbol is the immediate Past President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She joined Nuvance Health after serving as chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center. She completed her breast surgery fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cance