Life Changing Is … Caring for the Whole Family

Dr. Susan Branton, Breast Surgeon

“The job of helping people isn’t a job. It’s really more of a passion.”

Susan Branton, MD, gets up every morning with the goal of helping people. When she accomplishes that goal, it leaves her feeling fulfilled.

“I love what I do,” says Dr. Branton, a breast surgeon at UPMC in North Central Pa. “I chose to be a physician because I wanted to help people, and the job of helping people isn’t a job. It’s really more of a passion for me. It’s what I just love to do.”

As a breast surgeon, Dr. Branton treats many patients who have cancer and need life-saving care.

She recognizes that the care she provides goes beyond just her patients. It has an impact on their friends, family, and the community, especially in the small community where Dr. Branton works.

“Connecting with the patient as well as their family is really, really important,” Dr. Branton says. “When a patient has cancer, they’re not the only person going through that. Their families experience a lot of that journey with them very intimately. Connecting the patient’s family into their care is very, very important.”

The therapies UPMC provides – from advanced treatments to access to clinical trials – has a sizable impact.

But for Dr. Branton, it goes beyond just the science. It’s about caring for people and the people around them.

“There’s a very caring aspect to our treatment,” she says. “We want the science to be good. We want that to all be state-of-the-art, but we also want our patients to know that we’re there for them. We’re there for their needs, their questions, their concerns.”

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means providing world-class treatments in a compassionate way.

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