Since its beginning nine years ago, The Breast Health Center at Kent Hospital has provided women information as soon after an abnormal screening as possible – often in a day or even less.

“Certainly, our goal has been as soon as a patient has an abnormal report, we try to see the patient within 24-48 hours. It’s not medically necessary, but its good psychologically for patients,” Dr. Candace Dyer said during a recent telephone call from Florida, where she is caring for her mentor and father, Dr. Richard Dyer, who is now in his 90s.

Joining in the call from her office at The Breast Health Center was Dr. Jamie Patterson, who succeeds Dyer as the center’s director. Dyer, who has spent her career at Kent – she started as a volunteer at the age of 15 – and was the first female surgeon in the state, made creation of the center a personal goal that took more than 10 years to achieve.

“We opened our doors in January of 2010 and the whole purpose was to bring state-of-the-art treatment as I said, from diagnosis to treatment and follow up to survivorship, to our women in the community so that they wouldn’t have to travel far from home,” said Dyer.

The center performs about 10,000 mammogram screenings and 100 to 150 breast cancer surgeries a year. The numbers of surgeries for benign breast conditions are higher.

Oddly, since she played such a significant role in its establishment and then running the center, Dyer did not participate in the selection of her successor. She doesn’t offer an explanation, but she finds Patterson an ideal fit.

Patterson, a fellowship trained breast surgeon, holds a medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. She completed further training in breast surgical oncology through the University of Southern California/Hoag Breast Oncology Fellowship Program under the renowned breast surgeon Dr. Melvin Silverstein, who pioneered oncoplastic breast surgery in this country.

Dyer is pleased with what the center has achieved, noting that on three occasions the center has been cited for its work by the National Consortium of Breast Centers.

“But we still have a lot to do, and this is where Jamie comes in because it’s time for me to hand over the reins to someone who is breast only,” Dyer said. She points out she was a general surgeon who fell into doing a lot of breastwork.

“[Patterson] is fellowship trained, she has a lot of new ideas and technical advances for surgery, and I think one of her interests is screening all patients for risks. That would be when patients come in for their mammograms, they get a risk assessment and then we can decide if they are high risk, intermediate risk or average risk.”

Dyer and Patterson communicate frequently. Patterson is often looking for the background or institutional history to better understand how to advance the work of the center.

“I’m excited about Jamie. I think she’s going to do a great job, she has a lot of really great ideas. I think she’s going to work well with our staff. We have a phenomenal staff, not only in the breast center, but in the diagnostic and imaging center. We have had pretty good support from the administration, especially recently, so hopefully Jamie won’t have any barriers there,” Dyer said.

And where do they both see the center being in five years, if not sooner?

Dyer would like to see greater involvement at the national level. She said she sees similarities with Women & Infants.

“We work well collaboratively with them. I would like to see breast fellows go through the Kent program, at least in collaboration with the Women & Infants fellowship program. I think that would be my primary goal,” Dyer said.

Patterson is on the same wavelength. She mentions her examination of policies, brainstorming and planning for the center.

“We’re trying to build on that. What we have is already really amazing and functioning really well. We want to streamline the program, like Candy [Dyer] was saying, we’re working on forming a high-risk assessment program in combination with our women’s diagnostic imaging to be able to reach other women that might be at a higher risk of developing cancer and either prevent or catch the cancer early in those women. We are combining with Women & Infants in regards to the fellowship program so starting this upcoming summer towards spring, they will be rotating two months out of the year, and we’re hoping that will come into more,” Patterson said.

And while informing women of screening results as fast as possible are a standard, the center is looking to make improvements.

“For patients with abnormal mammograms, most of the time we are able to provide a diagnosis within the week (1-5 days). We are now in the process of streamlining this process to make it even faster for patients in the future.  This requires coordination with a patient’s doctor, further work up imaging and biopsies as needed. Biopsy results are available within 24-48 hours after a patient’s procedure and breast surgeons are available at the Breast Health Center for consultation in case treatment is needed,” a Care New England spokeswoman wrote in response to questions about the center.