Ben Anderson honored for global breast health efforts

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance's Dr. Ben Anderson received the National Consortium of Breast Centers' Inspiration Award on March 25 at the organization's national conference in Las Vegas.

The award is given annually to an individual who embodies a spirit of selfless leadership and provides inspiration for breast health care providers. NCBC praised Anderson as an example of "how to do it right."

Anderson created and chairs the Breast Health Global Initiative, housed in the Public Health Sciences Division. BHGI develops and studies implementation of resource-sensitive, culturally appropriate guidelines for breast cancer early detection, diagnosis and treatment in low- and middle-income countries.

Anderson credits Fred Hutch for giving BHGI its start. "I am personally indebted to the Hutch for having supported BHGI during its critical formative years, and particularly to John Potter and Lee Hartwell who gave us a home in PHS," he said. "Our goal has been to assist countries in 'out of the box' thinking about how breast health care delivery can be improved using existing resources and infrastructure. The Hutch was itself thinking out of the box in helping BHGI gain traction in the arena of international health care."

A professor of Surgery and Global Health Medicine at the University of Washington, Anderson also directs SCCA's Breast Health Center. He received the 2011 Partners in Progress Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and serves on the board of directors for the Union for International Cancer Control.