Caring in the Community: Multidisciplinary UH Breast Health Services Available on the Westside

The variety and complexity of working in the field of breast health – especially breast cancer – is what drew Pamela Li, MD, to this specialty.

“I enjoyed surgical treatment of disease, and I also wanted to do something in regard to women’s health,” says Dr. Li, who did her fellowship in breast surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

“I like that there is a lot of planning and considerations about each individual case, which involves imaging and operative decisions, and incorporating the patient’s own preferences. Every case is different, so there is a lot of planning that goes on beforehand.” 

Dr. Li moved to Cleveland from Seattle this past year to be closer to family, after three years as a breast surgeon at the Swedish Cancer Institute there. She joined UH in June. A native of Long Island, N.Y, she received her undergraduate degrees in biology and chemical engineering from MIT. She then graduated from the Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

Dr. Li, who sees patients both at UH St. John Medical Center and at Southwest General Hospital, treats not only patients with breast cancer, but those who have benign breast disease and a number of other breast-related conditions. These can include patients with abnormal imaging results who need a biopsy, as well as patients who are at high risk of breast cancer.

“Often when we deal with breast cancer, there is a coordination of care with other specialties,” says Dr. Li. “I like the multidisciplinary aspect of it.”

The surgical treatment of breast disease is the focus of her practice, and being available to patients in the community in which they live is important to her, too. “We provide everything a specialized multidisciplinary service provides in the community, so that it is convenient for the patients and provides a good experience for them,” says Dr. Li.

She can be reached at 844-505-3760 or at Pamela.Li@UHhospitals.org.