Benjamin O. Anderson MD, FACS

Dr. Anderson is Professor of Surgery and Global Health Medicine at the University of Washington (UW). As surgical director of the UW Breast Health Clinic, Dr. Anderson's cared for patients with breast health issues and diseases from 1994–2020. Dr. Anderson served as president of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) from 2005–2007 and vice chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Breast Panel from 2013–2020.

Dr. Anderson is an internationally recognized leader in global cancer control. With joint appointments at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Division of Public Health Sciences and the UW Department of Global Health, Dr. Anderson created and is the past chair and director of the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI), which pioneered the development of “resource-stratified” guidelines for breast cancer early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Dr. Anderson served on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) from 2012–2018. In recognition of his dedicated global efforts, Dr. Anderson received the 2011 Partners in Progress Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the 2013 Inspiration Award from the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC), and the 2019 Pioneers of Global Health Award from the Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA). Dr. Anderson co-chairs the Breast Cancer Initiative 2.5 (BCI2.5), a global campaign to avert breast cancer deaths for 2.5 million women by 2040. In 2020, Dr. Anderson joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Medical Officer and now serves as WHO Medical Officer leading the Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) launched in March 2021. In March 2023, Dr. Anderson received the Umberto Veronesi Memorial Award from the European School of Oncology (ESO) during the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Symposium held in Vienna, Austria.

Dr. Anderson was awarded his medical degree by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He received residency training in general surgery at the University of Colorado in Denver and completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, after which he joined the academic surgical faculty at the University of Washington, where he has been since 1994. His clinical interests include oncoplastic breast surgery, procedures that simultaneously improves oncologic outcomes and cosmetic outcomes in breast conservation surgery.

He has been a peer reviewer for 45 national and international scientific journals and has served on several editorial review boards, which include Annals of Surgical Oncology, The Breast Journal, Breast, The Lancet Oncology, Journal of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Global Oncology, and The Oncologist.

Dr. Anderson has published over 300 articles and book chapters and has lectured on topics in breast disease, healthcare delivery, and global oncology throughout the United States and in over 35 other countries.

Positions:
Professor of Surgery and Global Health–Medicine, University of Washington; Director, Breast Health Clinic, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (1996–2018); Past Chair and Director, Breast Health Global Initiative, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Joint Full Member, Epidemiology, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Medical Officer, Cancer Control; Lead, Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.

Degrees:
MD: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York

Postgraduate Training:
Fellowship (surgical oncology): Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York

Clinical Interests:
Global oncology, oncoplastic breast surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locoregional cancer control, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), phyllodes tumors