National Breast Center
Dr. Weintritt with Martha Carrucci, Astrid Jimenez and Laura Logue from Nueva Vida. National Breast Center collaborates with Nueva Vida and other organizations to increase breast cancer detection and provide innovative treatments to Alexandria women.
With lots of potential paths, Alexandria resident Dr. David Weintritt discovered where he wanted to focus his professional career during medical surgery residency in the early ‘90s in North Carolina.
He had just met his future wife, Tara, whose mother died from breast cancer the year before.
“Just hearing my wife talk about her experience, with her mom be-ing diagnosed — treatment wasn’t very specialized,” said Weintritt, who completed his surgical residency at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C.
“More women diagnosed with breast cancer at that point were dying from it.” Fortunately for many women, a lot has changed since then. From 1990 to 2010, the breast cancer mortality rate dropped 36 percent, according to National Cancer Institute data.
This exposure to the issue led to Weintritt’s decision to become a breast surgeon. He’s focused on new technologies that can help diagnose and treat a person based on the specifics of the case.
After a stint as a general surgeon for the Air Force, he began a private practice in Annapolis, Md. and worked in at a new hospital’s breast center, learning about breast ultrasound and minimally invasive image guided procedures for breast disease.
In 2003, Weintritt moved to Alexandria and started a program for sentinel node biopsy and was the first to bring partial breast radiation and nipple sparing mastectomy to this area. He is involved in state-of-the-art medical technology and clinical trials.
“Every time I have [a patient], even in the most affluent or educated situation, say, ‘Wow, I never knew that was an option,’ it’s just very rewarding,” he said.
Despite a busy medical practice, Weintritt started the National Breast Center, now based in Old Town Alexandria in 2014.
The group’s mission: to increase access to screening and treatment for breast cancer for women in town.
“We found there were women just lacking simple supports,” he said. “They didn’t have the means to get a test. Bad outcomes were completely preventable.”
The Washington, D.C. area has the highest incidences of breast cancer of any state. In particular, D.C. has some of the highest mortality rates and of late stage breast cancer in the country. The area’s incidence rates have decreased in the last five years, according to the National Cancer Institute.
For one pregnant patient diagnosed with breast cancer — and told by other doctors that she should terminate her pregnancy and undergo chemotherapy — Weintritt used genomics technology to determine that there was only a 1 to 2 percent chance the cancer would spread. With that, he determined she could have surgery to remove the cancer after the baby was born. The result? She had a healthy baby and went on to have another.
“Physicians on the medical side are resistant to adopt technology,” he said. “But we’re trying to let them know we’re not trying to replace value of a treating physician, we’re trying to provide them with more information and provide better recommendations.”
He also brought a breast cancer walk back to Alexandria after several years without one. In 2016, the center hosted the Walk to Bust Cancer at Fort Hunt Park. Almost 800 people participated in the 2018 walk and it raised about $82,000. This year’s walk will be held on Oct. 6 at Fort Hunt Park.
“I wanted the walk to be restarted within that year no matter how big or small it was,” he said. “They deserve a platform to come and commemorate and celebrate and needed to start raising money again for the service.”
The center also holds an annual golf tournament, Swing to Bust Cancer. This year’s event will be May 6 at Belle Haven Country Club. Outside of work, Weintritt likes to spend time with his wife and three children. He also enjoys staying active and traveling. This stems from his childhood, backpacking along the Appalachian Trail and diving into the Florida Keys outside of school.
His family was always in front of wildlife and sunsets and not a TV, he said. “Nobody will ever confuse me with a participant in the X Games, but I love being on or in the water, hiking, skiing, and in general seeing all the natural beauty our world has to offer,” he said. For more on the center, go to nationalbreastcenterfoundation.org.
