The Breast Center Team
A coordinated team of professionals handles your care at the Breast Center, from initial contact through annual mammograms or necessary treatments.
Lorraine Tafra, M.D.
Dr. Lorraine Tafra is the founding and current Director of the AAMC Breast Center, a position she accepted in 1999. Dr. Tafra received her M.D. from Case Western Reserve University and completed residency training in General Surgery at Brown University and Thomas Jefferson University. She also completed a 2-year NIH sponsored research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Surgery. She was then accepted as a member of the first fellowship group at the John Wayne Cancer Institute where she completed a 2-year Surgical Oncology fellowship and participated in the initial development of the sentinel node technique for breast cancer.
Dr. Tafra serves on numerous committees for a variety of national surgical organizations including the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Breast Surgeons, National Approvals Program for Breast Centers, National Consortium of Breast Centers, National Quality Forum, Surgical Quality Alliance, and others. She is a past-president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the largest and oldest society dedicated to breast surgery. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and is a frequent invited speaker at conferences, both in the US and internationally.
Dr. Tafra founded the Breast Surgery fellowship at AAMC, now in its 9th year and is active in research with collaborations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, East Carolina University and Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, where she also holds an academic appointment in surgery.
Robert R. Buras, M.D., a fellowship trained breast surgeon joined the the AAMC Breast Center in August 2011 Dr. Buras has extensive experience in the management of breast cancer and benign breast conditions. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, followed by a surgical residency at the University of Illinois. Dr. Buras completed two fellowships: Research at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. and Surgical Oncology at the City of Hope Cancer Center, California. He is board certified in general surgery. Following completion of his training, Dr. Buras became full-time faculty, Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University. Prior to joining AAMC, Dr. Buras served as the director of breast surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center.
Clarisa Hammer, D.O.
Clarisa Hammer, D.O. has joined AAMC's DeCesaris Cancer Institute as an internationally trained Breast & Oncoplastic Surgeon.
After receiving her doctorate in osteopathic medicine from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie, PA, Dr. Hammer completed her general surgery residency at Michigan State University, St. John Oakland Hospital. She completed fellowships in breast surgical oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Health Systems and Oncoplastic Breast Surgery at the University of Southern California. Additionally, she has completed a European Oncoplastic Fellowship in Milan and Florence, Italy; Dusseldorf, Germany; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Paris, France.
Dr. Hammer comes to AAMC from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her unique set of skills and experience combine both the oncologic and reconstructive aspects of breast cancer surgery. Through fellowship experiences at Europe's most prestigious and advanced breast care centers, she has gained exposure to a wide breadth of innovative treatment options to benefit patients.
As a member of the American Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society of Breast Surgery, Dr. Hammer has authored peer-reviewed papers in the Journal of Urology and The Cleveland Clinical Journal of Medicine, among others. Her current research focuses on evaluation of mentor C3PX Tissue Expander-Implants with tabs—specifically, whether the tabs prevent rotation of the implant expanders in breast reconstruction.
Focusing on care of the whole person, Dr. Hammer is committed to her patients and their best health.
Wen C. Liang, D.O., Dr. Wen C. Liang a fellowship-trained breast surgeon, joined the AAMC Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute's Breast Center in September 2009. A native of Salisbury, Md., Dr. Liang returns to Maryland from Columbus, Ohio, where she was in private practice specializing in breast care and surgery since 2001. Dr. Liang received her BS from the University of Maryland and her doctorate from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency at Ohio University in Dayton, Ohio, and a fellowship in breast surgery at Grant Medical Center in Columbus. She is board certified in general surgery.
Dr. Liang maintains an interest in breast oncology research, oncoplastic surgery techniques and high risk breast cancer screening. She is an active member of the American Society of Breast Surgery, the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society of Breast Diseases, and participates in several clinical trials.