Carroll County native Dr. Dona C. Hobart, FACS, practiced in nearby Hagerstown for nearly 16 years before coming home to start the breast care program at Carroll Hospital. She serves as the cancer committee chair and medical director of LifeBridge Breast Health Services including both the Center for Breast Health and the Herman and Walter Samuelson Breast Center at Northwest Hospital.
“We started the radioactive seed program as the first in the State of Maryland in 2014. We then were one of the first in the country to use RFID technology to replace the seeds,” Dr. Hobart says. “At Northwest Hospital we use VisionCT technology for intraoperative imaging of specimens. We were again the first in the country with this technology.”
Inspired by her patients and wanting her important work to continue beyond her lifetime, Dr. Hobart has established a trust in her estate plan that will allow her to take care of her family first and then continue to support the charities and missions closest to her heart. “I grew up in a philanthropic family and always felt that giving to charities was simply the right thing to do,” she says. “I’ve spent my life caring for patients, and it’s important for that to continue in a meaningful way.
“Having the vision and support of Leslie Simmons right from the get-go has been important,” Dr. Hobart says. Insurance does not pay for the projects she has spearheaded (particularly breast health), but “having institutional as well as philanthropic support has been key” to making her visions become a reality. “The team has been so insightful.”
Dr. Hobart with patient Tammy Taylor
Dr. Hobart is excited about the new leadership across LifeBridge Health System. Garrett Hoover is the new president and chief operating officer of Carroll Hospital, Craig Carmichael is the new president and chief operating officer of Northwest Hospital, and Daniel Blum is the new president of Sinai Hospital and Grace Medical Center. “Through this recent health crisis, I have been even more impressed with our team and their dedication to getting essential breast care to each patient in a safe fashion,” Dr. Hobart concludes. “They remain dedicated to developing new ways address the changing needs of our communities in these uncertain times.”
Read much more at www.kahlertregionalcancer.org.