Renowned breast surgeon Diana Dickson-Witmer joins Beebe

Beebe Healthcare welcomes preeminent breast surgeon Diana Dickson-Witmer, MD, FACS, to Beebe Medical Group. 

A board-certified surgeon, Dickson-Witmer joins Beebe with decades of experience and expertise in the field of breast surgery and oncology. She will lead the Beebe Center for Breast Health. 

She will see patients at the Rehoboth Health Campus on Route 24 and at the South Coastal Health Campus near Millville.

“Diana is a preeminent breast surgeon and has been a central figure in Delaware cancer care for years,” said Dr. David A. Tam, president and CEO, Beebe Healthcare. “Beebe is committed to bringing experts in their field like Diana to care for those in Sussex County. She joins Beebe as we continue to create the Next Generation of Care.”

In addition to her surgical and patient care experience, Dickson-Witmer is known for her trailblazing work in the field of breast surgery – setting the standard and developing the programs to train future surgeons in the field.

In 1994, she introduced stereotactic breast core needle biopsy to Delaware, and trained radiologists and surgeons in the technique. In 1997, she published results of the first 100 stereotactic core breast biopsies done in Delaware. Dickson-Witmer also introduced sentinel node biopsy to the Delaware Valley in 1999 and published the results of a pilot study of the first 50 cases done at ChristianaCare.

Dickson-Witmer also has a wealth of experience in the medical teaching field. She has been clinical assistant professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia since 1985, and a member of the surgical teaching staff at ChristianaCare since 1983.

She has been featured in numerous medical publications, given hundreds of presentations and served on three medical missions, one in Africa and two in Central America.

Previously, Dickson-Witmer was medical director of the ChristianaCare Breast Center at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, where she chaired the weekly breast tumor conference. In 2017, after being Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship surveyor for 10 years, she played an integral role in the creation of the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at ChristianaCare, securing an unprecedented five-year approval by the Society of Surgical Oncology and becoming the program director for the fellowship.

“The vast experience in the surgical field that Dr. Dickson-Witmer will add to the Beebe surgery team is immeasurable,” said James Spellman, MD, FACS, Beebe Healthcare chief of surgery. “Beebe will become a destination for those seeking the top surgical breast care.”

Dickson-Witmer is an expert member of the newest American College of Surgeons Program, the Cancer Surgery Standards Program. She is also a member of several national professional organizations and committees, and is the Delaware state chair for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. She was also a founding board member of the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, serving from 1996 to 2009, and was the inaugural recipient of DBCC’s Shining Lights Award in 2014.

“We welcome Dr. Dickson-Witmer to Beebe Medical Group and know how much her years of experience and her expertise will benefit those in Sussex County,” said Bobby Gulab, MD, senior vice president, chief medical officer, Beebe Medical Group. “Beebe Medical Group is committed to expanding our access and medical providers to meet the needs of the community.”

Dickson-Witmer graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine. She also served a residency there, as well as at the Medical Center of Delaware, where she was chief surgical resident in 1982.

“Beebe Healthcare has a clear vision. It will provide the very best healthcare in Sussex County,” said Dickson-Witmer. “I am excited to join this growing, forward-looking, patient-centered institution and to be given the extraordinary opportunity to play a leadership role in development of the next generation of healthcare in Sussex County and beyond.”

To make an appointment with Dickson-Witmer, call 302-645-3332. To learn more about her care, go to beebehealthcare.org/services/oncology/breast-health.