Mary Yamashita, MD, promotes SoftVue Project

Dr. Mary Yamashita, Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, was a featured speaker at USC’s 26th Annual Festival for Life on Saturday June 5, 2016.  This festival celebrates and honors cancer survivors who have received care at USC’s Norris Cancer Hospital.  Over 800 attendees participate in this annual event each year. Dr. Yamashita presented information about the breast imaging program at Norris Cancer Hospital and clinical studies conducted within their Radiology’s research teams.   One primary point was her introduction of the Discover SoftVue project she is leading, that will investigate the Delphinus SoftVue whole breast ultrasound system in women with dense breasts.

Dr. Yamashita is the National Principal Investigator for the project and USC is the lead institution among eight sites across the country.  In addition to her presentation, Dr. Yamashita and several of her colleagues met and talked with  participants at the Breast Center’s exhibit table, where over 650 gift bags were distributed, along with brochures and postcards that highlighted the SoftVue Project and provided details about it.  This community-sharing and ‘getting the word out’ was the first for the SoftVue project. USC presented it at the Festival for Life event to inform those in the area to share the exciting research they are doing, with the possibility of recruiting women who may be interested in participating as volunteers. The anticipated timeframe for USC to begin SoftVue exams as part of the project is mid-to-late summer. Dr. Yamashita stated their table drew big crowds and there were many attendees who signed up for more information about the SoftVue project.  Congratulations Dr. Yamashita and team!