7 Quick Questions With Breast Surgeon Ian T. Greenwalt, MD

Specializing in breast surgery, Ian T. Greenwalt, MD, cares for patients with breast cancer as well as individuals at increased risk. He uses minimally invasive procedures and oncoplastic surgical techniques — integrating cancer surgery and plastic surgery — to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.

Meet a Breast Surgeon in Northern Virginia

We asked Greenwalt our 7 quick questions to get to know him better.

1. What has most inspired and shaped your approach to patient care?

My approach includes involving patients in the process. When patients are able to understand their diagnosis, there's a much stronger level of trust.

2. What's your favorite part of your job?

Providing patients with great outcomes. Getting to give them a clean pathology report and then seeing them living their lives and back to normal is very satisfying.

3. What's your biggest fear as a patient?

Uncertainty. At the beginning of someone's diagnosis there can be a lot of unknowns, and it's hard to deal with.

For our patients, we provide a lot of counseling and communication to break through those unknowns so people feel more comfortable with the plan going forward.

4. What do you do for stress relief?

I like to exercise. I cycle, Peloton, do Orangetheory, but also I chase my kids and my dogs around.

5. Dogs or cats?

I'm a dog person. I'm allergic to cats. We tend to like weird dogs in my family. We've got some French bulldogs who are endearingly strange.

6. Last movie you watched? Thumbs up or down?

Dune: Part Two; thumbs up.

7. Best advice you've ever heard?

There are slow parts of surgery and fast parts of surgery. It's important to understand when to take your time and when you can move through things quickly. I think that's true for life as a whole.