Lynn T Dengel, MD
Breast Surgery, Cutaneous (Skin) Surgical Oncology
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Bio & Overview
Lynn Dengel, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained surgical oncologist specializing in melanoma and breast disease. After finishing her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, she received her medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she graduated cum laude and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. She subsequently completed a general surgery residency at UVA, where she received the Award of Academic Excellence from the UVA Department of Surgery. Dr. Dengel completed her fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Dr. Dengel is recognized by her peers as an expert in breast disease and melanoma. She serves as a committee member for both the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She has authored and co-authored several articles in leading peer-reviewed publications, including the Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Annals of Surgery. Dr. Dengel has been recognized for her research, receiving the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Award supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Harvey Baker Traveling Fellow Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of four professional societies, including the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and the American Society of Breast Surgeons.
Dr. Dengel’s clinical practice is devoted to the management of breast cancer and melanoma in a robust multidisciplinary fashion. She performs all aspects of surgery for breast cancer and high-risk breast lesions, including: excisional biopsies, lumpectomy, mastectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy, risk-reducing surgery, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and axillary lymph node dissection. For melanoma and the surgical management of non-melanona skin cancers, Dr. Dengel is skilled in wide excision and radical resection of primary and metastatic tumors, sentinel lymph node biopsy, as well as axillary, inguinal, and pelvic lymph node dissection.
Dr. Dengel’s expertise and research interests include translational studies and clinical trials investigating the immune environment at tumor sites and mechanisms that may bolster innate immune response. She is the principal investigator of a clinical trial investigating focused ultrasound ablation combined with immunotherapy in advanced solid tumors. Dr. Dengel also serves as the lead investigator in multiple studies investigating patient decision making, specifically aiming to improve the process of shared decision making and decrease decisional regret for patients considering prophylactic mastectomy.
Dr. Dengel values the opportunity to develop relationships with her patients, who are often navigating a challenging period in their lives. She is committed to ensuring her patients have a solid understanding of their disease and treatment recommendations to allow for informed, shared decision making and a personalized treatment plan.
Academic Information
- Department
- Surgery
- Academic Role
- Associate Professor
- Division
- Breast & Melanoma Surgery
- Research Interests
- Tumor immunology, Melanoma, Focused Ultrasound Ablation of tumors, Patient Decision Making
- Gender
- Female
- Languages
- English
- Age Groups Seen
- Adults (21-65)
Older Adults (65+)
- Primary Education
- Georgetown University School of Medicine (2005)
- Residency
- University of Virginia Medical Center (2012)
- Fellowship
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2013)
- Certification
- American Board of Surgery (Surgery (General Surgery))
- Additional Specialties
- Breast Surgery, Cutaneous (Skin) Surgical Oncology
Highlights
Meet Lynn Dengel, MD
My name is Lynn Dengel, and I'm a surgical oncologist at UVA Health. I take care of patients with breast cancer and melanoma. I decided to become a surgical oncologist during medical school. I found that I loved being in the operating room because it allowed me to quickly take care of problems and help patients in a more immediate sense. But I also loved seeing patients in the office and talking with them about their diagnosis and helping to find the best path for them in their treatment. It's not uncommon for people to ask me why I treat patients with both breast cancer and melanoma. Because I think from an outsider's perspective, they seem very different, but actually surgically they overlap quite a bit. Both of those cancers are skin and soft tissue cancers that can travel to the lymph node and involve specialized procedures in the lymph node, which I have expertise in doing. But I think beyond that, I learn from each discipline, and I can take the best knowledge or the best technique in the two different types of cancer treatment and blend them together, and overall improve the treatment of each cancer individually. When patients come to UVA for their cancer care, they get state-of-the-art technology, access to research trials, and really the best medical care, but they also get care at a place surrounded by people who care for them. Whether it's the other physicians I work with, the nurses, the staff, everyone is motivated to give the patients the best experience and really care for their overall health.
Awards
- Best Bedside Manner Awards, OurHealth Charlottesville and Shenandoah Valley Magazine; Honorable Mention, Surgery – General, 2019
- Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Award, supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 2013
- Harvey Baker Traveling Fellow Award; Society of Surgical Oncology, 2013
- Award of Academic Excellence – Department of Surgery University of Virginia, 2010
- Cum Laude – Georgetown University School of Medicine, 2005
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, 2004
Reviews
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