A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CHAMPIONING OUR LOCAL WOMEN IN BUSINESS. SUBMITTED PHOTOS.

Jennifer Pavlo, M.D.

Ericha Benshoff, M.D.

Carol Collings, M.D.

770 Pine St., Suite 290, Macon

478-743-1458

ramacon.com

What is your mission?

Our mission is to provide safe, compassionate, high-quality care to the people of Central Georgia. – Ericha Benshoff

How has your business shifted because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Because of the COVID -19 pandemic, our study volumes, especially for breast imaging, have dropped significantly. While patients are slowly returning for routine care, we have unfortunately seen a number of patients with advanced breast cancers who delayed seeking medical attention because of the pandemic. – Ericha Benshoff

How do you define success?

We are successful as breast imagers when we diagnose breast cancer at an early, curable stage. We are very excited to have recently added Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) to our practice. This test can detect early breast cancers that can go undetected in women with dense breasts, finding additional cancers in patients with normal mammograms and ultrasounds. It is also useful for patients who feel a lump that cannot be otherwise detected. – Ericha Benshoff

What are you most excited about right now in macon?

I am most excited about a new imaging modality that my practice has brought to Central Georgia: Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI). Dense breast tissue can “hide” cancer on a mammogram and the detection rate of MBI is not affected by breast density. MBI is a comfortable, inexpensive, non-invasive exam that is extremely sensitive at detecting breast cancer at an early, more curable stage and is covered by most insurance. – Carol Collings

I hope more women will:

Understand the impact of dense breast tissue on their screening exam results. Up to 50 percent of women have dense breast tissue, which increases the risk of breast cancer. If you have dense breast tissue, we will notify you by letter as per the recent National Breast Density Law. This law also states you should consider additional screening such as MBI or MRI along with annual mammography. – Jennifer Pavlo

I hope more women will get their screening mammogram every year after age 40. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that annual screening mammography saves lives and reduces the mortality of breast cancer. The physicians and medical centers in our area have implemented policies and procedures to safely resume medical care for our community. – Ericha Benshoff

You might be surprised to know:

The breast imagers at RAM collectively have decades of experience. We can often examine, image and, if needed, perform biopsy for a breast problem all in the same day. – Ericha Benshoff

What is the most gratifying part of your job?

Catching breast cancer early. – Jennifer Pavlo

What was the best business advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received was to base any business decision on what would be in the best interest of the patient. – Ericha Benshoff