Get to know Dr. Diana Dickson-Witmer, Breast Surgeon
A board certified surgeon, Dr. Diana 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.
“Beebe Healthcare has a clear vision. It will provide the very best healthcare in Sussex County,” Dr. Dickson-Witmer said. “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.”
Dr. 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.
In addition to her surgical and patient care experience, Dr. 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. Dr. 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.
Dr. Dickson-Witmer also has a wealth of experience in the medical teaching field. Since 1985, she has held the title of clinical assistant professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and has been 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, Dr. Dickson-Witmer was the 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 5-year approval by the Society of Surgical Oncology and becoming the Program Director of the Fellowship.
She has also served as past Chair of the Accreditation Committee of the Commission on Cancer. She is a member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, where she is co-Chair of the Dissemination and Implementation Committee and serves as a member of Prevention Committee and Cancer Care Standards Development Committee.
Dr. 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 1996-2009, and was the inaugural recipient of DBCC’s Shining Lights Award in 2014.
She will see patients at the Rehoboth Health Campus on Route 24 and at the South Coastal Health Campus near Millville. To learn more about her care and watch her video, view her physician profile page. To make an appointment with Dr. Dickson-Witmer, please call 302-645-3332.