The Brem Foundation is inspired by Dr. Rachel Brem’s mission and life story.
The Brem Foundation is inspired by Dr. Rachel Brem’s mission and life story. As the Director of the Breast Imaging and Intervention Center and the Program Leader for Breast Cancer at the George Washington Cancer Center, Dr. Brem works everyday to prevent breast cancer from taking more lives.
When Dr. Brem was twelve years old, her 33-year old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer—and was given six months to live. Despite the odds, Dr. Brem’s mother lived 43 years after her diagnosis—but this diagnosis inspired Dr. Brem to dedicate her life to curing breast cancer.
At 24 years old, Dr. Brem graduated from Columbia Medical School. She then completed her Radiology and Breast Imaging training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and joined the breast imaging team at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Brem often tried new equipment on herself before deciding whether or not to use it for her patients.
While practicing medicine, Dr. Brem treats every patient like a family member.
One evening after her patients had gone home, Dr. Brem tried a piece of new equipment on herself. She just wanted to examine the image quality of the technology—but what she found was her own breast cancer. After fighting and beating the disease at age 37, and with three daughters aged twelve, nine, and nine, Dr. Brem’s passion for her life’s work became even more powerful.
She continues to channel that passion to change the face of breast cancer. Her accomplishments all involve new technologies for the early detection of breast cancer. Specifically, she has led the field in Computer-Aided Detection (CAD), Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), Automated Breast Ultrasound Systems (ABUS), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Her advancements have led to many awards and honors. These include Newsweek Magazine naming her as a top cancer doctor, being named a Woman To Watch by Jewish Women International, and being named Woman of the Year by the International Biographical Center. Dr. Brem and her colleagues at GW built a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary breast cancer program at George Washington. She is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging.