Dr. Sean DeSilva, MD of Franciscan Health is one of a kind - he is currently the only fellowship-trained breast imager at the Crown Point location. That very reason is what encouraged him to take the job as the new Medical Director of the Franciscan Health Breast Care Center Crown Point in July.
“I am humbled to say that I had many opportunities to work in different parts of the country, including in downtown Chicago and other major academic medical centers and private practices throughout the country,” said Dr. DeSilva. “I specifically chose Crown Point because I wanted to feel the pragmatic and tangible impact of my work. I'm the only fellowship trained breast imager at my hospital.”
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Dr. DeSilva has traveled from the east coast to the west for his education and training. He completed his fellowship training in advanced breast imaging at Harvard Medical School in Boston, his residency training at the State University of New York in New York City, his internship at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., and his medical degree at Boston University.
It was in Crown Point, though, where he found his calling. Being in Crown Point gives him the ability to help patients with less access to high-quality healthcare, as opposed to working in a bigger city.
“If I were to take a job, let's say, at Northwestern or at Harvard or Stanford, some of the institutions that I've worked at in the past, I would be one of a dozen fellowship trained breast imagers at that site, and the reality is my services are not really as important as they are here. If I don't show up to work today, it would be a problem as patients would not be able to get their biopsies; our diagnostic patients would not be able to be appropriately evaluated,” Dr. DeSilva said.
Dr. DeSilva explained that working in bigger cities throughout the United States allowed him to develop a unique skill set that he is excited to bring to the Northwest Indiana community.
As the medical director, Dr. DeSilva will be evaluating screening and diagnostic mammograms, he will be performing wire localization to help localize cancers and other masses in the breast that need to be removed by surgeons. He will also be doing a procedure using ultrasound and mammographic guidance. In addition, he will analyze breast MRIs and is actively working to establish an MRI-guided breast biopsy program.
Dr. DeSilva is looking forward to helping those in the Crown Point area.
“I'm most excited to really create a fully comprehensive program that encompasses all aspects of diagnostic and procedural breast imaging for the community, and for the greater population of Crown Point and Northwest Indiana,” Dr. DeSilva said.
He also has high hopes for the Center and wants others to know they don’t have to travel far for quality breast care.
“My ultimate goal is to have the Breast Care Center at Franciscan Crown Point stand out in Northwest Indiana as the region’s go-to medical center for a woman's breast care needs,” Dr. DeSilva said. “There's no need to go to downtown Chicago. I want to be able to provide the same level of care and services that's provided at any major academic medical center, such as at Northwestern or the University of Chicago, right here in Crown Point, so that the community and the population at large of Northwest Indiana can feel confident that they are receiving top-tier medical care here." (deleted the next two sentences)
Dr. DeSilva is also very appreciative of his team and all they’ve accomplished in the past couple of months.
“I'm very proud of our team. In the short span of time that I've been here, there have been significant changes; we've introduced a technology that is really at the forefront of breast imaging, which is the Savi Scout localization device,” DeSilva said.
Dr. DeSilva chose to pursue radiology and breast imaging because he enjoys serving as a consultant in a highly technically-advanced specialty to help doctors manage their patients.
“I love being there for a discrete period of time, where I can really bring technical and procedural expertise and take care of women during some of their most vulnerable times as we navigate their breast health needs,” Dr. DeSilva said.
Dr. DeSilva lives in Chicago and commutes to Crown Point for work. In his spare time, he enjoys racing cars semi-professionally. He belongs to the Porsche Club of America and has been racing Porsche’s since graduating from medical school.
“That is a very strong passion of mine. And I happen to race the car that I drive every day. So it's almost as if I'm racing every day. I sort of joke around and I say I wish the drive was even longer from Chicago to Crown Point because I love being in the car so much,” Dr. DeSilva said.
For more information on Franciscan Health, visit www.franciscanhealth.org.
