Doctor Profiles

Dr. Connie Lehman, advancing how radiologists see breast cancers

Dr. Connie Lehman is a professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the director of Breast Imaging at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. After graduating from Duke University, she received her medical degree and PhD from Yale University and moved to Seattle for residency training in diagnostic radiology and fellowship training in breast imaging at the University of Washington.

Dr. Lehman is the principal investigator (PI) for an international trial, coordinated by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN), which evaluated the cancer detecting performance of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in the contralateral (opposite) breast of women with a current breast cancer diagnosis in only one breast. 

The trial, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), involved 1,000 women at 25 sites in the US, Canada, and Germany, who were diagnosed with breast cancer within 60 days of enrollment and had not yet been treated with hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. The ACRIN trial results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine March 29, 2007.

She is also a co-investigator for the National Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium and has served as a co-investigator on other multi-institution National Cancer Institute clinical trials in breast MRI and ultrasound. 
Dr. Lehman mentors residents, fellows, and faculty in radiology on research projects, is responsible for training residents and fellows in clinical breast imaging, including new methods of imaging and interventions. Her research is focused on new methods and applications of MRI in breast imaging and in factors that influence the performance of mammography in early cancer detection. Click here to learn more about this research.

She has been a pioneer in the use of MRI for evaluating breast cancer and has been recognized nationally and internationally for her excellence in clinical work, teaching, and research.

Outside of work, Dr. Lehman enjoys spending time with her husband, Adam, and their children, Grace and Sam, traveling, reading, and enjoying good food and wine. 

Dr. Lehman’s work has been featured on television and radio.

To hear her speak about the importance of early detection of breast cancer, click here.

In July 2007, Dr. Lehman won the Ladies Home Journal Breakthrough Award. For the story, click here.

To watch a KOMO-TV interview with Dr. Lehman, click here.

February 2008