Dr Juliette The lives in Highland Beach and is president of the South
County Chapter of the American Cancer Society. Photo by Tim Stepien
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
— Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Like the poet Robert Frost, Dr. Juliette The (pronounced “tay”) of Highland Beach took the road less traveled, and it has made all the difference — not only for her, but for the hundreds of women she sees each year at the Center for Breast Care at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
“I remember when I was trying to choose my specialty, breast imaging was actually very unpopular,” The said. “They had a hard time getting recruits for it. At the time, a lot of new technologies were emerging in other areas of radiology that my fellow interns found more exciting.”
As she completed medical school, The gravitated toward radiology, and since she wanted to work with female patients, she specialized in breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Her chosen path led her to a fellowship in mammography and body imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, then back home to South Florida to begin her medical career.
By this time, breast disease was no longer a hush-hush topic. Today, even professional football players wear hot-pink accessories in open support of breast cancer patients and survivors.
“Anything pink raises awareness,” said The, referring to the proliferation of pink products during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As president of the South Florida Chapter of the American Cancer Society, The works hard to raise awareness and spread the “early detection” message, both at the office and in the community.
“Every woman in the U.S. has a 1-in-8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime,” The said. “That’s why women should get mammograms each year starting at age 40.”
The is a breast cancer researcher, lecturer, and advanced imaging techniques course coordinator. In her free time, she enjoys distance running, yoga and travel. She has visited 27 countries in her 38 years, including India, Vietnam and Haiti.
A newlywed, The in August married Leo Cid, who owns a boat repair facility in Delray Beach.
They met on a boat ride arranged by The’s neighbor specifically to get the two together. Sometimes the road less traveled even comes with a good matchmaker.
— Paula Detwiller
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school?
A. I grew up in Lake Worth and my parents still live in the same house. I went to school at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach. I went to both college and medical school at the University of Florida. I then did a radiology residency at Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship specializing in breast and body imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, both in Manhattan.
Q. What are some highlights of your professional life?
A. I specialize in breast imaging, and read over 10,000 mammograms a year. Any time I find a breast cancer on a screening mammogram it’s very rewarding because that means we have intervened at an early stage.
A woman’s prognosis is usually better when a cancer is found early, before symptoms arise.
Other highlights include the special relationships I have developed with my coworkers, staff and patients. I have been with the same job at the Center for Breast Care and Diagnostic Centers of America since I left training, and I feel that is a blessing.
I was also a first author in an article regarding computer-aided detection of breast cancer in the American Journal of Roentgenology, a major radiology publication journal, in February 2009.
I am the president of the South Palm Beach County chapter of the American Cancer Society and I have met some incredible people and heard some inspiring stories that make my career and my time volunteering worthwhile.
Q. Were you always interested in science? When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?
A. My father was a physician, so I was exposed to medicine from an early age. I liked science and learning how things work, and I also like being around people and helping people. So I always knew I wanted to be a doctor.
My two sisters also work in health professions. One is an oncologist in Boynton Beach, the other is an assistant professor of public health at Furman University in South Carolina.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?
A. When I first began working my career in Boca Raton and Delray Beach six years ago, I lived with my parents in Lake Worth.
I went to a party at a friend’s apartment one night in Highland Beach on Bel Air Drive and I fell in love with the area.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in
Highland Beach? A. Many things, but I love the energy of all the people exercising outside. I also love seeing the ocean as I drive to work every day. I love relaxing on the beach with my husband and dog, and the sunsets from the balcony.
Q. What is your biggest challenge as president of the South Florida Chapter of the American Cancer Society?
A. The biggest challenge for me is to recruit volunteers and keep them engaged in the American Cancer Society’s mission, which is to eliminate cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. Another challenge is that I become nervous before I speak in front of a crowd.
Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?
A. Catherine Zeta-Jones — she is a femme fatale!
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. The song 500 Miles by The Proclaimers gets me going. When I want to relax, most instrumental music/movie theme soundtracks are great.
Q. What do people not know about you that you wish they would?
A. I love to dance. I even won a dance contest with a friend of mine while on vacation in Belize.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. Yes. Dr. Kathy Schilling is my mentor. She is a pioneer in breast imaging and started the Center for Breast Care at Boca Raton Regional Hospital more than 20 years ago. Can you imagine trying to convince the hospital and other male coworkers that we needed a whole building to do breast imaging in the mid-1980s?
She is a visionary and an outstanding leader, and gently pushes me beyond the limits of what I think I can do.
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