“I help my patients get healthy and that’s a privilege”
The discovery of a breast lump produces fear, uncertainty, even panic. “That’s why we pretty much get people in the same day,” Dr. Loring says. She makes speedy answers a priority, too. “If a patient has a problem, I try to make the diagnosis within twenty-four hours. It’s the best way to relieve anxiety.”
A board-certified radiologist, Dr. Loring specializes in women’s imaging, while women come to her for routine mammograms she firmly recommends an annual screening after age forty and monthly breast self-exams, regardless of family history. She performs a range of diagnostic tests including breast ultrasound, MRI and percutaneous breast biopsy and ductography. If the findings indicate further treatment, she will facilitate consultation, if necessary, with a surgeon and an oncologist.
“I feel very lucky to be a doctor,” says Dr. Loring. “I meet a new patient and two minutes later she’s telling me very tough stuff. My job is to help patients get healthy and that’s a privilege.” She also enjoys collaborating with other medical professionals, and at BMC she spearheaded the establishment of a weekly Breast Conference. The meetings are attended by surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and primary care providers. “We discuss current cases so that we are all on the same page and can determine the best plan of care.”
Lisa Loring’s desire to become a doctor came early. “It seems naïve, I know, but it was a childhood thing. I always wanted to be a doctor.” She grew up in Lee, the youngest of six, her father a mill worker. She completed undergraduate work at McGill University in Montreal and attended medical school at the University of Massachusetts. A residency at Hartford Hospital was followed by a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Happy to be back in Berkshire County, she resides in Richmond with her two sons. When work and family time allow, she enjoys the outdoors, hiking, biking, travel and the pleasures of a good novel.
