Uncrowned Community Builders

Dr. Thelma C. Hurd earned her medical degree (1983) and completed residency training (1990) in General Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark. She completed a clinical fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Hurd moved to Buffalo in 1997 to join the staff of Roswell Park Cancer Institute as Attending Surgeon, Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery. She is licensed by the states of New York, New Jersey, and Texas, and was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1991 and re-certified in 2001.

Her research interest focuses on breast cancer in African Americans and phenotypic alterations in MHC Class 1 expressions. She has authored or co-authored more than twenty journal publications, book chapters, and abstracts. She is an ad hoc reviewer for Cancer Research, Cancer, Archives of Surgery, and Journal of Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Hurd is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association of Women in Science, and American Society of Breast Disease. She serves on committees at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University at Buffalo where she also is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Xi Epsilon Omega Chapter Health Award; Who's Who; Kevin Guest House Heart Award; Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors in America - Central Region, NCI Minority Scientists Travel Award; American Cancer Society Oncology Fellowship and Phi Theta Kappa.

In the short time that she has been in Buffalo, Dr. Hurd has been very involved in the community, particularly contributing her expertise on the subject of cancers affecting women. She is a sought after workshop presenter and keynote speaker. She is gratified by the impact that she has had on raising awareness about the issue of cancer to the community and helping those affected through The Witness Project of Buffalo. This community-based breast and cervical cancer education program was implemented to educate African American Women in Buffalo about the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnosis, and to increase utilization of existing breast and cervical cancer screening programs. Dr. Hurd also is actively engaged in cancer research and is the recipient of numerous grants to advance this segment of her work.