HonorHealth, Arizona Center for Cancer Care launch Arizona’s first breast surgical oncology fellowship

HonorHealth and Arizona Center for Cancer Care are starting Arizona’s first Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, with fellows set to begin training in 2028. The new program is meant to expand specialized breast cancer training and help address a growing surgeon shortage across the state and beyond.

Why it matters: - Arizona is getting its first fellowship focused on breast surgical oncology, a specialty training pipeline designed to produce more surgeons with advanced breast cancer expertise. - The program is meant to improve access to specialized breast cancer care statewide by expanding the number of surgeons trained in multidisciplinary treatment. - The launch comes as the U.S. faces a projected physician shortage, with surgeons expected to make up a large share of the gap by 2036.

What happened: - HonorHealth and Arizona Center for Cancer Care announced the launch of Arizona’s first Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program on June 24, 2026. - HonorHealth’s Breast Surgery Fellowship Program received accreditation from the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Society of Breast Surgeons. - The fellowship will operate in close partnership with the Comprehensive Breast Center of Arizona. - HonorHealth is the sponsoring institution for the fellowship. - The first fellows are scheduled to begin training in 2028 after the national match process.

The details: - HonorHealth currently supports 21 residency and fellowship programs. - HonorHealth serves as the primary clinical affiliate for the ASU John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering. - HonorHealth Cancer Care is one of 68 accredited programs in the U.S. and Canada offering this type of fellowship. - The Arizona program will be the first and only one of its kind in the state. - Fellows will train across breast surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, breast imaging, genetics, survivorship and psychosocial care. - S. Brenda Moorthy, D.O., F.A.C.S., an oncoplastic breast surgeon at CBCA, is the program director. - Moorthy said the fellowship will equip future surgeons with advanced multidisciplinary training to improve outcomes for patients with breast cancer. - Moorthy also said the program will give fellows broad clinical exposure at HonorHealth Cancer Care treatment centers. - A 2024 Association of American Medical Colleges report projects a U.S. physician shortage of 13,500 to 86,000 by 2036. - The same report estimates 10,000 to 19,900 of the shortage could be surgeons, or up to 74% of the total shortfall.

Between the lines: - The fellowship adds a training pipeline at a time when cancer programs are competing for specialists and trying to widen access to complex care. - The partnership builds on a longer relationship between the two systems, which joined in 2017 to create the HonorHealth Virginia G. Piper Cancer Care Network. - That network was built to expand access to high-quality cancer care across Arizona through an integrated model. - Through the collaboration, patients have access to experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology and hematology. - HonorHealth has continued expanding outpatient cancer services across the region, helping build one of Arizona’s most comprehensive cancer care networks. - CBCA says the partnership with HonorHealth, HonorHealth Foundation and the ASU Medical School is intended to support innovation, research and excellence in patient care. - The announcement also signals a broader bet on specialty education as a workforce strategy, not just a clinical service expansion.

What's next: - Program leaders will move toward enrolling the first fellows through the national match process. - The fellowship will begin training in 2028. - HonorHealth and Arizona Center for Cancer Care will likely use the program to deepen clinical training, research and patient care collaboration. - More information is available at the fellowship contact.