Events Archive
Women’s Guild Honors Edward Phillips, MD, and Celebrates the Brandman Breast Center
Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre played host to the Women’s Guild annual fall gala on October 29, 2011. The evening celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center — A Project of Women’s Guild at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, and the work and achievements of Edward Phillips, MD, who founded the Center in partnership with Women’s Guild a decade ago. Chaired by board member and Executive Vice President Gina Furth, the gala also featured dinner and a special performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Iris–A Journey Through the World of Cinema.
Women’s Guild members and their guests got an inside look at the life and career of Dr. Phillips, courtesy of a personal introduction by Andy Heyward, a lifetime friend. Co-Director of the Breast Center and a member of the Cedars-Sinai family for nearly three decades, Dr. Phillips is a leading practitioner, clinical researcher, and authority on diseases of the breast and on laparoscopic surgery. He holds nine U.S. patents in the field of surgery.
Notes Women’s Guild President Lorette Gross, “We honored Dr. Phillips not only for his outstanding work as a physician and surgeon, but also for his commitment to making a difference in the lives of so many of his patients.”
In learning about his remarkable track record of success, gala attendees gained new insight into why, with Dr. Phillips at the helm, the Breast Center has become one of the nation’s top providers of advanced healthcare services for breast cancer and other breast-related diseases. Under his direction, the Breast Center offers prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, including oncologic and plastic reconstructive surgery as well as patient education, cancer screening, genetic risk assessment, and strategies for risk reduction.
Cirque du Soleil capped the evening with Iris, a spectacular new production created exclusively for the Kodak Theatre that presents an imaginary journey through the evolution of cinema, from the foundations of the art form to the bustle of the soundstage. As Gross points out, it was fitting that a tribute to cinema served as the cornerstone of the gala, since Women’s Guild was the first philanthropic group to pair fundraising with Hollywood film premieres.
The event was made possible through the hard work of Past President Judy Briskin, Treasurer Barbara Herman, Past President Vera Guerin, and our dedicated Décor, Tribute Journal, Save the Date, and Invitation committees. Another vital contribution came from Wolfgang Puck Catering.
Proceeds from the evening helped support the Breast Center’s acquisition of an innovative web-based software program called the Personal and Family Supportive Care Planner. Using this tool, patients complete in-depth profiles that enable physicians and staff to anticipate potential challenges before a patient begins therapy. Says Gross, “We are continually looking for ways to strengthen patients’ health — and this software allows us to make further progress toward that goal.” A portion of proceeds also provided critical funding for the Women’s Guild Lung Institute.