UH Breast Cancer Surgeon Gives Her Patients the Gifts of Time and Empathy

UH Clinical Update | August 2025

In fifth grade, Amanda Amin’s science class dissected a frog. Some classmates were squeamish, but Amanda was fascinated.

Amanda Amin, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO

“I was the one reaching for the scalpel. I was amazed at how intricate it’s tiny insides were,” she says.

Years later, while in medical school at Southern Illinois University, she entered the OR as a student. The school’s unique program paired students with clinicians in an apprentice-type model, in their very first year. Because of her interest in surgery, she was paired with a female surgeon who had a breast practice.

“And the moment I was in surgery, I knew I was made for this,” she says. Her experience spending months with the clinician and her patients then led to her focus on breast surgery.

Today, Amanda Amin, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO, is a breast surgery oncologist who has been practicing since 2014, and who joined UH in 2021. She is Chief of Breast Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at UH Seidman Cancer Center. She was recruited by Jordan Winter, MD, Director, Surgical Services at UH Seidman Cancer Center, the John and Peggy Garson Family Endowed Chair in Pancreatic Cancer Research and Jerome A. and Joy Weinberger Family Master Clinician in Surgical Oncology.

Earlier this year, Dr. Amin was honored with a “Cliff Appreciates” honor for working relentlessly to elevate UH’s Breast Surgical Oncology program to an exceptional level, and for advocating for a robust APP practice, as well as finding solutions whenever any issues arise.

Dr. Amin says she was drawn to breast surgery because of the time a clinician spends with patients, especially before the surgery. In many surgical practices, the physician will only briefly interact with the patient, and frequently the patient is just told what they need.

“With patients who have breast cancer, you need to be more patient and to sit down and really talk to them,” she says. “You can’t just rush through it. It is important for a breast surgeon to understand the patient’s goals and present treatment options in a balanced, data-driven but easily digestible way. I enjoy interacting with the patients, and I really enjoy helping them understand their disease. Together, we make individualized shared decisions about how best to manage their cancer.”

And patients are, understandably, emotional about their diagnosis.

“That’s why I like the concept of women taking care of women,” says Dr. Amin. “My understanding of their body and what they’re going through is closer than that of a male who might think, ‘It’s just a breast, it’s no big deal, you’re done using it.’

“To some women, it can be a really big deal.”

Also, misinformation about breast cancer treatment abounds, whether it is from online crowdsourcing, or from friends and relatives.

“Because breast cancer is so prevalent, women will share stories of family members who had a certain treatment and they’ll think that this is what they too should have,” says Dr. Amin. “But it may not be at all applicable to their specific diagnosis.”

Then too, women have questions: Should they get their non-cancerous breast removed? If they want reconstructive surgery, how and when will that be done?

The answers are patient-specific and can be disease-limited. Answering them takes time. And Dr. Amin believes that providing it is part of the healing process.

To nominate a physician for this honor, click here for the Dinner with the Doc Nomination Form.