#MCM: Focus On Physicians With Mahmoud Charif, MD

Help us put a new spin on #ManCrushMonday! In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, UC Cancer Institute has chosen to honor some of our very own "man crushes”—men fighting against this horrible disease. They could be treating it in the clinic, studying it in the lab, or fighting it themselves as patients. Check out our social media pages each Monday in October to see our #ManCrushMonday posts and help us to applaud these men who are making a difference.

And don’t forget to join in the fun. We’d love to know about the heroic men in your lives fighting the fight against breast cancer. Be sure to tag @uchealthnews with your #ManCrushMonday posts.

Mahmoud Charif, MD, is a UC Cancer Institute breast oncologist, an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the division of hematology oncology within the UC College of Medicine and the medical director of mid-level services. Below, he discusses his passion for academic medicine and  why it is important to increase breast cancer awareness in male populations.

"I received my medical degree at Damascus University Medical School in Syria in 1988; then, I came to the U.S. for residency training in internal medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. I worked as an internist in rural Southern Ohio for over a decade. I joined UC in 2005 for a fellowship in blood banking and transfusion medicine then a fellowship in hematology oncology during which I became very interested in breast cancer and joined the UC faculty as a breast oncologist.

"My ties to the Cincinnati area go back more than 20 years since my residency days in Dayton—I had many friends in Cincinnati and I visited often. Cincinnati as a multicultural city was always like a second home to me.  In addition, during my residency at Wright State, UC was the ‘big sister’ down the road that could handle anything.

"In my roles, I see patients at the UC Health Barrett Cancer Center, in West Chester and oncology patients who are admitted to UC Medical Center. I also provide consultation services to other medical specialties for oncology- or hematology-related issues.  I participate in the education of medical trainees including medical students, medical residents and hematology oncology fellows both with didactic teaching and practical teaching in the office and on hospital rounds.

"Breast cancer is much more common in women than in men, and breast cancer awareness in women is quite good; most women know about screening and prevention. However, for men, often the first time they think about breast cancer is when they are told that the breast lump they’ve had for a while is cancer. Improving breast cancer awareness among men is important because the prognosis is dependent to a large extent on how early the cancer is diagnosed.

"There are several factors that distinguish academic medicine: the ability to work with experts in multiple areas to provide the best available and up-to-date care possible and the ability to participate in all phases of research by collaborating with basic scientists and other clinicians. This advances our knowledge in the field and introduces innovative therapies and improves current therapies. But my favorite parts of my work are the interaction with the wonderful group of patients from whom I learn every day as I observe their courage and perseverance as well as passing on the knowledge and experience to the next generation of doctors to continue a tradition that started thousands of years ago.

"In my spare time, I enjoy car trips with my wife and four children, reading history and working in my yard. What many people may not know about me is that I love working on my cars, although my wife isn't thrilled when I walk into the house covered head to toe in grease.”