PHO TOS B Y GRE GO RY “ F R I T Z ” B LA K E Y
A Chat With Dr. To
FOR THE PIONEERING PH THE ROAD TO HAPPINES PAVED WITH PEACE, PAS AND PURPOSE
BY SUSAN BO DIKER On paper, Dr. Eleni Tousimis is an intimidating figure. An award-winning physician and professional dynamo, she pioneered nipplesparing mastectomies, minimally invasive surgical procedures and nonnarcotic pain control. Tousimis joined MedStar Georgetown in 2012 and is now site director of the MedStar Breast Health Program, director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center, chief of breast surgery and Breast Oncology Fellowship director. In addition to her demanding day job, she is currently enrolled in a rigorous executive MBA program at MIT, from which she will graduate in June. The mother of two boys, aged 8 and 9, Tousimis is married to Raphael Thiney, co-founder and chief technology officer of SafeGuard Privacy. Yet, for all her accolades and accomplishments, when you finally meet Tousimis face to face, what strikes you most is her warmth — how present she is. She is the person you’d most wish to be at your side when you are confronting a scary diagnosis, someone you’d trust implicitly with your life. Is it any wonder that the Dalai Lama selected her to be his personal physician whenever he traveled to Washington, D.C.? We met on a cool Friday afternoon and spoke in her comfortable yet elegant living room, seated next to a crackling fire and surrounded by books, family photos and artwork. Let’s start at the beginning. You’re a native Washingtonian, yes? Eleni Tousimis: Yes, I was born here, up the street at Columbia Hospital for Women. I was the baby. I have two brothers and a sister, along with a huge extended Greek family. Lots of cousins, lots of love. I feel very blessed. Both my parents emigrated from Greece and were dedicated to education, science and making the world a better place. My father served in a variety of positions at Walter Reed, the Armed Forces Institute, GW Medical School and the NASA Apollo Scientific Committee, working on everything from adenoviruses to the moon landing. In 1965, he started the Tousimis Research Laboratory. It became my second home. I grew up surrounded by science and it was a formative influence on me. What was your education like? Tousimis: I went to Holton-Arms for six years, graduated early and won a scholarship to Mount Holyoke. I was super young, played rugby and loved every minute. I was working in the SEM [scanning electron microscope] lab and it was then that I decided to become a doctor. I decided to 10 MARCH 11, 2020
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