Erna Barbara Busch-Devereaux, MD

Erna Busch-Devereaux, MD, is the chief of breast surgery at Huntington Hospital and a board-certified surgeon at Northwell.

Drawn to surgery from the start, Dr. Busch-Devereaux has had a deep interest in using skills that require dexterity and precision. “Being a surgeon allows me to do that, while also providing care that will be meaningful to my patients,” she says.

While she began her practice in surgical oncology, Dr. Busch-Devereaux quickly chose to specialize in breast surgery in part because of the innovative and major changes she saw happening in the field, particularly in lumpectomy, mastectomy and lymph node procedures. Most notably, she was an early advocate of nipple-sparing procedures that are now more routine and widely utilized. “This type of procedure helps maintain the breast form in its more original state and provides the nicest aesthetic outcome, which is important for patients from an emotional standpoint,” she says.

Dr. Busch-Devereaux also focuses on procedures such as wire-free or implanted seed biopsies, which are performed when a surgical biopsy is required after imaging and offer a more comfortable experience for patients.

After graduating from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Dr. Busch-Devereaux trained in general surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center – NY and completed a surgical oncology fellowship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. She started her career at Northwell in 1993, then spent six years at ProhealthCare Associates. She formed Breast Surgery Associates in 2004 and, together with several colleagues, created a breast center to provide multidisciplinary breast cancer care for the community. The group joined Northwell in 2012. Along the way, Dr. Busch-Devereaux has had notable academic appointments, including assistant professor of surgery at Cornell University Medical. She’s currently an assistant professor of surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Under Dr. Busch-Devereaux’s leadership, Huntington Hospital achieved certification from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, which is given to breast centers showing a high level of quality measures and programs designed to improve outcomes.

Most of all, Dr. Busch-Devereaux is proud of her approach to patient care. “I treat my patients the way I’d want to be treated,” she says.