Overview
Dr. Jennifer Plichta is an Associate Professor of Surgery & Population Health Sciences at Duke University. She serves as the Director of the Breast Risk Assessment Clinic in the Duke Cancer Institute, where she cares for patients with breast cancer, benign breast problems, and those with an increased risk of breast cancer. Her clinical interests include establishing routine breast cancer risk assessment for women and creating personalized management strategies for those found to be “high risk”.
Dr. Plichta’s research focuses of identifying and managing women with risk factors for breast cancer, including those with genetic mutations, such as BRCA, those with abnormal breast biopsies, and those with a family history of breast cancer. She is also studying metastatic breast cancer and how breast cancer staging can be used to improve patient care and education.
However, her dedication to breast cancer extends beyond her clinical and research interests. She also enjoys educating the community about breast cancer and helping to raise money for breast cancer research and education. She is the creator and primary coordinator of Duke’s free, annual breast education day for the community, “What’s best for breasts?”.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Scholarly Works
The effect of delays in cancer surgery due to the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer resectability and postoperative mortality in different tumor entities
Journal article Discover Oncology · December 1, 2026 Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritization of COVID-19 patients led to delays in oncological surgery, potentially impacting patient outcomes. This analysis examines the effects of surgical delays in various tumor entities on resectability and ... Full text CiteOncotype DX-guided vs physician-directed chemotherapy and survival in HR+/HER2- breast cancer.
Journal article Breast · October 2026 BACKGROUND: Oncotype DX testing guides adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in early-stage hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, but testing is not universally performed, and outcomes associated with genomic-informed versus clinicopathologic-ba ... Full text Link to item CitePatient-Level Evaluation of Optimal Margin Width for Lumpectomy in Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: An Analysis of Patients in the National Cancer Database Special Study.
Journal article J Clin Oncol · September 21, 2026 PURPOSE: Re-excision for close margins in patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) aims to reduce recurrence rates. The current recommended margin width of ≥2 mm is based on study-level data. Using a multicent ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Post-Recurrence Survival in Patients with Recurrent Breast Cancer: Identifying Key Predictors and Standardizing Assessments
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031Using Infrared Spectroscopy To Analyze Volatile Organic Compounds In The Breath Of Patients with Breast Cancer - Pro00117549
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Breathe BioMedical Inc. · 2025 - 2030Effectiveness and implementation of a decision support tool to improve surgical decision making in young women with breast cancer
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Cornell University · 2022 - 2027View All Grants