ARTICLE – HerLife Magazine – SPOTLIGHT – DR. MARTHE GABEY – OCT 2015 – JUDY GOPPERT

 

     Dr. Marthe A. Gabey, 54, is a caring, thorough plastic surgeon. She enjoys her patients and making their lives better. This feeling reverberates through her office and the knowledge she has ensures their care is the very best it can be. She resides near Troy, New York, in the town of Brunswick.

     Armed with a BS from Virginia Tech in biochemistry, and a minor in chemistry, she attended medical school at Medical College of Virginia and did her internship and residency in general surgery at Medical College of Virginia.

     She went on to do her plastic surgery residency at Albany Medical College, and keeps current by attending at least one conference a year, which is usually the ASPS national meeting or a breast reconstruction symposium. She has been practicing in Troy since 1995.

     “I just returned from the Chicago Breast and Lymphedema Symposium. This is so I can stay up to date on the standard of care for breast reconstruction,” she noted.

     Recently, The Cancer Center at Samaritan Hospital has gone through the rigorous process of applying to become accredited as a Breast Center.  Marthe is the plastic surgeon on the committee and therefore attends tumor board and interacts regularly with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, general surgeons as well as other allied health staff which work together to care for the breast cancer patient.

     “Being in private community practice, I don’t ‘specialize’ per se since the community has the need for a full service plastic surgeon. I see skin lesions, skin cancers, burns and soft tissue injuries of the hand as well as breast work. I do nonsurgical facial rejuvenation with neurotoxins such as Botox and fillers such as Restylane, but the bulk of my ‘major’ cases are breast work,” she explained. “Both breast reduction for breast hypertrophy and reconstruction after treatment for breast cancer. With my breast reconstruction patients, I take the time to discuss the reconstructive process and all the options with each patient. I usually see them more than once since they have a lot to process especially right after getting a cancer diagnosis. Having been in practice for 21 years, I feel I can present women with their options for breast reconstruction, explaining what I can perform in Troy at Samaritan and when I would need to refer them to Albany Med. Luckily, most reconstructive services I can perform in Troy and the patients get to know me as well as I know them. It usually takes four to six operations and about a year to complete a breast reconstruction when you factor in chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I hope I can help each woman achieve a positive body image and be happy after having battled breast cancer.”

     She plays at golf but, but notes, “I am not very good!”

     She grows some fruits and vegetables, and emphasized that this year the raspberries are great.

     “I have an 18-month-old black lab named Clarence who just passed his therapy dog test and we should be making visits in the next month or so,” she smiled.

     Her patients truly inspire her.  She knows they are facing incredible challenges with courage and grace, and tries to make their journey smoother and leave them feeling whole when their cancer treatments are done.

    Visit www.mgabeyplastics.com for more information.

 

 

 

 

Five Questions for May 5, 2013: Marthe Gabey

 

 

 

By Kathryn Caggianelli

 

POSTED: 05/05/13, 4:39 PM EDT |

0 COMMENTS

 

Dr. Marthe A Gabey, 52, resides in Brunswick and is a native of Port Jefferson, Long Island. She attended Virginia Tech (go Hokies) for biochemistry and the Medical College of Virginia for medical school and general surgery residency. Gabey relocated to the Capital District to attend Albany Medical College for a plastic- and reconstructive- surgery residency.

Q How long have you been in practice locally?

A I have been in private practice in Troy since July 1995.

 

 

 

Q As a surgeon, what is your specialty and what inspired you to choose it?

A In my second year of general surgery I did a rotation in plastic surgery. During that month I became enthralled with plastic surgery and how the tissues of the body could be manipulated and shaped to reconstruct traumatic or surgical defects. It is a blend of science and art that I love.

Q Name at least one challenge you face on the job and some of the rewards.

A The greatest challenge is to manage patient expectations. A lot of my consultation time with my patients is spent discussing the post-operative course along with healing and expected final results. I try to make sure that what the patient thinks they will look like and what I can achieve are as close as possible. The greatest rewards are happy, satisfied patients and well healed, natural-looking results, whether it be from suturing a lip laceration, doing a breast reduction/reconstruction or a cosmeticprocedure such as a tummy tuck.

Q Please share something about the continuum of care you will soon be able to offer patients as a result of Samaritan's (a member of Northeast Health and St. Peter's Health Partners) new designation as a BreastCancer Center?

A The Women's Center and the Cancer Center at Samaritan Hospital are working together to gain accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. This accreditation brings together a coordinated team of individuals that will navigate a woman with breast cancer from diagnosis to completion of her treatment. The team includes medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, general surgeons as well as plastic surgeons. In addition, this team will include staff that will lend a woman with breast cancer and her family any psychological, physical, and social support that they may need during her treatment period.

Q What are some of your hobbies and interests away from the office?

A I work out to keep myself sane. I am currently reading "Wicked," I play golf and my league at Frear Park starts the beginning of May. And I have a small vegetable garden in which I grow tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

 

 

-The Troy Record, 2013 May