Concepcion Diaz-Arrastia
Director
Baylor College of Medicine
USA
Biography
Dr. Concepcion Diaz-Arrastia received her medical education from UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School, and completed residency and fellowship training at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in 1994. She is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology and gynecologic oncology. As a leader in the implementation of new surgical techniques like the computer-enhanced (robotic) surgery in gynecology, Dr. Arrastia was the first to report that hysterectomies could be performed using the DaVinci system in 2002. Likewise, she was the first physician in Texas to perform fertility-preserving radical vaginal trachelectomy surgery for invasive cervical carcinoma. Dr. Arrastia strongly supports early diagnosis through universal cancer screening. As Medical Director of the non-profit organization, Dia de la Mujer Latina, she has undertaken the task of bridging the gap for those women in the medically underserved communities to have easy access to cancer screening.
Research Interest
Her research interests include developing molecular signatures of cervical cancer risk. She has served as Principal Investigator for several NIH funded translational research projects in HPV-associated cervical neoplasia with the goal of developing robust prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for refining the pathological staging of cervical carcinoma. The ultimate objectives of Dr. Arrastia’s research are personalization of care optimizing treatment outcome, while minimizing adverse reactions.