DeFusco, Patricia A., MD
Hartford HealthCare Medical Group

Patricia A. DeFusco, MD

Medical Oncology
5 / 5

Location Information

  • Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute - Manchester
    376 Tolland Turnpike Suite 201
    Manchester, CT 06042
    Hartford HealthCare

    860.533.5830

    Fax: 860.533.5835

  • Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute - Avon
    80 Fisher Drive
    Avon, CT 06001

    860.674.0088

    Fax: 860.677.7863

About Patricia A. DeFusco, MD

  • Title
    Medical Director, Breast Program, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute
  • Gender
    Female
  • Language
    English
    Providing the best care to our patients and their companions requires communicating in a way everyone understands. Interpreter services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. All spoken languages are available, as well as American Sign Language (AS/L)
  • Specialties
    Accepting New Patients

    Medical Oncology

    Not Currently Accepting New Patients

    Internal Medicine

  • Areas of Expertise
    Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Clinical Trials, Breast Cancer Management, Breast Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Risk Assessment, Breast Cancer Survivorship

Education

  • FellowshipMayo Clinic

    InternshipHartford Hospital

    Medical SchoolBoston University School of Medicine

    ResidencyHartford Hospital

  • Faculty Appointments

    University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Assistant Clinical Professor

  • Professional Organizations

    American Society of Clinical Oncology

Reviews

Verified Patient Reviews


Other Reviews from Around the Web

Bio

My name is Dr. Patricia DeFusco; I have been in clinical practice caring for women with breast cancer for over 30 years. I have always believed that medicine is a profession not a job. The relationship between a physician and a patient is a partnership characterized by trust, compassion, empathy and education. These elements are essential as women (and men) with breast cancer face their diagnosis with the whole range of emotions ranging from terror to acceptance and that initial response needs to be understood, accepted and validated to move on to the specifics of treatments and interventions.

It is the art of medicine for the physician to meet a patient and to try to understand what that particular patient’s experience of her (or his) cancer diagnosis is. Each patient brings their individual personality, their family history, their current social context, their concerns about their partner, their children, about work, school, the future to each visit.

I have been involved in seeing patients with the spectrum of breast issues for many years. Getting to know each patient as an individual is important to me. I always try to integrate details of their life into our visits, trying to truly think about their individual concerns, to find solutions based driven by data, but also on what strategy might work best for that individual at that time.

I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of women (and some men) on their breast cancer journeys. They have taught me about life’s priorities, about joy and fear, about sadness and acceptance, about spirituality and resilience and so very much more.

I am now embarking on my new role as Director of the Breast Program for Hartford HealthCare. My goals are to create a common standard across the hospitals in the Hartford Healthcare system so that no matter where a patient enters the system, she (or he) will be offered the same standard of care. I hope to specifically work on establishing a strong survivor-ship program, implementing our Risk Assessment and Surveillance program and fostering the implementation of new technology. Guiding these efforts will be the additional goal of establishing metrics and evaluating outcomes. I hope to strengthen and grow our existing teams, especially in breast surgery and medical oncology. I hope to integrate the experiences which my patients have so graciously shared with me as we grow current programs and create new programs that can improve the journey for all the patients served by Hartford HealthCare. I truly believe that we can simultaneously provide cutting edge treatment and clinical trials with comfort, consistency, compassion and hope.

Patricia A. DeFusco, MD News

May 11, 2023

8 Things You Think Cause Cancer But Don't

You've heard the warnings in the media or from wel [...]

March 10, 2023

6 Cancer Screenings That Could Save Your Life

There are a plethora of tests out there that you d [...]

July 05, 2022

New Procedure Helps Breast Cancer Patients Recover Faster Than Ever

As part of Tamika Gianni’s breast cancer treatment [...]

Insurance

Aetna, Anthem, BCBS Medicare, CarePartners of Connecticut, Cigna Healthcare, Colonial Cooperative Care, Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc., Connecticare, Connecticare Commercial, Connecticare Medicare, Corvel, Coventry, Essence Healthcare, Evercare, First Health Group Corp., Focus, Harvard Pilgrim, Health Connecticut, Health Direct, Health New England, Healthy Connecticut, Multiplan, Northeast Health Direct, One Health Plan/ Great-West Healthcare, Oxford Health Plans, Prime Health Services, Private Health Care Systems, Inc., Senior Whole Health, United Healthcare, WellCare of Connecticut, Inc.
This information is subject to change at any time. Please check with your insurance provider before scheduling your appointment or receiving services to confirm they are a participating member of the Hartford HealthCare network.
Back to Top