Biographical summary
Julie Billar, M.D., is a surgical breast oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. She completed her General Surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and subsequently completed a dedicated Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Dr. Billar spent the next decade as faculty at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, Arizona, where she also served as the Medical Director for the Multi-Disciplinary Breast Program, focusing on collaboration and implementing evidence-based cancer protocols within teams serving the wider
Phoenix Metro community.
In 2023, Dr. Billar returned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and her clinical practice focuses entirely on patients with breast health needs. She emphasizes patient education and shared decision-making to
ensure that the patient remains the center of the care plan. Dr. Billar has special interests in applying advanced surgical techniques for the management of breast cancer, reducing the risk of breast cancer in patients with genetic susceptibility to cancer, and streamlining the multi-disciplinary management of patients with higher risk disease presentations, including inflammatory breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, patients who present with lymph node metastasis, and patients diagnosed at a young age.
Conditions treated
Procedures performed
- Axillary lymph node dissection
- Breast cancer surgery
- Breast duct excision
- Breast surgery
- Excisional biopsy
- Lumpectomy
- Lymph node sampling
- Lymphadenectomy
- Mastectomy
- Nipple-sparing mastectomy
- Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery
- Prophylactic mastectomy
- Sentinel lymph node surgery
- Sentinel node biopsy
- Skin-sparing mastectomy
Interests
- Breast cancer
- Ductal carcinoma in situ
- Breast conserving surgery (i.e. lumpectomy, oncoplastic breast surgery)
- Mastectomy (i.e. nipple-sparing, skin-sparing, total, modified radical)
- Lymph node surgery (i.e. sentinel lymph node, targeted lymph node dissection, axillary dissection)
- High risk for breast cancer
- Inflammatory breast cancer
- Patient education
Mayo Clinic locations
Education
- 2013
Fellowship - Breast Surgical OncologyJohn Wayne Cancer Institute
- 2012
ResidentSurgery - General (Categorical) Residency, Surgery, Programs in Arizona, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
- 2007
MDUniversity of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
- 2003
BS - Major: MicrobiologyArizona State University
Activities and honors
Certifications
- 2013
General SurgeryAmerican Board of Surgery
Awards and honors
- 2012
Surgery Residency Peer Service Excellence AwardMayo Clinic
Professional memberships
- 2019 - 2023
LeadBreast Surgery, BMDACC Enhanced Recovery Program Committee, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center
- 2013 - present
MemberAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons
- 2012 - present
MemberAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology
- 2012 - present
MemberSociety of Surgical Oncology
Publications
Research activities