Dr. Claudia Lago Toro, who is Board Certified in General Surgery and a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, says she found her passion for breast surgery when she was a resident. The opportunity to offer a real cure for early-stage disease, utilizing the newest technological advancements in medicine offers new hope to women facing this most common cancer. She strongly believes that continuity of care throughout each step of treatment contributes to the best outcome for each patient. She routinely sees patients for hidden scar breast surgery including nipple sparing mastectomies, high risk patients, male breast cancer, prophylactic surgeries, and brachytherapy.
Dr. Lago Toro received her medical education at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, following an undergraduate degree there in General Science. Her surgical residency was served at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, where she later became Chief Resident. She completed a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, PA.
Locating to Florida, Dr. Lago Toro joined BayCare Medical Group in Tampa, FL, and served as Medical Director of Breast Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She is well recognized in Central Florida as an expert in the field and as a compassionate physician.
Education: University of Puerto Rico; San Juan, Puerto Rico
- 2000 – General Science, Baystate Medical Center; Springfield, MA
- 2004 – Medical Doctor
- 2008 – Surgical Residency
- 2009 – Chief Resident, Bryn Mawr Hospital; Bryn Mawr, PA
- 2010 – Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship
Awards/Recognition:
- 2009 – Resident Clinical Educator; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
- 2010 – Recognized with Top 10 Best Paper of the Year at Annual American Society of Breast Surgery Conference: Is there a role for MRI in pre-operative assessment of patients with DCIS, Ann Surg Oncol 2010 Sep. 17 (9):2395-400.
- 2012 – Created breast center of excellence and achieved accreditation through the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, at South Jersey Health Care in Vineland, NJ.
- 2013 – Created first community hospital protocol in the nation for pathway for genomic testing with Oncotype DX at St, Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, FL. This protocol helps decease time to treatment from an average of 65 days to an average of 24 days.
- 2019 – Nominated by peers as “Tampa Top Doc.”