Marie F. Pennanen, MD, FACS

Breast Surgeon
Director, Chevy Chase Breast Center

Dr. Marie Pennanen, Director of the Chevy Chase Breast Center, is one of the most accomplished breast surgeons in the metropolitan Washington area. She has over twenty years of experience and has treated women from all over the world. Dr. Pennanen received her Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and her Medical Degree with honors from New Jersey Medical School. She was inducted into both Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society.  She completed her surgical residency at George Washington University Medical Center, and then joined the faculty at Georgetown University Medical Center and the Lombardi Cancer Center. As an Associate Professor of Surgery, she has been involved in research on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of breast cancer, including ones supported by the prestigious National Cancer Institute.  She is the author of numerous medical articles regarding breast cancer. She has received grants for her innovative programs which teach our next generation of doctors about comprehensive breast cancer care. Her passion is taking care of women with breast cancer, high risk for breast cancer or benign breast disease, one woman at a time, by providing state-of-the-art, personalized, compassionate care.

Dr. Pennanen opened the Chevy Chase Breast Center in 2008 to fulfill her vision of an independent breast center dedicated to the highest quality of breast health care, with the flexibility to tailor each patient’s care to her specific needs, and the affiliations to collaborate with the best specialists and services in the Washington metropolitan area.   She provides a spectrum of care from the evaluation of benign breast problems, breast cancer risk assessment and management through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and monitoring of breast cancer survivors.  Dr. Pennanen is experienced in all types of breast cancer surgery, from cosmetic biopsies to nipple sparing mastectomies.  She performs breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided needle biopsies, surgical biopsies and out-patient breast and lymph node surgery at the Center. Dr. Pennanen is certified in breast ultrasound, and by combining breast ultrasound with breast surgery, she is able to offer the highest standard of accuracy and effectiveness while optimizing cosmetic results and patient comfort.

Dr. Pennanen is well-known not only as a skilled surgeon, but also as a sensitive doctor who takes time to listen, explain and answer questions.  She believes that education and discussion reduce anxiety and enable patients to be active participants in their care. 

Dr. Pennanen is a board certified surgeon and member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She is affiliated with Georgetown University Hospital, as well as Sibley Memorial and Suburban Hospitals in the Johns Hopkins Medicine System.  She has been recognized by her peers as one of Washington's Top Doctors in the field of Breast Surgery in Washingtonian magazine for ten years, and by her patients through the Patient's Choice Award. She is proud to be the 2012 Honoree of Living in Pink.

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Dr. Pennanen and her husband live in Washington, DC. They enjoy many activities with their four children, such as family game or movie nights, concerts, cooking, metalworking and hiking.