Physician, Colon and Rectal Surgeon
Cambridge, MA
Dr. Elizabeth (Lisa) Breen is a former clinical Colon and Rectal Surgeon, Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center and former surgeon at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Chair of the Harvard Medical School Surgery Clerkship Committee. Over a 27-year clinical career, Lisa cared for many patients while also playing a transformative role in surgical education and mentorship.
Lisa received her B.A. in Psychology from the College of the Holy Cross and earned her M.D. from the Brown University Program in Medicine. She completed her general surgery residency and a clinical research fellowship at the New England Deaconess Hospital/Harvard Medical School, followed by a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at Lahey Clinic.
At Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Lisa led key educational initiatives, including directing the Core Surgery Clerkship and founding the Residents as Teachers Program in Surgery. Her leadership helped shape curriculum reform and improve medical student and resident training. Nationally, she contributed as a member of the USMLE Step 2 Surgery Committee and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on surgical education, clinical care, and mentorship—many focused on advancing women in surgery.
Lisa also founded the Women in Surgery Development Group at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to support and mentor female surgical trainees and faculty. She has been honored with multiple teaching awards from both Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jack, and has two grown children.
DCI Partner: Jack Welch