Britt-Marie Ljung, MD

Dr. Britt-Marie Ljung is a pathologist, a specialist in analyzing samples to diagnose disease. She one of several UCSF doctors who perform fine needle aspirations, a simple procedure in which a needle is inserted through the skin to draw material from a lump. (By examining the sample microscopically, pathologists can assess whether the lump is cancerous.) Ljung is dedicated to finding the causes of cancer and providing each patient with a timely diagnosis.

Ljung earned her medical degree at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. She completed part of her medical training in Sweden in oncology, the study of cancer, and in cytology, the study of cells to make diagnoses. She continued her training at the University of California, Los Angeles, completing a residency in pathology. She joined UCSF in 1983.

Ljung has written more than 100 articles for scientific journals on the complex nature of breast cancer and other cancers.