Liana MacDonald is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She graduated from Regis College with a Master of Science in Nursing in 2020. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2016 and began her nursing career in the Emergency Department. She has been working as a Labor and Delivery nurse since 2019.

Liana is passionate about health equity and eliminating the gap in care amongst different races and ethnicities. She is proud of her focus on adolescent health, substance use disorders in pregnancy, and trauma-informed care.  

When not at work, Liana can be found spending her time with family, friends, and her rescue dog. She loves to travel to new cities and countries and learn about different cultures. She also loves to give back to her community.

I grew up in Scituate and am a proud graduate of Scituate High School.  After graduating from Harvard-Radcliffe, I continued doing another year of diabetes research at Massachusetts General Hospital, then did two years of breast cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  I graduated from the Boston University School of Medicine, went to UMass Worcester for residency, graduated from the Harvard School of Public Health, and then went to Brown for residency.  I began working at South Shore Medical Center in 2008.  I especially enjoy seeing patients who knew my father, a police officer in Scituate for 29 years and hearing their stories about him.  I try to motivate, encourage and work with my patients and it is an honor and a privilege to be able to care for them.  Outside of work, I love dancing, playing frisbee, and spending time with my family. 

My goal is to provide compassionate and equitable medical care to patients seeking care for breast-related concerns, including but not limited to breast lumps, abnormal screening mammograms, benign breast masses, and previous or current breast cancer diagnoses. 

I am a graduate of the Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant and Masters in Public Health dual degree program. I have been working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital Division of Breast Surgery since June 2021.

It is my priority to provide care to patients that is skilled and supportive. I strive to accommodate a patient’s unique and individual needs such that all patients feel cared for and well-informed. I have professional interests in patient-oriented outcomes research and have studied coping and psychosocial wellbeing among adolescents and young adults with cancer. I am originally from Western Massachusetts, and my hobbies include hiking, skiing, and spending with family, friends, and my dog.  

I care for women throughout their lives—from adolescence through adulthood. I especially enjoy building long-term relationships and being with my patients through each step of their lives. From routine gynecological care to preconception, pregnancy, post-partum and menopause, I am here for my patient throughout her life. I chose OB/GYN as my specialty for the diversity of practice. It involves medical care, surgical care, and delivering babies. 

My parents inspired me—my father was a surgeon and my mother a nurse. I initially wanted to forge a different path and received my bachelor’s degree in Economics. I worked in financial public relations for a short while, but I kept coming back to what really interested me: medicine. I eventually went back to medical school to pursue my true passion. Outside of work, I love being outdoors—hiking, biking, boating, paddle boarding, and snowboarding. I also love to travel and spend time with my family and beloved dog and in quieter times enjoy reading and knitting.

My personal philosophy in nursing and working in healthcare aligns with a profound quote from the book of Galatians, chapter 6 and verse 9, which says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (KJV, 1911).  This embodies the accountability, professionalism, compassion, and perseverance that I have personified in my nursing career. My Christian faith has led me in the paths of what is right and good in this world, giving me the vocation of being a healthcare provider to prove that faith through actions of kindness and care towards others.

I have dedicated my career in healthcare to the goal of improving health literacy for patients and their caregivers. I truly believe that a better understanding of health care issues, disease prevention and disease care by patients and their caregivers has a direct impact on their quality of life. I work hard to actively listen to the concerns, obstacles, and barriers my patients present and collaborate with them to prepare a plan of care.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and pets, am very active in supporting my church, and love to cook.

Dr. Suniti Nimbkar, Medical Director of the Breast Care Center at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health

I'm a surgical oncologist, and the Medical Director of the Breast Care Center at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health and an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School. I received my Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University School of Medicine and completed my General Surgery residency at Boston University Medical Center.

My mission is to provide outstanding, compassionate care for patients with breast cancer which integrates multi-disciplinary care and allows for the most up to date treatment standards. 

I went into the field of breast surgery because I knew that I wanted to be able to help patients going through a new diagnosis of breast cancer with thoughtfulness and insight into the latest therapeutic options.  I feel that being a part of the team at the DFBWCC Cancer Center in clinical affiliation with South Shore Health allows me to be a part of a team of superbly talented clinicians who all have the same goals in mind when it comes to the care of a patient with breast cancer – personalized care, compassion, mutual respect and attention to details.