Kristi Funk

Kristi Funk (born September 22, 1969) is an American breast cancer surgeon known for her surgical treatment of celebrities Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow and her advocacy of whole-food plant-based nutrition.[1][2][3]

Kristi Funk
Born
Kristi Pado

(1969-09-22) September 22, 1969
Santa Monica, CA, U.S.
Alma materStanford University (BA)
UC Davis (MD)
OccupationBreast Cancer Surgeon
Spouse(s)
Andy Funk
​
(m. 2007)​
Children3
Websitepinklotus.com

Biography

In 1991, Funk graduated with distinction in psychology from Stanford University.[4] She obtained her medical degree from the UC Davis School of Medicine in 1996. She was director and surgeon of the breast center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for 7 years. She opened the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Beverly Hills in 2009.[4] In August 2010, Sheryl Crow partnered with Kristi to open the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center at Funk's Pink Lotus Breast Center.[5]

On May 14, 2013, the same day Jolie publicly disclosed in a New York Times op-ed her BRCA mutation status and the prophylactic mastectomy she underwent earlier that year, Funk released a blog post about Jolie's procedure in which she outlined the stages of surveillance and treatment that were followed in her case.[6][7][8]

Funk promotes a whole-food plant-based vegan diet and has stated that dairy products increase the risk of breast cancer.[3]

Criticism

David Gorski of Science-Based Medicine has criticized Funk for spreading misinformation about breast cancer and misrepresenting results from scientific papers.[3] For example, she has stated that by excising, avoiding alcohol and smoking and adopting a whole-food plant-based diet one may reduce breast cancer risk by 80%. According to Gorski this figure has been grossly overexaggerated by Funk. Gorski also noted that Funk has overexaggerated the effects of dairy and meat as risk factors for breast cancer, which according to Gorski are based on studies that are negative or only suggestive.[3] Funk has also promoted pseudoscientific views about detoxing.[3]

Selected publications
  • Breasts: The Owner's Manual: Every Woman’s Guide to Reducing Cancer Risk, Making Treatment Choices, and Optimizing Outcomes (2019, with a foreword by Sheryl Crow)

References
  1. Bach, Peter B., M.D. (September 11, 2013). "A Pioneering Force". Town and Country. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  2. Melton, Mary (September 10, 2013). "Dr. Kristi Funk". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  3. Gorski, David. (2018). "Angelina Jolie’s surgeon peddles misinformation about…breast cancer!". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. "Dr. Kristi Funk". Pinklotus.com. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. Sheryl Crow Opens Breast Cancer Center in Los Angeles Archived April 1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Published August 25, 2010, NYPost.com.
  6. Jolie, Angelina (May 14, 2013). "My Medical Choice". New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  7. Funk, Kristi (May 14, 2013). "A Patient's Journey: Angelina Jolie". Pink Lotus Breast Center Blog. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  8. Nudd, Tim (May 16, 2013). "Angelina Jolie's Doctor Reveals New Details of Her Mastectomy Surgeries". People Magazine. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
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