New breast surgeon brings cancer surgeries to Gallup

For years, women in Gallup and McKinley County who were diagnosed with breast cancer had to travel to Farmington or Albuquerque for surgery and specialty care. That changed this month when Dr. Colleen Kerrigan joined the New Mexico Cancer Center, 2240 College Dr., completing a team that already included three female oncologists and making local surgical care available to area residents.

Kerrigan, who moved to Albuquerque roughly two months ago, held her first Gallup clinics on Jan. 8 and 9 and began scheduling surgeries for patients after those visits. The addition of a breast surgical oncologist in Gallup reduces the disruption, expense and logistical burden that long-distance travel can place on patients and families, particularly for those juggling work, caregiving and transportation challenges.

Kerrigan trained in medical school in Vermont and completed a fellowship in breast surgical oncology at the University of Toronto. She said she chose the Toronto program for its research and innovation and later selected New Mexico as home because of outdoor recreation and lifestyle. After reaching out to local facilities, she said she immediately felt the New Mexico Cancer Center was the right fit. "I came down here and met with [the team] and I was so impressed with this group," she said. "I was impressed with the doctors here; I think they’re doing really amazing work, and I’m really impressed with the model of care that they have here, really prioritizing patient access, prioritizing keeping patients out of the hospital, and making ourselves accessible to them."

The center has emphasized keeping care close to home and coordinating services so patients face fewer hospital stays and less travel for routine treatment and follow-up. That approach matters locally: breast cancer remains the most common cancer among U.S. women, excluding skin cancers, accounting for about 30 percent of all new female cancer cases annually. Advances since the mid-20th century have shifted treatment away from extensive procedures like the Halstead radical mastectomy toward breast-conserving surgeries, multimodal therapies and more personalized regimens. Kerrigan stressed survivorship and quality of life as central goals. "A lot of our patients live long, wonderful lives after they get through breast cancer," she said. "We want people to feel good, look good, and feel like themselves. That’s an important piece of people’s lives after they’re treated for breast cancer."

The Gallup location runs a breast cancer-specific clinic on Wednesdays, but patients may be seen on other days as needed. The center’s hours are 8 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment, call (505) 726-2400 or visit nmcancercenter.org.

Having a surgeon based in Gallup strengthens local capacity, reduces travel-related inequities, and may ease the financial and emotional strain of treatment for many families in McKinley County. For residents facing a breast cancer diagnosis, the immediate change is practical: clinics and surgeries can now be coordinated closer to home, with a multidisciplinary team focused on access and quality of life.