What is your name?
Katherina (Kathy) Calvillo, MD, FACS
What is your title?
Founder and Breast Cancer Surgeon
What is your business name?
New England Breast and Wellness
What is your website URL?
👉 www.nebreastandwellness.com
What is your Instagram handle?
@newenglandbreastandwellness
What is your LinkedIn URL?
👉 linkedin.com/in/katherina-calvillo
How long have you been a Boston Business Women member?
Less than a year
Where are you based? How did you end up there?
Wellesley, MA. After 16 years at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, I opened my own practice here.
Tell us more about your company! What do you do and what pushed you to start?
I founded New England Breast and Wellness to provide intimate, personalized, and comprehensive breast care for women and men diagnosed with or at high risk of breast cancer. Over the years, I noticed medicine becoming more business-focused and less patient-focused. At NEBW, we offer breast surgery for benign and malignant conditions, same-day genetic testing, risk assessment, and a personalized concierge Care Program. Patients can choose single appointments or comprehensive care, ensuring they are proactive and informed about their health. We also coordinate care with top specialists to minimize cancer recurrence risk.
What is your definition of success? How do you know when you’ve reached it?
Success is providing patients with exceptional care. I know I’ve achieved it when patients and their families tell me I made them feel hopeful, less scared, and made a difficult journey easier.
Tell us about your most transformational moment as an entrepreneur?
Seeing my vision for a serene, beautiful space come to life and witnessing the reaction of my first patient and her husband after leaving a large Boston cancer center.
What was one of your biggest challenges in business?
Starting a business with no prior business background. I’ve learned so much along the way and now colleagues reach out to me for guidance.
How do you handle the harder days? The struggles? Those moments when you feel like giving up?
I remind myself of the patients I serve and the impact I have on their lives. As one patient told me, “You HAVE to do this!”
How has being a Boston Business Women Inner Circle member positively influenced your life + business?
Although I’m new to BBW, I see the support women give each other and look forward to leveraging it as I grow my private breast practice. Word of mouth is critical in medicine, and I’m excited about these connections.
Tell us about your most proud moment in your career.
Being asked by our society’s President to serve as Program Chair for the 23rd Annual American Society of Breast Surgeons Meeting—the first from Boston in its 23-year history.
Who is the woman behind your business? What does she like? How does she spend her free time? What does she value?
She is a mother of two daughters (14 and 12), an immigrant from Poland, and someone who values hard work, dedication, and family. Authentic, empathetic, loving, fun, energetic, and generous—she enjoys skiing (learned at 41), traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Her greatest value is family.
What makes you stand out from others in your field? What do you do differently?
I give patients peace of mind, same-day appointments, and truly listen to them. Patients never feel rushed; they feel cared for and heard. My genuine passion for this work sets me apart.
Where can we keep up with you? What social media platforms do you use the most?
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn