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
Andy Funk
​
(m. 2007)​
Children3
Websitepinklotus.com

Kristi Funk (née Pado, 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]

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]

Breast cancer claims

Funk promotes a whole-food plant-based vegan diet and has stated that dairy products increase the risk of breast cancer.[3] She has argued that buying organic foods, eating berries and cruciferous vegetables and switching to bar soap could reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.[9]

Sanchia Aranda, CEO of Cancer Council Australia has described Funk's claims about breast cancer as "dangerous". She stated that there is a link between being overweight and developing breast cancer but Funk's claim that eating berries substantially reduces the risk of breast cancer is not supported by solid evidence.[9] Aranda also criticized Funk's advice to use bar soap as "very bizarre".[9]

David Gorski of Science-Based Medicine has claimed that Funk spreads misinformation about breast cancer and has misrepresented results from scientific papers.[3] For example, Gorski claims that she has stated that by exercising, 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 overexaggerated by Funk. Gorski also claimed 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] and that 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Melton, Mary (September 10, 2013). "Dr. Kristi Funk". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Gorski, David. (2018). "Angelina Jolie’s surgeon peddles misinformation about…breast cancer!". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 "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.
  9. 1 2 3 Eddie, Rachel. (2017). "‘It’s basically garbage’: Angelina Jolie’s surgeon peddles ‘dubious’ breast cancer claims". thenewdaily.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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