Advance and Recover

Nicole Datrice Hill, MD, wasn’t always focused on surgery as a career, but a diagnosis in her family eventually led her to a place on the breast care team at the

University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

“I looked at several things initially,” she said. “I had an interest in the FBI and I knew I always liked working with my hands. When I was in college and transitioning to medical school, my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer.” 

Hill, a San Diego native, completed her medical degree and general surgery residency at the University of California, Irvine. 

She then completed a two-year research and clinical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. 

Hill said her mother’s experience as a cancer patient helped shape how she approaches her own practice. 

“She fortunately had a wonderful team of physicians at the University of California, San Diego. But I also saw that she got very nervous when she was speaking to physicians, particularly surgeons sometimes,” Hill said. “She wouldn't always relay all the relevant information because she was, frankly, a little nervous talking to them, and I thought, ‘Gosh, wouldn't it be great if we had the combination of people who were very technically skilled but also personable and approachable?’ And I think that's really what planted the seed for me.”  

Hill said surgery appeals to her because it provides an immediate result. 

“You get to fix a problem pretty quickly in most cases, and I really liked that and found it rewarding,” she said.  

Hill’s years at the NCI were also formative in how she sees cancer and how she came to choose breast cancer as a specialty. 

Nicole Hill, MD

“What I found particularly rewarding is that you get to meet someone in a very vulnerable period of their life when they've just received a diagnosis. And you're there with them to counsel them on the options, to walk them through their treatment,” Hill said. “In many cases with breast cancer, you get to see them go back to their everyday life.” 

Hill said that while roughly one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, advanced treatments -- including targeted therapies -- along with early detection are key components to survivability rates that have gone beyond 95 percent in many cases. 

“Under the umbrella of systemic therapy, we now use targeted therapy and immunotherapy. We've been able to characterize these cancers better by looking at the genes expressed by these tumors,” Hill said. “And that allows us to make better, more informed recommendations in terms of the treatments that patients receive, all of which often allows for less invasive surgery and faster recovery.” 

In some cases, targeted therapies can shrink the tumor to a point where it’s undetectable, allowing for preservation of the breast, and indicating a better long-term prognosis. 

Hill was attracted to the UNM Cancer Center because she is able to work with a team of experts, from medical and radiation oncologists to specialized nurses and dietitians, at an NCI-designated Comprehensive cancer center. 

She had been working in private practice in Albuquerque since 2021 before moving to the UNM Cancer Center over the summer in 2025. When she learned about the job opening, she saw it as a great opportunity. 

“What the folks are doing here is a calling; the collaborative approach, and the commitment to elevating the level of cancer care for people of New Mexico,” she said.  

On Saturday, Oct. 18, Hill will be on hand at University Stadium cheering the Lobo Football team and celebrating with cancer patients and survivors, as well as honoring those we’ve lost, at the Lobos Love Pink Game. 

“We’re a big sports family and we love football. My dad actually played professionally in Canada,” she said. “I’m really excited to go to my first UNM game and stand beside breast cancer survivors and represent my colleagues and the university.”