A Million Miracles — Our FY24 annual report is now available. See Report

About The Rose

ACR Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center

Providing a full range of breast health services to more than one million patients

Since 1986, The Rose has provided a full range of breast health services to more than one million patients. Our mission is to save lives through quality breast health services, advocacy and access to care for all.

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See Our Mission

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Our Mission

It's all about saving lives

From a time long before pink ribbons covered the landscape, Dorothy and Dr. Dixie’s passionate advocacy established The Rose as an acclaimed model of breast health care. From mammograms to biopsies to treatment, The Rose excels in advanced digital imaging, mobile mammography, patient navigation, and medical excellence.

Who We Serve

Serving patients throughout Houston and Southeast Texas

Annually, The Rose provides direct medical services to 40,000 insured and uninsured patients. Two Houston-based comprehensive Diagnostic Centers and a fleet of Mobile Mammography Coaches provide services to women throughout 45 counties in Southeast Texas.

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"When you leave us, you truly know we care."

Dorothy Gibbons, CEO & Co-Founder of The Rose

Dorothy Gibbons, CEO & Co-Founder of The Rose

Our History

The first nonprofit breast cancer organization based on the insured covering the uninsured

Fueled by frustration and driven by passion, the lives of Dorothy Weston Gibbons and Dr. Dixie Melillo have been filled with firsts. Dorothy established the first PR department at Bayshore Medical Center where she first met Dr. Dixie, one of the first female surgeons to graduate from UTMB. With camera in hand, Dorothy began to chronicle the startling number of women with late-stage breast cancer coming to see Dr. Dixie. Frustrated that breast cancer awareness and access to care were sorely lacking, the two women started their quest to educate. Soon they established The Rose, the first nonprofit breast cancer organization based on the insured covering the costs of the uninsured. The Rose has been in operation since 1986.

As one of 12 ACR Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Centers in Houston, The Rose is led by Fellowship trained physicians and its nationally recognized Patient Navigation Program ensures access to treatment and a continuum of care for all women. As a major part of Southeast Texas’ Healthcare Safety Net, The Rose is a strong advocate for access to care.

Saving lives through quality breast health services, advocacy and access to care for all.

Making an Impact

Providing access to care and treatment to all regardless of their ability to pay

The Rose reduces deaths from breast cancer by providing access to screening, diagnostics and treatment services to any woman regardless of her ability to pay. The Rose addresses any barrier that might keep a woman from caring for her own needs. Studies show women often put personal needs on hold while tending to the needs of others. Many women cite costs and lack of access as reasons they delay preventive services. Yet early detection mammography screenings are the most powerful weapons in the fight against breast cancer—which is 98% curable when detected early.

Every service offered by The Rose is available to the uninsured through one of many sponsorship programs. In fact, the whole purpose of the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program is to ensure any woman has access to breast cancer screening, diagnosis and care. From the initial screening mammogram through diagnostic procedures such as ultrasound and biopsies, as well as access to treatment—all are part of the quality breast health care offered at The Rose.

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Meet Our Doctors

Dixie Melillo, MD

Medical Director and Co-Founder

Sarfaraz Sadruddin, MD

Lead Radiologist

Meet Our Board

Directors

Medical Advisory Board

Advisory Board

Honorary Board

The impact in our fight to end breast cancer.

More than

1 Million

Lives touched since 1986

Screening

40,000

Patients annually

Covering

45

Counties in Southeast Texas

Serving

8,000

Uninsured annually

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Help Women Access Care

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Patient Stories

Patient Stories

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The Latest Breast Health News

Montgomery County Community Foundation Commits to Breast Health With Grant to The Rose

Montgomery County Community Foundation Commits to Breast Health With Grant to The Rose

February 4, 2026

The Rose Stands With Community This Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Rose Stands With Community This Breast Cancer Awareness Month

September 23, 2025

Dorothy Gibbons, The Rose CEO and Co-Founder, to Retire After 40 Years of Transformative Leadership

Dorothy Gibbons, The Rose CEO and Co-Founder, to Retire After 40 Years of Transformative Leadership

Boots & Bling: The Rose’s 36th Annual Shrimp Boil Raises More Than $170,000 for Women’s Breast Health

Boots & Bling: The Rose’s 36th Annual Shrimp Boil Raises More Than $170,000 for Women’s Breast Health