Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Stephen M. Cohen, MD, FACOG Standards in cervical cancer detection methods have come a long way in the past 30 years, from cervical cytology to HPV co-testing and HPV primary screening. How did the OB/GYN community get here, and is the direction of current practice standards in sync with clinical preferences nationwide? Joining Dr. Stephen Cohen to discuss these and other questions at the Women's Health Annual Visit in Houston, TX is Dr. Thomas Cox, former Director of Gynecology and Colposcopy at the University of California-Santa Barbara Health Services Center and Past-President of the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG When should you discuss the transition into menopause? How do you best counsel patients during this perimenopausual period? Dr. Renee Allen discusses these and other important clinical questions with guest Dr. Jocelyn Slaughter-Moore, practicing obstetrician & gynecologist in private practice at Heras Healthcare for Women. Dr. Slaughter-Moore is an attending physician at Clearview Regional Medical Center and Eastside Medical Center in Georgia.

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Host Dr. Patrice Basanta Henry welcomes Dr Nzinga Harrison, Addiction Medicine & Psychiatrist, Campaign Psychiatrist for Let's Get Mentally Fit!, and, the CMO of ANKA Behavioral Health Incorporated. Dr. Harrison will discuss the importance of non-pyschiatric clinicians in recoginizing mentail illness, those specific illnesses where there is a higher chance of comorbidity of psychiatric illness, and best practices & tools avaialble for health care providers.

Host: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, can be a major relief for women who wish to preserve their fertility, allowing patients to wait for the “right time.” What are the latest advances in technology and protocol for this procedure, and who are the right patients? Host Dr. Patrice Basanta Henry welcomes guest expert Dr Kenan Omurtag to address these and other questions. Dr. Omurtag is Assistant Professor of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Guest: Patrice L Basanta-Henry, MD, MHSc, FACOG Cesarean sections are among the most common surgical procedures performed in the U.S. Yet despite its commonality, patients undergoing cesarean deliveries are far more likely to have difficult and unsatisfatcory birth experiences, leading to higher incidence rates of postpartum depression, bonding difficulties, and unsuccessful breast feeding. A novel approach to address this issue is being called the Family-Centered cesarean delivery. How does it work, and what are the distinct differences from traditional protocols? Host Dr. Renee Allen welcomes Dr. Patrice Basanta Henry, practicing Ob-Gyn & MFM at Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine, an affiliate of Mednax National Medical Group. Dr. Basanta-Henry’s clinical interests include intrauterine growth restriction and endocrine disorders in pregnancy.

Host: Alicia A. Sutton From the floors of Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in Washington DC, host Alicia Sutton interviews Dr. Joel Weinthal, Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Medical Director of the Stem Cell Transplant Laboratory at Medical City Dallas Hospital. The two discuss Dr. Weinthal's current work in regenerative medicine, the scope of clinical utilization and potential, ethical considerations, and anticipated directions for the field.

Host: Thomas C. Wright, Jr., MD Guest: David Gandell, MD For women entering menopause, increased pain during intercourse is a common but little discussed problem which dramatically affects quality of life. While there are several treatment options available, many clinicians aren't up to date. Joining host Dr. Tom Wright to discuss current therapies for painful intercourse in this patient population is Dr. David Gandell, Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Dr. Latisha Rowe, founder of Click It Clinic, a pioneer for telemedicine providing patients with a new standard of care, discusses how this model of care can positively impact patients within the U.S. Dr. Rowe reviews the safety of telemedicine, and the beneifts to both patients and health care providers.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Pregnancy loss can occur in any trimester of pregnancy and for several possible reasons. For clinicians who treat pregnant patients, delivering the bad news of pregnancy loss is an avoidable part of practice. How do health care professionals best counsel these patients and their loved ones through these difficult times? Host Dr. Renee Allen joins Dr. Jocelyn Slaughter-Moore, practicing OB/GYN at Heras Healthcare for Women and attending physician at Clearview Regional Medical Center in Monroe, GA, to discuss counseling and coping strategies for patients who have experienced pregnancy loss.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG In the US, more than one half of pregnant women are overweight or obese, and 8% of reproductive-aged women are extremely obese, putting them at a greater risk of pregnancy complications. In this episode, we review the magnitude of the problem, the anatomic and physiologic factors specific to the obese patient, and the maternal and fetal complications that can occur. Host Dr. Renee Allen welcomes Dr. Patrice Basanta Henry, an Ob-Gyn & MFM at Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine, an affiliate of Mednax National Medical Group. Dr. Basanta-Henry’s clinical interests include intrauterine growth restriction and endocrine disorders in pregnancy.

Host: Ana Maria Rosario Guest: Anita L. Nelson, MD Current clinical definitions and terminology for vaginal bleeding often fail to clarify frequency, duration, and volume. Moreover, standards of treatment sometimes differ between obstetric and gynecological points of view. Taken together, the risks for misclassifying and mistreating women with acute excessive vaginal bleeding are preventably high. Joining host Ana Maria Rosario at Omnia Education's Women's Health Annual Visit in Pasadena, CA to discuss key considerations for acute excessive vaginal bleeding is Dr. Anita Nelson, Professor Emeritus at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Host: Renée Simone Yolanda Allen, MD, MHSc., FACOG Host Dr. Renee Allen welcomes Dr. Victoria Green, renowned breast cancer researcher and OB/GYN clinician. Dr. Green is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine. She will review USPSTF recommendations of biennial mammograms compared to ACOG's recommendations, as well as differences in how we define 'breast awareness' versus breast self-examination. Join the discussion!

Host: Prathima Setty, MD Disorders of sex development (DSDs) occur more frequently than most people realize, and yet there are numerous misconceptions persisting in the clinical arena as to how these disorders are best approached. For example, whereas older prevailing sentiments on presentations of ambiguous genitalia called for immediate sex assignments at birth followed by surgical alignments of those decisions, more modern philosophies advocate for direct patient involvement in these decisions a little later in life. Joining Dr. Prathima Setty to focus on this important topic is Dr. Earl Cheng, Professor of Urology, Division Head of Urology and Co-Head of Reconstructive Pediatric Urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Cheng directs the Gender and Sex Development Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Guest: Edward R. Sauter, MD, PhD, MHA In the clinical arena, discussions on breast cancer prevention and treatment often center on what is considered most "cutting edge," from genetic mechanisms of disease to new combination pharmacotherapies to breast-conserving surgical innovations. But another field of study, targeting the potential roles of nutrition in breast cancer risk, remains commonly neglected by the medical community. What parts do nutritional choices and habits play in breast cancer development, and how can clinicians make better risk assessments given this information? Dr. Edward Sauter, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, joins Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss emerging connections between nutrition and breast cancer.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD From the floor of ACOG's annual scientific meeting, Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Leonard Glass, Founder and President of Physician Retraining & Reentry (PRR), a comprehensive educational platform which enables licensed physicians to reenter practice on a part-time basis in adult general practice outpatient clinics. It is also being considered as a means for recently established specialist physicians to expand their patient profile by including general practice, as well as the physicians with physical impairment who must transition to primary care because of manual dexterity is diminished for any number of reasons.

Guest: Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, MD, FACP Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Host Dr. Maurice Pickard welcomes Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, MD, FACP, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine & Human Genetics, Associate Dean for Global Health, and Director of Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL. Dr. Olopade reviews the latest information and best practices in establishing an interdisciplinary program in improving chronic disease treatment worldwide. She reviews challenges and progress toward providing better education, research and training, and service infrastructures addressing global health issues within the United States and around the world.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD From mapping AEDs on a phone app to communicating with colleagues on Facebook, technology has become an integral part of daily life. Some would even call their phones an extension of the human nervous system, as evinced by a near-constant awareness of their battery life. Yet despite this high prevalence and demand for social media in regular affairs, medicine has been slow to adopt it. Join Dr. Matt Birnholz and Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola discuss the role of technology and social media in medicine, with particular attention to ACOG's adoption over the past 10 years.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, MD, FACP Host Dr. Maurice Pickard welcomes Dr. Funmi Olopade, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics, Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, and Director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Olopade discusses disparities in health outcomes for black women with breast cancer. Dr. Olopade is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, having developed novel management strategies based on an understanding of the altered genes in individual patients. She stresses comprehensive risk reduction and prevention strategies in high-risk populations, as well as earlier detection through advanced imaging technologies.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Most women will readily testify that pelvic examinations are unpleasant experiences; they can be physically painful and induce anxiety. But recent studies have also indicated that examinations of asymptomatic, average-risk woman may lead to unexpectedly high rates false positives and unnecessary followup tests. So the perennial question resurfaces: are routine pelvic examinations more trouble than they're worth? Join Dr. Matt Birnholz and guest Dr. Hannah Bloomfield, Chief of Research at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, speaking at ACOG’s annual scientific meeting. They focus on the latest research behind this question of whether routine pelvic examinations are really necessary for monitoring patient health, and the potential pros and cons of abandoning this practice in annual OB/GYN checkups.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Many people believe that exercise during pregnancy is detrimental to the health of the fetus. This belief seems to have come from an outdated study that the fetus’s heart rate drops if the mother exercises. More recent studies, however, have supported a counterposition that exercise during pregnancy is safe and can actually be beneficial for both the mother and fetus. Join Dr. Matt Birnholz and Dr. Linda Szymanski, Medical Director of Labor and Delivery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. They discuss the latest research on exercise during pregnancy, from benefits to harms, and how clinicians can counsel patients on the "right" amount of exercise during this life period.