Clinician's Roundtable

There is a stigma around sex in the United States. That stigma makes it difficult both for patients to disclose details about their sex lives in clinical settings and for physicians to ask patients about sex. Consequentially patients may have treatable but unaddressed sexual problems because their physicians don't know those problems exists.

Join Dr. Matt Birnholz and Dr. Maureen Whelihan, President of The Center for Sexual Health and Education in West Palm Beach, Florida, as they discuss case stories spanning the various ages and stages of sexual health, and their implications in helping physicians and patients talk about sex.

Studies in the field of anthropology have shown that having a healthy grandmother plays a critically positive role in family cohesion. But the wholistic, personalized health needs of women in their elder years are not always recognized. This care disparity is all the more prominent in general OB/GYN practice, but thanks to the work of a select few, the trends may be about to change.

Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Dr. Sarah Berga, Professor and Chair of OB/GYN at Wake Forest School of Medicine at ACOG’s annual meeting in San Francisco. They discuss maintaining grandmothers' health across both physiological and psychological spectra, and how this attention in care fundamentally changes larger family units for the better.

The increasingly recognized concept of a clinician's "work-life balance" is critical to thriving and avoiding burnout, but the philosophy behind this balance remains poorly understood. Some argue that adequate time alottment to one's priorities is the key factor in sustaining a positive medical career trajectory, but a select few believe that time allocation alone is not enough. Dr. Michael Foley, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix, argues in favor of what he calls work-life harmony, where aspects of meaningfulness, relationships, and wellbeing better guide one's life and career decisions. Joining host Dr. Maureen Whelihan at ACOG's Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Dr. Foley applies a martial arts-centered perspective on medical careers based on his extensive experience as a seventh-degree black belt and the founder of The Center for Humane Living.

Over the past decade, Food Protein Enterocolitis, or FPIES, has emerged as the most actively studied non–IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy because of its acute onset, severity of symptoms, and distinctive clinical features. Yet as a rare allergic disorder of infancy and young childhood, it is often misinterpreted and misdiagnosed in clinical practice, leading to difficult treatment paths for patients and their families. Joining Dr. Renee Matthews to present a case history from the vantage point of a patient's mother, including challenges faced in reaching the correct diagnosis and starting effective treatment regimens, is Jennifer Kandt.

Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Jeanne Conry, 64th President of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
Assistant Physician-in-Chief at The Permanente Medical Group in Roseville, CA, and Associate Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Conry reflects on three presidential initiatives she advanced during her tenure: (1) formal, ongoing investigations into the environmental impacts on health, (2) a national campaign to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, and (3) launch of the Well Woman Task Force.

In the past several years, endometrial ablation has become an increasingly utilized method for minimalizing heavy menstrual bleeding. What's more, this procedure has since been brought into the outpatient setting. But what do clinicians who are considering bringing this procedural practice into their offices need to know before moving forward?

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss the benefits and limitations of in-office endometrial ablation is Dr. Monte Swarup, Partner at New Horizons Women’s Care from the Arizona OB/GYN Affiliates, and Clinical Assistant Professor at Midwestern University in Phoenix, AZ.

Approaching the topic of body weight with patients is a sensitive issue. It can be challenging for providers to discuss health issues related to excess weight while also remaining sensitive to terminology and language that may offend patients. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Adarsh Gupta to provide insight on how to approach obesity during an office visit. Dr. Gupta is the Director of the Center for Medical Weight Loss & Metabolic Control, and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Rowan School of Medicine.

Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Mark DeFrancesco, 66th President of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to the program. Dr. DeFrancesco looks back at the accomplishments of his immediate predecessors, and reflects on the three-fold initiative to which he will dedicate his efforts on behalf of ACOG to advance the OB/GYN specialty for years to come.

Dr. DeFrancesco is managing partner at Westwood Women’s Health in Waterbury, Connecticut, a division of Women’s Health Connecticut. He is a founding member of this organization, and served as its chief medical officer for many years.

Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Tom Gellhaus, President-Elect of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to discuss his vision for ACOG's initiatives to come, inspired in part by both his unique clinical training background and his extensive legislative activity experience on behalf of OB/GYN specialists nationwide.

Dr Gellhaus is Clinical Associate Professor of OB/GYN and Director of General OB/GYN at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa. City.