Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Prathima Setty, MD What is the practical approach in treating and counseling patients suffering from hot flashes? Dr. Susan Reed discusses the latest research on herbal supplements, such as black cohosh therapy; as well as, pharmacologic options: SSRIs, SNRIs and Gabapentin. Dr. Susan Reed is the Professor and Division Director of the Women's Health and Adjunct Appointment, Epidemiology, Clinical Services Director at the UW National Center of Excellence in Women's Health at the Univesity of Washington Schoolf of Medicine, Seattle, Washington. About NAMS The interview was conducted live at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 2014 meeting. Founded in 1989, NAMS is North America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health and quality of life of all women during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging. Its multidisciplinary membership of 2,000 leaders in the field-including clinical and basic science experts from medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacy, and education-makes NAMS uniquely qualified to serve as the definitive resource for health professionals and the public for accurate, unbiased information about menopause and healthy aging. To learn more about NAMS, visit www.menopause.org.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD The "FDA Jury" is out on treatment for uterine fibroids, and it’s not favorable to the practice of laparoscopic power morcellation. That update, and more importantly an expert practitioner’s perspectives on the FDA's suggested recommendations, is the focus of this interview. Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss the current landscape in uterine fibroid treatments, and the changing perceptions on power morcellation procedures, is Dr. Michael Randell, practicing OB/GYN in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Randell is a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Cord Blood Banking has become increasingly prominent in OB/GYN practice, which demands a myriad of skills such as counseling expectant parents and families on collections, procedure processes, and differences in public vs private banks. Is your state of knowledge up to date? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz at Omnia Education’s Women’s Health Annual Visit in New York is Dr. Jordan Perlow, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, and Associate Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Host: John Russell, MD Dr. John Russell speaks with Dr. Donna Ryan, Professor Emeritus at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Dr. Ryan serves as co-Chair of the panel to revise the NIH-supported evidence-based Guidelines on the Evaluation and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. She is past President of The Obesity Society and currently Associate Editor in Chief of the journal, Obesity.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Antibiotic stewardship, or the responsible prescribing habits of antibiotics, is on the decline in the U.S, and the spread of multidrug resistant bacterial infections through communities has already begun to be observed. Dr. Steven Brown, staff physician at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, MO and Medical Director of the Lung Injury Center, likens antibiotic prescription expectations by patients to that of gameshow participants, where everyone presumes to take home a "prize" of some kind by the end of the encounter. How can clinicians counteract this trend in antibiotic prescription habits, and what are the risks of ignoring this mandate for better stewardship?

Host: Howard Levy, MD, PhD Guest: David H. Ledbetter, PhD, FACMG From the ASHG Meeting in San Diego, Dr. Howard Levy is joined by Dr. David Ledbetter, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Geisinger Health System. Dr. Ledbetter shares his career story as an internationally recognized researcher in the advancement of medical genomics, and the initiatives he is leading at Geisinger to bring genomic sequencing to primary care settings for improved risk assessments and better patient outcomes.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Hypnosis in Obstetrics. It’s something you probably just don’t hear about every day, but the practice has existed for more than a century and in that time collected a fair amount of evidence on its behalf. What are the benefits and risks of hypnotic practice, both in the obstetric domain and in the wider arena of medicine? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to separate fact from fiction about hypnosis in medicine at Omnia Education’s Women’s Health Annual Visit in New York is Dr. David Gandell, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

Host: Prathima Setty, MD Issues of vaginal health are commonly seen in post-menopausal women, breast cancer survivors and women who have had a hysterectomy. According to the US Census Bureau there are nearly 46M women between the ages of 50 and 80, and over 2.8M breast cancer survivors. Existing treatments for post-menopause vaginal health can be time intensive or messy, or contraindicated for health reasons. They also can have numerous side-effects and offer only marginal improvement -- according to a doctor associated with the study. Host Dr. Prathima Setty welcomes Dr. Mickey Karram, Director of Fellowship Program on Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery at The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Karram will share preliminary findings from a trail evaluating laser treatment on post-menopausal women and breast cancer survivors experiencing vaginal health issues. Supported by an Educational Grant from BD Diagnostics. ReachMD retains full editorial control of the content for this program.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD There’s an estimated 450,000 people with multiple sclerosis in the United States, and of this staggering number, there are 2 to 3 times as many women as men, with a gender gap that is only widening. Since the majority of women with MS get diagnosed in their 20’s and 30’s, the need for understanding the reproductive impacts of MS becomes critical. How can clinicians address these challenges in practice? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz at Omnia Education’s Women’s Health Annual Visit in New York is Dr. Carolina Ionete, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Massachusetts, and Associate Director of the MS Center in Wooster, MA.

Host: Ana Maria Rosario Pancreatic Cancer strikes fear into the hearts of every practicing internist, pathologist, oncologist, and general surgeon on behalf of their patients, and unfortunately for us all, it’s on the rise. By 2030 it will be expected to climb to the number-2 spot for causes of cancer death. What new insights can we bring to the recognition and identification of pancreatic cancer to help curb that trend? Joining host Ana Maria Rosario at Omnia Education’s Stages in Women’s Health in New York is Dr. Aimee Lucas, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.