WashU Ob/Gyn Rocks: Recent Episodes
Wash U Ob/Gyn
One way to celebrate our community of amazing faculty, staff, residents and fellows during an unprecedented time. What does wellness mean to you? Can we maintain wellness in the face of covid19? Hear thoughts from the authentic voices of our department. Stay connected even while social distancing and at-home learning becomes our new normal.
Washington University physicians Dr. Dineo Khabele, Dr. Andrea Hagemann, and Dr. Maggie Dwiggins discuss the link between RED-S and burnout.
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Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) describes a syndrome of poor health and declining athletic performance that happens when athletes do not get enough fuel through food to support the energy demands of their daily lives and training. RED-S can and does affect athletes of any gender and ability level. (Via Boston Children's Hospital)
Chat with Dr. Khabele as she discusses teaching leadership while we navigate learning together at a department.
We discuss how Dr. Mandi Dillon found a future in REI, gaining mentorship through faculty and fellows, and navigating becoming a parent during residency. She gives some gems of advice to aspiring medical students, residents and fellows. You don't want to miss out! We wish her the best of luck at Baylor University, and we are so lucky to have had her during her residency.
Washington University in St. Louis ObGyn Resident, Dr. Erika Mauban, takes us through growing up in Las Vegas, the choice to become a doctor, balancing education with a social media channel and much more. Listen with us as we learn a bit more about the person behind Dr. In Training! https://www.youtube.com/c/DoctorinTraining
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week! Did you know that 1 in 4 female physicians experience infertility? Let’s talk about it, and work to expand coverage for fertility treatments! Dr. Ashley Veade shares her journey through the unexpected diagnosis of infertility right as she finished residency and started her job as a generalist Ob/Gyn here at Wash U. Thank you for sharing your story, Dr. Veade! We hope you’ll listen in to this conversation with Drs. Veade, Erika Mauban and Andrea Hagemann.
Get ready for some brilliant career and life lessons as our Ob/Gyn Department Chair pulls back the curtain on what it’s been like to be our Chair for the past two years. She shares her 10 guiding principles and 3 key facets of transformational leadership. How do we cultivate purposeful careers that are aligned with the mission of best patient care and future progress? Listen up! For further watching/reading, Dr. Khabele suggests author Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle idea (from his book Start with Why or his TED talk). Enjoy this power-packed episode!
Dr. Bridget Huysman is a Chief Resident in ObGyn here at WashU. She’s a former scrub tech!! Has a Masters in Public Health, and plans to stay here to do an MFM fellowship and also continue to grow our Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Advocacy curriculum here within the training programs. We met for an impromptu podcast chat, both double masked, in an empty recovery room in the PACU after finishing a surgery on a cold January 2022 morning.
What drives a great mentor/mentee relationship? How can we make the most of mentorship during training and throughout our academic careers? Spoiler alert: it’s not by being perfect. Join special guests Drs. Cara Cipriano and Jenny Duncan as they detail the Academy of Educators’ new Mentorship Workshops and share how Mentorship and wellness are ever intertwined. Check out the website for great resources! https://education.med.wustl.edu/teaching-resources/academy-of-educators/mentoring-at-washington-university-school-of-medicine/
It’s transition time around here, with our chiefs about to graduate and everyone jumping into new roles. Dr. Xiao Wang joins us to share a few of his major career transitions as he steps into his role as chief resident. Hear about his eventful journey with his grandmother as he came to America from China at age 3, his passion for maternal fetal medicine, his love for baking, and his thoughts on countering Asian American bias and discrimination. His mantra, “it’s always a learning opportunity,” and the positivity he portrays on a daily basis are truly inspiring! Shout outs to Kathy F, RN, and Drs. Kristine Brown, Erin Bailey and Halley Staples for some outtakes at the end of the episode.
Dr. Lauren Kus is one of our second year residents, fiercely passionate about advocacy and promoting wellness across residency training. She is our new GME Resident Wellness representative, and talks about what’s happening here. A former competitive volleyball player, Dr. Kus is no stranger to feedback and growth. She talks with Drs. Omurtag and Hagemann about how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable nature of giving and receiving feedback that leads to growth. Thank you, Dr. Kus, for joining us!
No match day, no graduation? No problem for Dr. Staples, who takes each day as it comes, always with a fantastic smile behind that mask and a truly inspiring outlook. In this episode, which was recorded during peaking COVID numbers here in St. Louis, Dr. Staples shares her passion for advocacy, talks about the strong nurses in her life who shaped her desire to enter Ob/Gyn, creating spaces to stay well, dabbling in the arts, and much more. Enjoy!
It’s Gynecologic cancer awareness month AND the final push for Siteman’s Pedal the Cause event! Listen to two of our amazing residents, Drs. Elizabeth Johns and Whitney Grither, who are joining forces with two patients, Sandi Essner and Randalynn Vasel, and our own Pedal-funded physician scientist, Dr. Katherine Fuh to discuss why Pedal the Cause is so meaningful.
Dr. David Mutch, Professor of Ob/Gyn, Vice Chair or Gynecology, Former SGO President, huge advocate for women with Gynecologic cancers, and a list of career accolades too long to list, joins us today to reflect on his career, the growth and changes within Gynecologic Oncology he’s seen since he started on faculty here in the 1980s. A wealth of great quotes and life lessons, and some even from Noni, the African Grey we’ve all gotten to know over the past few months on Zoom calls, await you in this new episode of the podcast. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Mutch!
Dr. Dineo Khabele is the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor and Chair of the Department of Ob/Gyn here at WashU. She joined on June 1, right in the middle of a pandemic and our country’s reckoning with racism. She takes us through her story of career development, dedication to and passion for women’s health, her pathway as a physician scientist in Gynecologic Oncology, and her thoughts on leadership, mentorship and sponsorship. Take a listen and hear why we are all so excited to welcome her as our new Chair! #letsgettowork
This week we take you behind the scenes to share some secrets to the WashU Dept of Ob/Gyn’s research successes... meet Deborah Frank, PhD. What is a scientific editor, what does she love most about her job, and how does editing differ from writing? How can we find peace with crappy first drafts and get our ideas out into the world faster and with more clarity? The answers might be here in this podcast episode!
In this episode, we hear from one of our favorite Gynecologic Pathologists about life and work in academic medicine. Dr. Ian Hagemann is an Associate Professor in Pathology and Immunology here at Wash U, passionate about medical education, admissions and being a part of the WashU Academy of Educators. He dishes on his path to medical school, what is was like being married to an Ob/Gyn resident while finishing his MD/PhD, a couple of secrets about what the pathologists are doing while we’re waiting for the frozen section, and finding balance in Karate Kid movies and living and working in St. Louis. Pictured here are Ian and Andrea after the WUSM white coat ceremony in 2000. Find out why they still love WashU 20 years later.
Dr. David Eisenberg, Associate Professor here at Wash U, shares how his passion for civil rights and an early experience with Tiger mosquitoes led him to right where he is today. He’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and loves being a part of helping women find hope at the toughest of times. Take a listen as he talks through his career path, what’s been hardest about his advocacy work, how it’s been raising two boys with a two-physician family (shout out to Dr. Erin King!) and how he keeps finding and sharing hope.
Dr. Jeannie Kelly, Asst Professor of Ob/Gyn, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, shares her career path thus far in MFM. How did she come to run the CARE Clinic, direct L&D during COVID times, and get her three kids to all nap at the same time every day?? She talks about her path from China to America, turning down basic science for the joy of direct patient care and medical training, and the importance of health care access for everyone in this country. Take a listen to this amazing, inspiring physician!
Our beloved clinical research specialist dishes on life in quarantine with her beagle Annie! She shares pearls for grant writing, manuscript writing, staying focused on goals that are bigger than any one research project, and the importance of teamwork. We will all be that much better advocates after listening to her!
Dr. Mario Pardo-Friedman hasn’t had the most traditional path to Ob/Gyn residency, but it’s led to a perfect fit in women’s health and we’ve been so lucky to have him in our program. Listen as he shares his story, opening up about struggles with mental health, taking us from New Mexico to Taiwan, and telling us how selling mattresses, 🎭 theater and mathematics have all helped shaped this fantastic human being who is ready to crush his last year of Ob/Gyn residency.
Dr. Anderson shares her thoughts on the importance of mentors and friends throughout residency, and also shares her thoughts as a county-born St. Louisan who is motivated to fight and work for health equity for all women in this city. Congratulations on an amazing 4 years! Lucky for us, she’ll be staying here for REI fellowship, making this send off a little easier!
Dr. Huepenbecker, affectionately known as Hueps, shares her story, starting in Minnesota, to Philly, to St. Louis, and now Houston. She’ll be starting gyn onc fellowship at MDACC and we are so proud of her! Congrats, Hueps!
Dr. Putman shares her story, coming from Arkansas to St. Louis, couples matching, marriage and a baby all thrown in to the last 4 years! She shares her plans for MIGS fellowship. She also shares what might be the biggest honor of all for an Ob/Gyn, helping bring her dear friend’s baby safely into the world during the last week of residency! Congrats, Dr. Putman!
Dr. Bridge joins us to discuss her next steps after residency, how she navigated pregnancy during residency, and kept her love for gardening alive. She discusses a new disparities curriculum she helped develop during her residency. And to finish it off, an update from her colleague and friend Dr. Putman! Congrats, Dr. Bridge, on finishing residency and on the healthy delivery of your new little boy!
Catching up with graduating chief resident Dr. Stephanie Blankenship means we also get to hear what Dr. Andy Fisher’s up to, too! These two met in ob/gyn residency and the rest of their history is just getting started. We couldn’t be happier or more excited for them. Power couple alert!!
Dr. Lopez talks about the importance of calming nerves—her own, or her patients’—by taking a moment to breathe, and shares her story of growth and career development. Congrats, Dr. Lopez! Why shoot for the stars when you can reach for the moon? 🌙 ✨
Dr. Jo’An Tankou, Gynecologic Oncology fellow here at WUSM, shares her story of being a black woman in medicine today, this week, in St. Louis. Her words echo the call to action we’re hearing loud and clear. Take a listen, and let’s get to work.
You’ll hear pearls from Dr. Allie Brubaker’s 4 years of residency, and have a chance to ponder the question: into what Hogwarts house would you sort? Dr. Brubaker shares her decision to pursue a community general Obstetrics and Gynecology job after graduation, and we are joined by a special guest, a community gyn onc from Green Bay, Wisconsin who will be a colleague of Allie’s. She shares her own story of moving from academics to community practice. Valuable stories to hear, and even some Harry Potter 🎶!
Today we catch up with the eloquent Dr. Ebony Carter, with updates from the Divisions of MFM and Clinical Research. Dr. Carter shares her amazing story of her career path, fighting the urge to be a gyn oncologist (!), her passion for the DCR, and her thoughts on how we can all be purposeful in helping reduce health care disparities here in St. Louis.
Our graduating chief resident, Dr. Matt Shanahan, may be retired from the world of elite speed skating, but his career in Fetal Medicine/MFM/Genetics is just getting started. Today he takes a break from his current role as the Gyn Onc Chief Resident to talk with Dr. Molly Greenwade and Dr. Hagemann about his path thus far. And don’t let the title mislead you; we discuss being ok with the possibility failing and imperfection... kind of tough for all of us Type As, and Dr. Shanahan shares his very powerful perspective. We are going to miss you, Matt! But so proud of you and thankful for the last 4 years with you in our department! For full context, listeners may want take a minute before you listen and click on this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qQzdAsjWGPg
Dr. Whitney Trotter Ross updates us on life as a MIGS fellow at Penn State in Hershey, PA! She talks about physical, spiritual and emotional wellness, growing up in 🇲🇽, mentorship versus sponsorship, exercising together with her husband yet 15 feet apart in separate rooms while he’s on the covid service, and most exciting for us, how much she’s looking forward to moving back to St. Louis. Take a listen!
Dr. Marta Perez, an Assistant Professor of Ob/Gyn here at WU, talks about her passion for teaching and medical education, and catches us up on life after residency and her time in private practice (what is that?!). She dishes on oral board preparation, life back in St. Louis, and finding gratitude for both good and bad moments. Truly a shining light in our department—enjoy!
Oh yes, she did travel to national parks in her (MoBap?) blue scrubs! The meconium gets real in this episode with our amazing chief resident Smitty. She shares her story of growth from deeply personal past trauma, and how she’s writing, meditating, running, and still making everyone smile and laugh during covid19. Smitty’s strength and authenticity shine in this conversation. Take a listen and make your day a little brighter.
Dr. Eric Strand joins Kenan and Andrea for an update on the residents’ new work flow, his life in quarantimes with 4 boys, his predictions for the future of sports... and we learn (gasp!) that he does not like 🧩 puzzles. What?!?! Take a listen! Bonus=finding Dr. Strand’s Senior pic!
Dr. Kenan Omurtag of REI dishes on his ninja wife, homeschooling during a pandemic, and finding wellness with social media. He shares tips on minimizing distractions, using the whiteboard in Zoom, and not worrying if there’s nothing right in front of you to worry about.
Dr. Vinita Alexander, Fellow in the Division of REI, shares how anxiety can be turned into a positive in our lives. She is a clinician scientist who reminds us how important it is to keep showing up for our patients, especially during covid19.
Whether you like gingerbread or not, you’ll want to hear Dr. Hannah Ware’s take on wellness as an ob/gyn in the wake of covid19!