Original Article

Human-Centered Design for a Women’s Health Screening Tool: Participant Experiences

Objectives: Screening is a priority in primary care and women’s health, and increasingly used for intimate partner violence. Integrating such routine screening into primary care screening may be challenging for clinicians. Human-centered design (HCD) is a participatory process emphasizing stakeholder input and is used increasingly in health care. A growing…

Original Article

A Brochure to Improve Understanding of Incomplete Mammogram Results Among Black Women at a Public Hospital in Miami, Florida

Objectives: Black women are at increased risk of being called back for additional studies after a screening mammogram. With focus group input, we developed a brochure to improve awareness of the frequency of abnormal results. This study explored the brochure’s acceptability and effect on understanding risk and breast cancer fears…

Meet the Faculty: Julie Sroga-Rios, MD

LEARN MOREJulie Sroga-Rios, MD Julie M. Sroga-Rios, MD, joined the UC Center for Reproductive Health in 2012 after completing a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and is an active board candidate in Reproductive...

SMJ : June 2018 Issue

The Southern Medical Journal is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists, including medicine; surgery; women’s and children’s health; mental health; emergency and disaster medicine; public health...

Meet the Chair: Dr. Michael A. Thomas, MD

Learn MoreRegister NowMichael A. Thomas - Conference Chair Dr. Michael A. Thomas is Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He has held this position since 2001.  Dr. Thomas has been named one of the “Best Doctors in America” and...

Meet the Faculty: Lena Merjanian, MD

Learn More Register NowLena Merjanian, MD Lena Merjanian, M.D., is a board certified OB/GYN. She is a native of New Jersey, born and raised in Bergen County. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor of Science. She received her medical degree from Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson...

Meet the Faculty: Tenley Murphy, MD

Learn More Register NowTenley Murphy, MD Dr. Murphy currently serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she is director of the Palmetto Health Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. She previously worked at Clemson University as a physician...

Meet the Faculty: Jennifer Wells, MD

Learn MoreJennifer Wells, MD Dr. Jennifer Wells is a California native raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC. She is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of the University of California at Davis with a BS in biological sciences. Following graduation from college she spent two years at...

Meet the Faculty: Adrian Balica, MD

Learn More Register NowAdrian Balica, MD Dr. Balica is currently a physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.  Dr. Balica completed his residency OB/GYN, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, US Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine - Englewood Hospital,...

Meet the Faculty: Michael Wagner, MD

Learn More Register NowMichael Wagner, MD Michael Wagner, MD, FACP, RDMS, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, SC. There he serves as the Director of Internal Medicine Ultrasound Education for the residency program and 3rd year clerkship, as well...

Meet the Chairs: Nancy A. Phillips, MD

LEARN MORENancy A. Phillips, MD Co-Chair Dr. Phillips is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Science at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Her clinical interest is in vulvovaginal health, with an emphasis on vulvodynia. Other areas of interest...

Meet the Chairs: Dr. Veronica K. Piziak, MD

LEARN MOREVeronica K. Piziak, MD, PhD, FACP - Conference Chair Dr. Piziak is Emeritus Director, Division of Endocrinology and Director of the Diabetes Center for Scott & White in Temple, Texas. She has attained the rank of Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at Texas A&M University College of Medicine and...

Donald J. DiPette, MD, FACP, FAHA: Past President

Dr. DiPette is currently the Health Sciences Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina. He has previously held the positions of Special Assistant to the Provost for Health Affairs, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean...

Cancer in Women Meeting Announcement

New Meeting Announcement! August 11, 2018 Hilton Cincinnati Airport Florence, KY If you are looking for the perfect CME conference - a one day agenda packed with expert speakers in an affordable location - look no further! SMA is happy to introduce, "Cancer in Women: Screening, Prevention, and Survivorship". Chaired by Dr. Michael...

Original Article

Women’s Health Curriculum for Medical Students

Objectives: Knowledge of women’s health is important for physicians in various specialties, but training often is inadequate. The objective of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a women’s health curriculum for medical students at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. Methods: After reviewing previous pertinent…

Review Article

Distinguishing Depressive Symptoms From Similar Cancer-Related Somatic Symptoms: Implications for Assessment and Management of Major Depression after Breast Cancer

Prevalence rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) following breast cancer diagnosis are estimated to be ~5% to >20%, and these rates range from slightly below to somewhat above the expected prevalence rate for MDD in the general population of women in the United States. Women with a history of MDD…

Original Article

Does a Bite Cause Cancer? Misperceptions of Breast Cancer Etiology among Low-Income Urban Women in Miami, Florida

Objectives: To explore breast cancer beliefs among a cohort of low-income, urban, English-speaking women in Miami, Florida, who had undergone screening mammography. Methods: Four focus groups of 34 women were conducted. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed separately by two investigators using an immersion–and-crystallization approach. Common risk factors…

Original Article

Osteoporosis Preventive Care in White and Black Women in Community Family Medicine Settings

Background: Osteoporosis has been studied predominantly in white postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 400 women aged 45 years and older enrolled in a family medicine community-based research network. Participants responded to 42 items regarding osteoporosis screening and prevention during primary…

Original Article

The Rectovaginal Examination: Physician Attitudes and Practice Patterns

Background: The value of screening with the rectovaginal examination (RVE) has not been validated. This study describes physician attitudes and practice patterns regarding the RVE. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of residents and faculty in general internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) at a university hospital. Results: Thirty-four percent of physicians surveyed reported…