Focus on Women's and Men’s Health

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is highly expressed on prostate cancer (PC) cells and can be detected in tumors using positron emission tomography imaging. Even though clinical features predict different stages of PC progression, the application of imaging to guide treatment is still evolving but gaining substantial evidence for the targeting of PSMA. With clinical research shifting paradigms for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), novel treatment options require adoption and effective application into clinical practice. PSMA has become an appealing target for diagnostic agents for imaging and therapeutic agents to treat mCRPC. Radionuclide emitters are being used for both cell surface expression of PSMA and the tumor microenvironment, and research has proven the therapeutic efficacy of PSMA-directed radioligand therapy (RLT).

In this educational activity, two experts will examine the role and rationale for PSMA targeted therapies and diagnostics—jointly known as theragnostics—as a revolutionary new approach to treating patients with advanced prostate cancer and will evaluate clinical trial data for PSMA-targeted RLT.

Menopause is an inevitable transition in every woman’s life, but what if engaging in a basic physiological need like sex could delay its onset? Researching this potential connection is Megan Arnot, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University College London. As the lead author of the study, she walks us through her findings and the range of factors they investigated, like the type of sexual activity and whether or not women lived with a partner.

A recent study following 346 pregnant patients found that 63 percent of the women were admitted into the hospital for uncertain diagnosis or delivery—all because preeclampsia has many of the same symptoms of other diseases. The good news, however, is that there’s a new test currently underway that could make the diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia easier in order to prevent potentially dangerous outcomes for the mother and baby, as OB/GYN Dr. Kara Rood explains.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in both females and males, with about 9 in 10 people contracting HPV at some point in their lives.

Host Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Samantha Gottlieb, medical anthropologist and author of Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine: Selling HPV and Cervical Cancer. They explore the history of Gardasil, a vaccine developed for HPV but marketed primarily as a cervical cancer vaccine, which became embroiled in sociopolitical debates about adolescent sexuality and pediatric vaccinations.

The two discuss these precedents alongside current controversies, such as whether vaccinating both males and females will induce herd immunity, and if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Current CDC Treatment Guidelines include transgender men and women as special populations. These guidelines recommend risk assessment based on current anatomy and sexual behaviors and screening for asymptomatic STIs based on the patient's history and sexual practices.

At a recent live event recorded in Chicago, moderator Dr. Matt T. Rosenberg welcomes Aiden Harrington, ANP, CNM from Howard Brown Health in Chicago, Illinois. Topics covered include health risks in the LGBTQ community, STI screening and treatment, and how to discuss sexuality with your patients.

Doulas have become an integral part of the obstetrics field. In recent years, a new, specialized type of doula, called the bereavement doula, has emerged. But what roles and duties are performed by this care provider?

Host Dr. Renee Allen speaks with Heidi Faith, Founder, President and CEO of StillBirthDay, a highly specialized doula program. The two talk about the unique care roles a bereavement doula can play in the labor and delivery of stillborn babies.

It's widely known that genetics, family history, race, and other factors all play important roles in cancer risk. But what kinds of roles do they play, specifically, and how can we leverage these understandings into better primary care?

Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Maureen Murphy, research scientist at the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Murphy has spent the past twenty years studying how genes affect breast cancer risk in women, particularly for African American populations. She discusses her findings on the discovery of p53 protein variants and how this advances the role for precision medicine in treating breast cancer.

FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s March 2017 approval of niraparib for the maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Released May 18, 2017

In the male-dominated world of medicine, she dared to step forward and fight for fairness—graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School with honors in the year 1900. But for physician Dorothy Reed Mendenhall, MD, the battle for equality was just beginning.

In the name of improving the standards of care for women and infants, she faced the scorn of prejudiced doctors in an establishment marked by its unwillingness to change. Still, through the Gilded Age, two World Wars, and beyond, she kept up her fight—in the process, discovering new breakthroughs and saving lives, all while outperforming many of her male peers.

Dorothy in a Man’s World is an inside look at the life and career of Dr. Mendenhall, documented by physician and pathologist Dr. Peter Dawson. This biographical tribute to one of medicine’s great female pioneers showcases the struggles women faced to make a name for themselves in the world of health care—in addition to the drastic improvements which have been made in the specific area of care for women and their infants.

Dr. Dawson sits down with host Dr. Maurice Pickard as they explore Dr. Mendenhall's extraordinary life.

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss counseling methods for patients who are trying to conceive is Dr. Robert Debbs, Director of the Pennsylvania Hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine Network in New Jersey and Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine. Dr. Debbs will discuss pre-conceptual counseling on a range of topics such as obesity, congenital heart disease, depression, and conceiving after a miscarriage.