Women’s Health and Gender-Based Care Track

 

Purpose:

To integrate a focus on gender-specific care and women’s health into Internal Medicine or Med-Peds residency training beyond that of the categorical residents.

 

Overview:

Since women and gender-diverse patients present through all clinical disciplines, internal medicine residency is a perfect opportunity to develop the cross-discipline skills need to provide evidence-based care to these populations. Through this track residents will be able to recognize the social, reproductive, and physiologic concerns in the care of women and gender-minorities in both a primary-care and subspecialty context.

This track is a post-match option for residents to join after their intern year. The track is open to all residents regardless of future fellowship plans as these skills can be transferred to any specialty. It can be combined with the LUCENT primary care leadership track or the MERITS medical education track. Participants of the track will gain additional clinical experiences, mentoring, and opportunities for scholarly work in women’s health and gender focused care.

 

Program Highlights:

  • Residents learn to bring the lenses of gender to the care of women and gender minorities throughout all medical specialties.
  • Additional mentorship to help with career planning and completion of a scholarly project.
  • Opportunities to learn additional procedures such as LARC placement and develop confidence in breast and pelvic exam skills.

 

Track Requirements:

 

  • Clinical – 2-week gender-based care elective in the final 2 years of residency. All residents are required to rotate with gynecology, breast clinic, PCG gender-based care clinic, family planning clinic, and student health. Additional opportunities with IBD clinic, women’s cardiology, cancer genetics, osteoporosis, trans care, and weight management are available.
  • Scholarship – any type of scholarly project (research, WI, education, etc.) involving women or gender-diverse patients.
  • Mentorship – residents should meet with the track mentor at least twice a year.
  • Education – attend the quarterly track small-group didactics, annual grand rounds, and present a gender-based care morning report.

 

 

PCG Gender-Based Care Clinic:

The PCG Gender-Based Care Clinic is an additional service available to patients in the primary care group. Providers can refer patients to the clinic for consultation in managing gender-based care topics. Common clinic referrals include: cervical cancer screening, breast cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling, osteoporosis advance treatment options, trans health, medical monitoring of eating disorders, IUD and Nexplanon placement, management of menstrual irregularities and menopause symptoms. Rusiecki and Ortiz Worthington staff this clinic. All residents are welcome to rotate in this clinic but priority will be given to those in the track.

 

Program Leadership:

 

 

                 Jen Rusiecki, MD                       Rebeca Ortiz Worthington, MD

 

How to apply:

Residents should contact Jen Rusiecki (jrusiecki@bsd.uchicago.edu) to meet and discuss their involvement in the track in the spring of their intern year.

 

 

Prior Gender-Based Care Morning Reports:

Disparities in maternal mortality

Contraception options in women who smoke

Adventurous women do: counseling patients on HPV infections

Managing hypertensive emergency in a patient with postpartum preeclampsia

Diagnosis of PCOS in primary care clinic

 

Prior Women’s Health Grand Rounds:

2019: Dr. Theresa Rhor-Kirshgraber: Primary Care for Eating Disorder Patients

2020: Dr. Tracy Battaglia: In pursuit of equity in breast cancer: A generalist’s perspective

2021: Drs. Cuoghi Edens, Sushila Dalal, Alberuni Zamah: Reproductive Health in Medically Complex Women

2022: Dr. Diana Green Foster: Projected Health and Economic Consequences of the End of Roe

2023: Dr. Eleanor Bila Schwarz: Reproductive Health Care Post-Roe

 

 

Track Graduates:

Year Residents Post-Graduation Plans
2019 Rebeca Ortiz Worthington University of Pittsburgh Women’s Health Fellowship, now UCMC faculty
Julia Nath Rutgers Medical School Addiction Medicine Fellowship

California Pacific Medical Center IM Residency Program: Primary Care Faculty
2020 Daniela Anderson Primary Care Provider, Tapestry Health Chicago FQHC
Rachel Folz Primary Care and Women’s Health Provider Rush University Medical Center
Rachel Karani Hospitalist Northwestern Medical Group
Lauren He Chief Resident University of Chicago

Rheumatology fellow University of Michigan
Claire Dugan Primary Care, Assistant Professor of Medicine, NYU Langone Health
Chelsea Smith Primary Care Provider Nuvance Health Connecticut
2021 Juli DaSilva GI fellow UC San Diego
Molly Leavitt McNeil Hospital Chief Resident

Applying to rheumatology fellowships
Maya Faison PCG Float Physician, University of Chicago

Applying to rheumatology fellowships