(from L to R): Better Health for Women participants included Serena H. Chen, MD, Director for the Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center; Indu Lew, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, RWJBarnabas Health; Suzanne Spernal, DNP, APN-BC, RNC-OB, CBC, Senior Vice President, Women’s Health; Rachana Kulkarni, MD, Director of Community Cardiology and Preventative Health, RWJBarnabas Health Southern Region and physician leader with the RWJBarnabas Health Women’s Heart Health Collaborative; Manpreet Kohli, MD, Director for the Division of Breast Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Monmouth Medical Center, Cancer Liaison Physician for the Commission on Cancer; Amy Murtha, MD, and Dean of Rutgers Health, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Johanny Garcia, MD, Vice President, Population Health, RWJBarnabas Health; Molly Kroon, panel moderator, a former TV reporter and local video producer.
Eatontown, NJ – October 24, 2024 – RWJBarnabas Health recently convened a panel of physician experts at the Anne Vogel Family Care & Wellness Center to discuss the state—and reality— of women’s health at an event titled "Better Health for Women."
Studies indicate that women – especially mothers – take responsibility for 80% of the family’s medical decisions and that 1 in 4 caregivers are women, compared to 1 in 5 men.
In her opening remarks, Indu Lew, RWJBarnabas Health Executive Vice President and Chief of staff, pointed out that women are often the Chief Medical Officers of the their homes. “Our goal as a system is to build and sustain a healthier NJ and as part of that, we are committed to building comprehensive care for women close to home in a compassionate and equitable manner.”
Johanny Garcia, MD, Vice President, Population Health, and leading physician across various subspecialties participated in the September 25 panel that highlighted women’s unique health needs and discussed a more comprehensive and inclusive approach for addressing challenges while improving outcomes. Physician panelists included:
- Amy P. Murtha, MD, Dean of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- Serena H. Chen, MD, Director for the Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC)
- Manpreet Kohli, MD, Director for the Division of Breast Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Monmouth Medical Center, Cancer Liaison Physician for the Commission on Cancer
- Rachana Kulkarni, MD, FACC, FASPC, MBA, CPE, Director of Community Cardiology and Preventative Health, RWJBarnabas Health Southern Region; Physician Leader with the RWJBarnabas Health Women’s Heart Health Collaborative
- Su Wang, MD, MPH, FACP, Medical Director of the Center for Asian Health and Medical Director of Viral Hepatitis Programs, CBMC, RWJBarnabas-Rutgers Medical Group
Dr. Murtha discussed the importance of academics in managing a predicted shortage of OB-GYNs in NJ over the next decade. She explained how partnerships, such as that between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, as well as collaboration between the system’s 12 hospitals and the School of Nursing and the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Division of Life Sciences, is critical to success. Through collaboration, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers can help prepare more practitioners, create high quality residency programs and leverage the skills of nurse practitioners, midwives and multidisciplinary clinicians to meet the needs of women and their families.
Dr. Garcia spoke about the importance of caring for the whole woman, including chronic diseases and mental health, as well as encouraging women to go into the health field to care for women. The need for clinicians to make it as easy as possible for women to build relationships with their primary physician was addressed by Dr. Su Wang.
“While urgent care and telehealth are essential, women need to invest in having a long-term relationship with their providers. This should be someone they can trust, someone who will advocate for them and knows them well and through different life stages,” Dr. Wang said.
Dr. Chen emphasized the importance of accessible reproductive healthcare, highlighting how infertility can be a life-altering condition. In line with this, New Jersey recently enacted legislation expanding insurance coverage of infertility care, allowing for more coverage of fertility treatments, including for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Dr. Kulkarni raised awareness on heart disease in women, a classic example of a health condition that presents differently in women and men. She pointed out that women having a heart attack may experience shortness of breath or fatigue instead of the heart-clutching chest pain that signals a heart attack to most people. Dr. Kulkarni also shared that women report heart attack symptoms on an average of six hours later than men do, and that this often leads to a delay in diagnosis and ultimately worse outcomes. She also pointed out that a "bikini approach" to women's health research, where only a woman’s breasts and reproductive organs are taken into account, needs to change.
Dr. Kohli spoke about the importance of breast cancer screening, as one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. She recently gave a TEDx Asbury Park Talk on the same topic. Dr. Kohli also pointed out that only 5% to 10% of breast cancers are hereditary, which means 90% to 95% are due to other risk factors, and that current guidelines recommend women receive their first mammogram at age 40.
“It’s so important for us to bring together a multidisciplinary team of outstanding female physicians from multiple disciplines to educate, inform and provide the best care possible to the whole woman, said Suzanne Spernal, DNP, APN-BC, RNC-OB, CBC, Senior Vice President, Women’s Health. “RWJBarnabas Health is committed to providing women with the best care possible throughout every age and stage of their lives.”
Learn more about RWJBarnabas Health’s Women’s Health service.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org.