I am interested in all aspects of Obstetrics and Gynecology and women’s health and practiced for many years doing general Ob/Gyn care. My long-time clinical focus is the care of women with menopausal and peri-menopausal problems. Midlife can be a challenging time for many women and I try to take a holistic approach to their midlife health issues. I spend a lot of time counseling women about medical and non-medical treatment options, including hormone therapy. I also see women with disorders of the vulva such as chronic pain and difficult-to-treat skin disorders such as lichen sclerosus.

Menopause and hormone therapy have also been a large part of my research activities, and I have been an investigator with several of the large clinical trials on the impact of hormone therapy on symptoms and disease, including the Women’s Health Initiative. I assist my faculty with their research projects and love to do multidisciplinary projects that benefit women’s health. I have been very impressed with the friendly and collaborative spirit here in Buffalo and Western New York. Currently, I am working with several multidisciplinary groups on the medical campus and the community investigating links between the microbiome of the pregnant woman and preterm birth, the effects of air pollution on birth outcomes, and strategies to reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy in Erie County.

I take very seriously my roles as mentor and facilitator. My role as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs will enable me to help others reach their potential and achieve success in academic medicine, whether they are students, residents in training, or faculty. I have been involved with the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology on the Safe Motherhood Initiative which seeks to lower maternal morbidity and mortality and now serve as co-chair of the NY State Maternal Mortality Review Board.