OBGyn in the News

Sarah L. Berga, MD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, was consulted for a story on how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted women. She said the pandemic exposed and “amplified dramatically” existing gender inequities in health care access. “Health care workers were stretched thin; public spaces were scary. Especially for teens coming of age, the pandemic made things worse,” Berga said. “That’s one of the reasons we were so frantic to get telehealth going right away across the United States. Now we understand its benefits, and we understand its limitations. People who are less savvy are less likely to engage with that.”

Salem College will be offering health sciences, health humanities and health advocacy and humanitarian systems to its curriculum beginning in the fall. Sarah L. Berga, MD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology — member of the Salem Academy and College Board of Trustees — says as the nation enters a post-COVID world, it is critical to develop a new generation and network of women prepared to drive progress among the myriad of intersecting health issues.

Healio covered the Supreme Court decision allowing employers with religious objections to opt out of providing insurance coverage for contraceptives for employees. The story quotes Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who noted that half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned and that many of those women who go on to have the baby are at higher risk of maternal mortality in the U.S., which already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world. “If we can prevent unplanned pregnancies in particular, in the long run, it’s cheaper and it’s safer from a public health perspective,” Barnabei said.

The latest research shows a growing shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists, which poses potential consequences for women’s health care. The shortage is so critical locally, Buffalo ranks sixth among U.S. metropolitan areas. “I counsel and advise a lot of medical students who were thinking about OB/GYN, and they still have this perception of OB/GYN as a very difficult lifestyle, and it scares people away,” says Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, professor and outgoing chair of obstetrics and gynecology. “The biggest pool of OB/GYNs we have is from our own (UB) training program,” says Barnabei. “Right now, we train 8 per year. So we typically have 2-4 of those people staying in the community.”

Helio reports on the potential OB-GYN shortfall in U.S. and how it presents a serious public health challenge. The story quotes Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, who discussed how older physicians are not retiring to make room for new physicians in the community, making it more difficult for younger physicians to establish a practice. She said that “maybe these older physicians need to think about retiring sooner to turn over their practices to younger people, who then can stay in the community for the next 30 or 35 years.”

Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, provides advice in an article about obstetrician-gynecologists who educate people via TikTok. Barnabei says women should always do their own research or at least research the person from whom they’re taking medical advice. She notes that it is a reg flag when doctors on social media are unwilling to share their credentials, don’t cite research and aren’t willing to direct people to more resources. “My advice to my own patients over the years, and this applies online, is to get a second opinion, look for a second source and try to validate that,” Barnabei says.

A story on cutting-edge medical research features three Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences faculty members: Ali A. El Sohl, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine; Steven E. Lipshultz, MD, A. Conger Goodyear Professor and Chair of pediatrics; and Adekunle O. Odunsi, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, is quoted in an article about the annual March for Life in the nation’s capital being overshadowed by Louisiana Supreme Court cases. “Outlawing abortion will not make it go away; it will only make it unsafe,” she said.

A report on the rising number of women dying in childbirth in New York State cites Vanessa M.Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, as a member of the Maternal Mortality Advisory Council. State government has organized the Council to examine the problem.

In a story about a local woman who died in childbirth and how the U.S. ranks in maternal mortality, Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology and president and CEO of UBMD Obstetrics and Gynecology, said: “When you look at where the U.S. ranks in terms of other industrialized countries, given the amount of money that we spend on health care, how big that part of the budget is, we rank really poorly compared to those other countries.”

An article about sexual health questions women may be hesitant to ask their OB-GYNs interviews Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, who discussed vaginal health, why some women skip having a Pap smear and painful sex. “I see so many women who wait too long to come in with this problem,” she says. “The faster you seek help, the faster your doctor can offer a simple solution.”

The New York State Legislature is expected to vote on the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) on January 22. Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the law was needed to “decriminalize” abortion in the state. She explained that the current law still has language where an abortion provider could be charged criminally for the procedure. Additionally, she said that the RHA also contains important provisions for contraceptives and would establish a maternal death review process.

A front-page article about a South Buffalo family with seven children, including a set of twins, and is now expecting triplets interviews Paul Ogburn, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, about how unusual it is for a woman to give birth to twins and then triplets. "It's certainly not highly likely, but if there's a tendency to have multiple ovulations, it may be more likely for someone who's had twins to have triplets," he said.

An article in the Buffalo News reports UB spinoff Cytocybernetics, a past 43North winner, has received a $250,000 Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institute of Mental Health to support its expansion into neuronal drug development. The co-founders of Cytocybernetics are Glenna C. Bett, PhD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and Randall L. Rasmusson, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics. Bett is company CEO and Rasmusson is company president.

There are concerns that the region could face a shortage of obstetrician-gynecologists in coming years. Vanessa M. Barnabei, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology, comments about what is being done to boost the number of younger physicians in the specialty. “Most of our graduates have stayed in the immediate area, Erie County for the most part and a couple in Niagara County. But I know there are shortages in Niagara County and only a few OB-GYNs in Orleans (County),” she said. “Many of the babies there are delivered by family practice providers.”