Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Pubmed Publications

Dr. Kushner's Research

Research Focus: Minimizing the negative impact of cancer and subsequent treatments on patients’ quality of life.

Sobecki appointed medical director of UW Health WISH Program

Janelle Sobecki, MD, MA, assistant professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, recently stepped into the role of medical director for the UW Health Women’s Integrative Sexual Health (WISH) Program. Congratulations, Dr. Sobecki!

The WISH Program provides clinical consultation, resources, education, emotional support and appropriate referrals related to sexual health concerns for women with cancer. The program is open to people experiencing issues with gynecologic, breast, and other types of cancer. Sobecki became medical director on January 1, 2023.

David Kushner, MD, professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, is the outgoing WISH medical director. Kushner developed the WISH program at UW Health and led it through many years of growth. His vision, expertise and leadership have improved the cancer survivorship experience for countless patients in our area.

Our thanks to Dr. Kushner for his many years of leadership, and huge congratulations to Dr. Sobecki on this new role!

Kushner to become Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Education and Wellness

David Kushner, MD, Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, has accepted the appointment of Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Education and Wellness. This appointment will be effective November 1, 2022!

As Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Education and Wellness, Kushner will be integrally involved with the department’s faculty mentoring program, recruitment, faculty promotions and supporting career development for faculty at all levels. Provider wellness is a new addition to this vice chair role and will include providing strategic vision and direction to the development, implementation, and evaluation of wellbeing initiatives, in collaboration with the department, UW SMPH, and UW Health leadership. He will also provide oversight and leadership for all levels of education in our department, working closely with the leaders of medical student, residency, fellowship, and graduate training programs to ensure the highest quality for all our educational programs.

Kushner brings a depth of experience to each aspect of this role. He has been a mentor to many early-career faculty, chairing and serving on countless faculty mentor committees as well as advising and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows. He has long been a champion for wellbeing efforts, including founding and co-chairing the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Wellness Task Force, pioneering the Department of Ob-Gyn’s Wellness Committee in 2018, and serving as an active voice on the UW Health Provider Wellbeing Committee since its creation. He is an award-winning educator. During his tenure as director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, he successfully navigated the accreditation process to launch the UW Ob-Gyn Gynecologic Oncology fellowship, which he then led successfully for many years.

Thanks to Dr. Kushner for his leadership as Vice Chair of Research, a role he held since 2015, and congratulations on this new opportunity to shape the department’s faculty development, education, and wellness efforts!

Kushner published in Gynecologic Oncology

Dave Kushner, MD, professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, is senior author on a new publication in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.

In “SGO and the elephant that is still in the room: Wellness, burnout and gynecologic oncology”, Kushner and co-authors analyzes survey responses from physician and advanced practice provider members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology to compare mental health factors and burnout:

“Burnout in gynecologic oncology persists in both genders and is felt most acutely by female GOs. APPs are not immune and would benefit from inclusion in future research to mitigate burnout in healthcare clinicians.”

Read the whole study here!

SHAWL Study featured in World Conference on Lung Cancer media event

The Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) study, co-authored by David Kushner, MD, professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, was featured in a media event during the 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer in August!

The SHAWL study overall found that 77% of participants experienced moderate to severe sexual dysfunction. During a media conference in Vienna, SHAWL study principal investigator Narjust Florez, MD (formerly of UW Carbone Cancer Center, now of Dana Farber Cancer Institute) outlined the key findings from the study:

“The take-home message is that sexual dysfunction is prevalent in women with lung cancer, that sexual health should be integrated into thoracic oncology care — “now, not tomorrow” — and that further research is necessary to develop tailored interventions for patients with lung cancer, Florez said.”

Read the whole article here!

Kushner published in International Journal of Obesity

Professor David Kushner, MD, of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, is a co-author on a new study published in the International Journal of Obesity. 

In "Obesity and "obesity-related" cancers: Are there body mass index cut-points?", Kushner and co-authors used a retrospective cohort study to look for statistically significant associations between rising body mass index (BMI) and incidence of certain types of cancer:

“In adjusted logistic regression analyses, statistically significant associations were identified between increasing BMI and the incidence of kidney, thyroid, and uterine cancer. BMI cut-points were identified for kidney (26.3 kg/m2) and uterine (26.9 kg/m2) cancer.”

Read the whole study here.

Montemorano presenting at UW Resident and Fellow Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Symposium

On Thursday, May 26, UW Ob-Gyn gynecologic oncology fellow Lauren Montemorano, MD will present at the UW Resident and Fellow Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Symposium!

Montemorano will present “Code status documentation for admitted gynecologic oncology patients”, a project mentored by David Kushner, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

Incredible work, Dr. Montemorano!

Grand Rounds: Badger Bytes presentations on UW Ob-Gyn and Sexual Health Research

On May 12, 2022, several presenters shared updates on sexual health research and resources in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn during the Badger Bytes Grand Rounds presentation “UW Ob-Gyn and Sexual Health Research”.

The six presentations were:

Sex Therapy: Understanding Its Utility in Improving Patient Outcomes (presented by Madelyn Esposito-Smith, LPC)

Choosing the Right Vaginal Moisturizer and Lubricants for Your Patients (presented by Jon Pennycuff, MD, MSPH)

DaneMAC Mobile Forensic Nurse Exams – University Health Services (presented by Mary Landry, MD)

Cancer and Sexual Health: Clinical Need and Outcome Measures (presented by Joanne Rash, PA-C)

Cancer and Sexual Health: Collaborative Academic Partnership (presented by Janelle Sobecki, MD)

Cancer and Sexual Health: Setting Standards and Generating Evidence (presented by David Kushner, MD)

Watch the whole Badger Bytes presentation here!

Wang published in Gynecologic Oncology Reports

Congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn resident Connor Wang, MD, PGY-3, who is lead author on a new publication in Gynecologic Oncology Reports!

In the article “When we open and close: postoperative outcomes after aborted primary cytoreduction for ovarian cancer”, Wang and co-authors Matt Wagar, MD, PGY-4, Amy Godecker, PhD, Ahmed Al-Niaimi, MD, and David Kushner, MD aimed to expand available data to help counsel patients about outcomes after aborted primary debulking surgery.

This retrospective study looked at postsurgical morbidity for 43 patients who underwent aborted primary debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer:

“All patients subsequently underwent ICS, [interval cytoreductive surgery] with 21 (48.8%) achieving no residual macroscopic disease and 21 (48.8%) to ≤1cm of macroscopic disease. After AD [aborted primary debulking], 16 (37.2%) experienced at least one G≥3 event within the first 30 days. The most common complication was gastrointestinal complications. Preoperative albumin was the only significant predictor for G≥3 complication after AD.”

Read the whole study here!

UW Ob-Gyn presentations at 2022 Society of Gynecologic Oncology conference

Members of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Gynecologic Oncology, fellows and residents prepared an impressive slate of posters and presentations for the 2022 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer! Take a look at just some of the research brought to the hybrid conference, as well as the variety of service and leadership roles held by members of our department:

Ahmed Al-Niaimi, MD:

Master Class: Optimize and Operate: Enhancing Perioperative Quality, Safety, Experience, and Outcomes

Master Class: Debulk and Deliver: A Virtual Live-Streamed Master Class with Optional Hands-On Cytoreductive Surgery Lab 

Oral Plenary Presentation: Mechanical bowel preparation and post-operative renal dysfunction in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer

Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS:

Distillation: On-Demand Oral Featured Posters: Novel Therapies, PROs, and Disparities in Care

Special Interest Session: Curriculum for Emerging Clinical Trialists (Dr. Barroilhet is course director for this session)

Vice-Chair of the Patient Education Committee

Katherine Dryer, MD:

Poster: Outpatient palliative care utilization and aggressiveness of end-of-life care in women with gynecologic cancers (authors Kathryn Dryer MD, Janelle Sobecki MD, Michael Lasarev MS, Lena Law BA, Anna Stecher MD, Ellen Hartenbach MD)

Maya Gross, MD, MPH:

Poster: Risk factors associated with distress among postoperative patients in an academic gynecologic oncology practice

Ellen Hartenbach, MD:

Symposium: Wake to Wellness: Beating Burnout Through Better Patient Communication (Hartenbach presented “Mitigating Burnout Through Effective Communication Techniques”)

Palliative Medicine Committee 

Clinical Practice Committee

David Kushner, MD:

Finance Committee

Wellness Committee (Chair)

Developed two “Wake to Wellness” Sessions based on SGO Wellness Curriculum that was just published:

Managing Priorities 

Moving from Surviving to Thriving (Kushner will present as part of this session)

Senior author on Surgical Innovation presentation “Beneath the Surface: Fluorescein mapping in vulvar Paget’s Disease” given by Gyn Onc fellow Catherine Zhang, MD

Joanne Rash, PA:

Attending the SGO Board meeting (virtually), and will start her board term as the first-ever APP representative on the SGO board

Stephen Rose, MD:

Co-Chair of the Fellowship Program Directors Network and will be leading the annual meeting Thursday night. 

Hosting the UW Fellow Alumni Reception Sunday night

Senior author on Connor Wang’s study: Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Shannon Rush, MD:

Poster: Hormone replacement therapy counseling at prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in high risk patients

Janelle Sobecki, MD:

Poster: Risk factors associated with distress among postoperative patients in an academic gynecologic oncology practice (Maya Gross, Sumer Wallace - Senior)

Poster: Outpatient Palliative Care Utilization and Aggressiveness of End-of-Life Care in Women with Gynecologic Cancers (Kathryn Dryer, Ellen Hartenbach – Senior)

Sumer Wallace, MD:

Serves on Policy, Quality, & Outcomes task force for the Health Policy and Socioeconomic committee

Connor Wang, MD:

Poster: Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Catherine Zhang, MD:

Poster: Thromboembolic events in gynecologic cancer patients treated with chemotherapy (authors R. Zhang, MD; T. Stewart, BS; K. Tetreault, MS; R. Alexandridis, PhD; J. Bergsbaken, PharmD;  S. Wallace, MD; D. Kushner, MD;E. Hartenbach, MD)

Farr Nezhat Session Surgical Innovation Session: How Surgical Futurists are Revolutionizing Cancer Care (Zhang presented “Beneath the Surface: Fluorescein mapping in vulvar Paget’s Disease”)

Congratulations to all for these incredible achievements!

WISH Clinic team publishes article in Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology

A new article co-authored by Joanne Rash, PA-C, Megan Peterson, DNP, Janelle Sobecki, MD, and David Kushner, MD was published in the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology!

“Development, Implementation, and Patient Perspectives of the Women’s Integrative Sexual Health Program: A Program Designed to Address the Sexual Side Effects of Cancer Treatment” outlines the creation of the UW Carbone Cancer Center’s Women’s Integrative Sexual Health Clinic, which was created in 2013 by Rash and Lori Seabourne, PA-C. The publication also shares results from a patient experience survey:

“When asked how helpful their experience in the WISH program was, 99 of 113 (88%) reported that it was at least somewhat helpful. Seventy-five out of 110 (68%) said their experience in the WISH program improved their overall sexual function. Eighty out of 112 (71%) thought their sexual function would be worse if they had not been seen in the WISH program. Almost all (95%) reported they would recommend the WISH program to other women.”

Read the whole publication here. Congratulations to the WISH team!