Department Research Day

A Bionic Breast

Laurel W. Rice Visiting Professor

Stacy Lindau, MD, MA

Catherine Lindsay Dobson Professor 

Departments of Ob/Gyn and Medicine-Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

University of Chicago

Abstract: Millions of women worldwide have undergone mastectomy and breast reconstruction procedures. Simple mastectomy, the most common mastectomy procedure for women with breast cancer, amputates all of the breast tissue, including the third through sixth intercostal nerves, leaving the breast numb. Loss of sensation is a distressing and prevalent symptom that leads to major adverse effects, including elevated risk of injury, disembodiment (a feeling that the breasts no longer are part of one's body), loss of touch-based affective communication (e.g., the feel of an embrace), and loss of erogenous sensation. Mastectomy also often results in chronic neuropathic pain, a costly and burdensome condition that standard interventions cannot reliably alleviate. The Bionic Breast Project builds on decades of patient-engaged research, clinical practice caring for women with cancer and sexual function concerns and an interdisciplinary team including neuro- and materials scientists, bioengineers, physicians, surgeons and others.

Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, MAPP, FACOG is the Catherine Lindsay Dobson Professor in the Departments of Ob/Gyn and Professor of Medicine-Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the University of Chicago. She is also Special Advisor to the Provost, leading projects in the provost’s highest priority strategic domains and working closely with the vice provosts and the provost’s chief of staff as well as other administrative and faculty leaders. Dr. Lindau’s scholarship, conducted in partnership with a diverse and world-class team of researchers in her lab, focuses on deciphering the mechanisms through which social and sexual conditions drive health and the impact of iatrogenesis on social and sexual functioning. At the University of Chicago, Dr. Lindau founded and directs the Program in Integrative Sexual Medicine for Women and Girls with Cancer (PRISM), the Bionic Breast Project, CommunityRx, WomanLab and Feed1st.

A successful entrepreneur, Dr. Lindau has advanced several of her discoveries from research lab to real life, including NowPow (acquired in 2021 by Unite USA, Inc.), MAPSCorps, 501c3 (joined Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy in 2023) and the Scientific Network on Female Sexual Health and Cancer, 501c3 (inaugural chairperson). Dr. Lindau’s work has been published in the highest impact scientific literature including NEJM, JAMA, BMJ and Health Affairs and has been featured in a wide range of print and other media outlets including the New York Times, National Public Radio and the National Book Review. Dr. Lindau has patents pending related to the Bionic Breast Project.

Dr. Lindau is a dedicated mentor. MAPSCorps has employed and trained more than 3000 youth in Chicago, New York City, rural eastern North Carolina and other geographies. She also takes great pleasure and pride in mentoring early career medical student and physician scientists across disciplines and has been honored for her mentorship activities, including with trainee awards named for her by MAPSCorps and the Scientific Network on Female Sexual Health and Cancer. Dr. Lindau was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar, an Aspen Institute Health Innovator Fellow and a 2023 Chicago Moth Story Slam winner.

Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension During Pregnancy: Is Tighter Better?
Erin Bailey, MD, MS
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow

Erin Bailey completed her undergraduate BA at Colgate University. She worked as a geologist for two years before moving to the University of Wisconsin to complete her MS in epidemiology, and then stayed at UW for medical school. She completed obstetrics and gynecology residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Following residency, she returned to the University of Wisconsin, where she is currently a third-year fellow. She is staying on as faculty in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine following graduation.

Urinary Incontinence in Community-Dwelling African American Women: Prevalence and Care-Seeking
Kristina Warner, MD
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow

Kristina Warner, MD, is the inaugural fellow in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. She completed medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Throughout her training, Dr. Warner has demonstrated a commitment to medical education. In residency her efforts were acknowledged with numerous teaching awards and during fellowship, she has continued to prioritize medical student and resident engagement through lectures and hands-on surgical simulations within the departments of Urology and Ob-Gyn. She also currently serves on the Ob-Gyn Quality Improvement Review Committee.

Dr. Warner’s research interests include examining the intersection of bias and racism in medicine and she is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive care to all women with pelvic floor disorders across the span of their reproductive years.

Incidence of Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with a Preoperative Diagnosis of Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Katherine Sampene, MD
Associate Professor
Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn

Katie Sampene is an Associate Professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her main professional interests are health equity and quality improvement. She serves as the chair of the Department of Ob-Gyn Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is the Medical Director of Obstetric Quality and Safety.  

Developing Novel Therapeutic Model for Ovarian Cancer
Nicha Boonpattrawong, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Reproductive Sciences

Nicha Boonpattrawong, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before joining UW-Madison, Nicha did her PhD in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Her research interests include investigating metabolic regulation of cancer and its tumor microenvironment. Her project in Dr. Manish Patankar's lab investigates how inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation as a novel therapy rewires ovarian cancer cells' metabolism to respond to metabolic perturbations.

Characterizing Experiences of Hospital-based Intrapartum Care in Wisconsin
Fiona Weeks, PhD, MSPH
Department of Population Health Sciences
Research Survey Methodologist, RTI International

Fiona Weeks completed her PhD in the Department of Population Health Sciences in December of 2023. She is a public health leader and researcher with expertise in survey methodology and epidemiology. Fiona currently works as a Research Survey Methodologist for RTI International; she previously directed the Wisconsin Maternal and Child Health Program. Fiona’s research portfolio focuses on reproductive autonomy, applying diverse quantitative and qualitative methods.