recently delivered an “update on the department” to our faculty and staff, reflecting on goals that we set three years ago, along with a 10-year look-back on our growth. There was a lot to cover, and I admit that I broke a cardinal rule of presenting by going a bit over my time, but I was enormously proud of and grateful for everything our team has accomplished. The feedback I received can be summarized by this comment from one of our division chiefs: “I didn’t realize how much we are doing across the department.”

It’s easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day challenges that we face in trying to best serve our patients, our trainees, and our communities, but it certainly helps to reflect on what can be accomplished when we all work together to advance women’s health. While I am immensely proud to have doubled our budget and our endowment over the last ten years, one of the things that I am most proud of is the increasing breadth of our clinical care and research profile, as well as our attention to the full life course of women and their families.

he Division of Women’s Genetics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center is a well-established leader in the discovery and implementation of reproductive genetic technologies. The division’s expert team has published a multitude of research studies in leading medical journals which have transformed obstetrical care and genetics practices. A ground-breaking 2012 study led by Dr. Ronald Wapner, Chief of the Division of Women’s Genetics, resulted in microarray analysis becoming a standard of care for genetic testing. Today, the Division of Women’s Genetics remains at the forefront of innovation in the field, yet again transforming the standard of obstetrical and genetics care with the advent of accessible whole genome sequencing services.

In July 2024, the Department of Ob/Gyn at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian, and the New York Genome Center launched the Women’s Genetics Center, a multidisciplinary program that aims to transform the standard of care for genetic testing.

elaying menopause may have once seemed like an impossibility, yet a Columbia Fertility study on ovarian aging marks a ground-breaking turning point in longevity research.

Co-led by Dr. Zev Williams, Director of Columbia University Fertility Center, and Dr. Yousin Suh, Director of Reproductive Aging, the Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (VIBRANT) study is a first-of-its-kind clinical trial exploring the impact of the immunosuppressant, rapamycin, on ovarian aging.

Typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection, rapamycin has recently become a central focus of research on aging and longevity. Studies on rapamycin in mice have indicated that the drug can positively impact longevity and slow ovarian aging. Yet before the VIBRANT study, no research had been conducted to examine rapamycin’s effect on ovarian aging. Due to the unique attributes of the ovaries, and how rapidly these organs age, the impact of rapamycin can be measured effectively in a matter of months, making human clinical trials a possibility.

nformed by a commitment to improving perinatal health outcomes, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center leads various multi-disciplinary initiatives designed to prevent preterm birth and stillbirth.

Across the United States, 1 in every 10 infants is born preterm, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Preterm birth is associated with a higher risk of complications, disability, and mortality, and 4.6% of preterm births result in stillbirth. Since 2017, Columbia University’s Center for Preterm Birth Prevention has been providing expert, evidence-based care to patients at risk for preterm birth. At the forefront of innovation in the field, the center is transforming the standard of care for managing cervical insufficiency with the use of the TransAbdominal Cerclage (TAC), a common intervention for preterm birth prevention.

hile the transition to menopause is an inevitable part of the life course for women and people assigned female at birth, it has historically been overlooked in healthcare. Menopause, or the cessation of the menstrual cycle, marks the onset of hormonal changes which can have an impact on overall health and wellbeing. To support patients through this transition, the Division of Integrated Women’s Health in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has launched a menopause care program.

Under the leadership of Division Chief Dr. Mary Rosser, the Division of Integrated Women’s Health provides individualized healthcare services to women across their lifespan, with a specialized focus on care coordination. Grounded in a comprehensive approach to care, the division offers services across seven broad dimensions: general health (including gynecologic care), heart health, mental health, neurocognitive health, nutrition and exercise, genetic screening, and sexual health.

ith rates of endometrial cancer rising at an unprecedented speed across the United States, troubling disparities are also being revealed. Recent data highlights both stark racial disparities in endometrial cancer incidence and mortality and an uptick in incident cases among young women. In response to these developments, the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has increased its commitment to offering a comprehensive approach to endometrial cancer care and, hopefully, prevention, especially for women of color and young women.

Estimates from the American Cancer Society suggest that there will be over 67,000 new cases of endometrial cancer diagnosed in 2024, as compared to 42,000 cases in 2010. Approximately 12% of incident cases are expected to occur in premenopausal patients. Endometrial cancer is also one of the few cancers with increasing mortality rates, which have risen by nearly 1.7% each year for the past decade.

hile many cities across the United States faced record-breaking summer heatwaves, Earth experienced its warmest day in recorded history on July 22nd, 2024. As the climate crisis intensifies, the impact of climate change on the environment poses a threat to health. Among pregnant populations, environmental-related hazards are linked to conditions such as low birth weight, preterm birth, eclampsia, and more.

Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to support the response to the climate crisis with their training, expertise, and role as health messengers. Informed by this understanding, the Collaborative for Women’s Environmental Health (CWEH) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center leads various educational initiatives for professionals in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

t is not difficult to recognize the significant opportunity that exists when medicine and public health collaborate to improve outcomes for patients and their communities. What can be difficult, however, is getting that work started and sustained, finding ways to break down the academic silos that exist between physicians and public health professionals, between those at the bedside and those out in the field or in the dataset.

As described by the National Academy of Medicine, “medical care is insufficient for ensuring better health outcomes,” when 80-90% of outcomes are driven by social determinants of health. By increasing research around some of the many factors that drive health outcomes for women, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has expanded its purview for advancing women’s health. Through its Center for Women’s Population Health, co-led by Dr. Jason Wright and Dr. Ka Kahe, members of the department have published hundreds of articles on various topics over the last five years. Earlier this year, Dr. Xiao Xu, a health services researcher with expertise in health economics and outcomes research, joined the department to further expand this critical work.