Commitment to the mitigation of health care disparities
Kaiser Permanente Oakland Ob/Gyn Residency Program was chosen as one of nine institutions across the country to participate in the ACGME Health Care Disparities Collaborative through the Pursuing Excellence in Clinical Learning Environments, Pathway Leaders Program. The mission of this collaborative is to develop robust, sustainable programs to prepare residents and fellows to better engage in systems-based quality improvement approaches focused on health care disparities. Our resident, Dr. Anthonia Ojo, has been instrumental during this 2-year commitment for not only our team but for the entire multi-specialty group of programs from across the country. We were extremely proud that Dr. Ojo was chosen to represent the resident perspective for our entire collaborative at the ACGME National Meeting.
Health Advocacy and Community Service
Community service and advocacy are an integral part of our Ob/Gyn residency at Kaiser Permanente at Oakland. We feel that community is defined by each individual and serving your community can have an impact whether it is helping to clean up a local school or traveling abroad to work with traditional birth attendants. We are proud of our faculty and our residents who are committed to their greater communities, and we encourage volunteerism and women’s health advocacy as a program and individuals.
For over 10 years our program has participated in the Physicians Medical Forum’s “Doctors On Board Program”. This annual program is targeted to African-American students interested in becoming physicians. The students have the opportunity to network with physicians, residents, and medical students. They attend workshops on the medical school admission process, securing financial aid, and mock clinics in knot tying and suturing. It is a fun and fulfilling experience for the residents and faculty that participate.
We have had residents serve on ACOG committees including: ACOG Committees on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Global Health, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement, Physician Wellness, Public Health, State Legislation, Health Care for Underserved Women, Interconception Care, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Women’s Health. We also have had residents involved in ACOG leadership both regionally and nationally. Working on projects that effect women’s health on a regional or national level has found to be inspiring and rewarding for our residents.
Residents actively participate in the annual District IX Resident Lobby Day in Sacramento to advocate for our patients and our specialty and residents participate in our national Lobby Day in Washington DC. This enables the residents to be politically active and advocate at the state level. We have an advocacy curriculum and meet at least quarterly. The curriculum includes legislation 101, ways to advocate, legislative updates with active advocacy plans and guest speakers.
Our residents are active participants in a variety of committees that function within our institution including: Critical Events Team Training (in Obstetrics), Graduate Medical Education, Peer Review, OB Perinatal Patient Safety Committee (PPSP), Physician Wellness Committee, Health Connect Task Force, Graduate Medical Education (GME) and GME QI Committee. In this way, residents learn they have a voice for themselves, their patients, and the institution and have been strong advocates for change.
Many of our residents use at least one of their elective months to work internationally. Through our community and global health program, we encourage sustainable interactions and these efforts are further supported by Kaiser Permanente. We also encourage working locally in our underserved communities during elective time and throughout residency. We have many residents and faculty that regularly mentor under-represented in medicine students, work at health fairs, work in youth centers, build homes and volunteer at shelters during their free time. Additionally, many faculty members participate in local and global community service. Kaiser Permanente helps support both the faculty and residents to participate in community service. KP Cares is an internal website that makes it easy to review opportunities in the community that are already happening or to tell them your interests and automatically be notified of volunteer opportunities in those designated areas.
Faculty Involvement
Dr. Giuseppe Ciaravino has regularly participated in gynecologic surgical missions to the Philippines and South America and invites residents from our program to join them.
Dr. Shree Chanchani is on the medical advisory board of The International Organization for Women and Development, (IOWD). IOWD is a non-profit charity dedicated to providing underserved women in low-income countries and provides women with free medical and surgical services and care. She regularly goes to Rwanda and educates residents and faculty on safe obstetrical practices through simulation and didactics with the intent to set up sustainable practices and learning.
Dr. Rebecca Margulies goes to Guatemala on medical missions with Hospital Familia Foundation which provides primarily surgical care in primarily indigenous western highlands of Guatemala.
Dr. Teresa Munoz has brought residents with her on multiple trips to Nicaragua. As a native Spanish speaker, she is dedicated to improving care for women in underserved areas.
Dr. Antonia Nicosia, a family planning specialist is the co-founder of the Ghana Medical Mission, which is a volunteer organization dedicated to working with local governments and universities to bring healthcare services and training to the central region of Ghana. Her goal was to create a sustainable program. Ten years later it is continuing to grow. She also has gone on trips to Nicaragua on medical missions with Dr. Munoz.
Dr. Eve Zaritsky has taken residents with her to Latin America with PINCC (Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer). She has helped to raise money for this incredible organization founded by a Kaiser Permanente physician. Dr. Zaritsky is actively involved in transgender health within Kaiser Oakland and through her research. She participated in creating our regional multi-disciplinary transgender clinic housed in Oakland.
Transgender Health
Kaiser Permanente Oakland is the home for Kaiser Permanente’s first multidisciplinary transgender clinic – a groundbreaking approach to providing comprehensive transition-related care. Under the guidance of the medical director Dr. Jennifer Slovis, a team of urologists, plastic surgeons, gynecologic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, social workers, advanced care nurses, and gender therapists provide individually tailored care to meet each patient’s needs. Lauded for its inclusive environment, the Multispecialty Transitions Department (MST) is deeply committed to providing equitable, compassionate, and high-quality medical care to transgender and gender-diverse youth, adults, and families.
The gynecologic surgeon team consists of founding members Dr. Eve Zaritsky, Dr. Christie Cooksey, Dr. Cassidy Tierney, and Dr. Anthonia Ojo. We provide longitudinal primary and surgical care for patients while educating OB/GYN residents in the nuances of gynecology in the gender-diverse patient population. We focus on culturally sensitive approaches to counseling for gender-affirming surgeries, fertility and fertility preservation, and contraception while adhering to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards of care. Our residents participate in all settings including the operating room, the transitions clinic, and the gynecologic clinic, and graduate with the knowledge to provide gender-affirming medicine in their practices.
Did you know?
Kaiser Permanente has a program specifically aimed to support women using drugs and alcohol during pregnancy? To find out more about this program, click here.