By Sharon Kanon
Women’s health is neglected. A gap in medical care and research exists, with gender stereotypes affecting how women are received, diagnosed, and treated by doctors. Last winter, AMIT Gould Hallel Jr. and Sr. High School for Girls in Rehovot hosted a large crowd to hear three top professionals speak from experience on this widely discussed and relevant topic.
Sara Tancman, a Sutker AMIT Renanim Science and Technology Jr. and Sr. High School for Girls alumna and founding CEO of the Briah Foundation, was the stimulus for the fascinating evening. A profile in the September 2018 AMIT Magazine told the inspiring story of how the tragic experience of losing stillborn twins led her to create this nonprofit, which is dedicated to enhancing Israeli women’s health. She credits Sutker AMIT Renanim for encouraging the natural questioning attitude and assertiveness that have helped her succeed.
Tancman shared information about Briah’s work, including a survey rating women’s experiences during gynecological exams, the results of which prompted the Israel Gynecological Union to publish guidelines for the first time; and Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest health fund, to send a protocol to doctors in women’s clinics to improve quality of care. Another of her accomplishments is a new course in gender medicine at Tel Aviv University’s medical school.
Sara Tancman has actively taken the bull by the horns. She has already succeeded jostling inertia in a significant segment of the medical services community in Israel. Bolstered by her courage, she is a role model for women to speak up and take control during medical examinations and procedures.
The evening’s second speaker personified the positive traits women seek in a doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Ofra Kriger-Sharabi heads the Center for Inflammatory Diseases at Rehovot’s Kaplan Medical Center and is a senior gastroenterologist for the Maccabi Healthcare Services. Dr. Kriger-Sharabi is also an AMIT graduate, having studied at
AMIT Gould Hallel.
Addressing the difficulties of juggling round-the-clock residency rotations with young motherhood, Dr. Kriger-Sharabi did not minimize the problem. “There has been some improvement, but not much, in limiting the number of hours a resident can be assigned duty,” she said, noting the pressure such scheduling inevitably causes particularly young female physicians and their families.
Dr. Kriger-Sharabi credits the Rambam as the first gastroenterologist. “He was
the first to recognize the relationship between the gut and the brain,” she points out. “When a new patient comes in, I ask, “What is going on in your life?'” She firmly believes that a meaningful physician-patient relationship contributes to treatment results. Her presentation demonstrated the overlapping relationship between mind, body, and soul, and the empathetic professionals working together towards good health.
Citing recently published studies, Dr. Kriger-Sharabi shared the conclusion that women require more gender-sensitive nursing care, greater privacy, and better pain management than they currently receive.
Dr. Lisa Simmonds Rabinowitz, the third speaker, is a board-certified OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine expert who specializes in prenatal diagnosis and post-pregnancy complications. She had the audience in suspense as she reviewed the moving case of a woman who was recommended to terminate her pregnancy due to a condition that placed both her and the fetus at grave risk. After multiple doctor visits, she was treated in a hospital setting that enabled her to receive multidisciplinary care from all the necessary specialists. In a happy ending, the patient went full-term and had a healthy baby girl, although the recommendation of termination made the pregnancy extremely stressful.
The lesson to be learned, according to Dr. Simmonds Rabinowitz, is that stressful situations can be minimized by identifying risk factors and an advanced understanding of what complications may arise during pregnancy.
“Tonight’s program was very worthwhile,” said attendee Sari Colb, mother of four daughters who had a personal reaction to what she learned. “I was shocked hearing about the hours interns and residents are required to put in. I asked myself: Would I want my daughters to study medicine?”
Sorelle Weinstein was so moved by the program that afterward she shared details about it with her friends via Facebook. “I was able to relate to many of the scenarios described,” she said, including dismissive responses when she was gasping in pain during labor and after a C-section, times when women are most vulnerable. “I had never thought so much about gender bias,” she said. She was particularly upset to hear about studies showing that women receive less than adequate pain medication and more anxiety-reducing pills than men and that they have longer ER wait times than men with the same abdominal complaints. “Well done to AMIT for an educational and eye-opening evening,” said Sorelle.
Sharon Kanon was a senior editor for educational paperbacks at Simon & Schuster before making aliyah. In Israel, she was a journalist writing for digital news media and The Jerusalem Post. She is an AMIT member and is the chief content officer at AMIT chug (chapter) in Rehovot.
