Valentina Rodriguez and Advances in Women's Health Research at UCLA

UCLA Health is recognized as a safe and supportive environment for transgender and gender-diverse patients, with the UCLA Gender Health Program committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. This article explores the work of Valentina Rodriguez, MD, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and highlights broader research efforts and initiatives within UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, focusing on disparities in care, innovative research, and the commitment to inclusive excellence.

The UCLA Gender Health Program: Providing Comprehensive Care

The UCLA Gender Health Program was established to provide a knowledgeable staff in a compassionate environment for transgender or gender-diverse people of all ages to receive health care. The program exemplifies a cultural shift in America toward acceptance of gender transition, where patients can achieve their lifelong dream of affirming their true gender identity.

Patient Experiences

Many patients have shared their experiences with the UCLA Gender Health Program, highlighting the program's positive impact on their lives. Alice, a patient at the UCLA Gender Health Program, was able to achieve her lifelong dream of affirming her true gender identity. "Finally, I feel like the person I was supposed to be - I feel like myself," the 30-year-old said. "I was always hyper-feminine. I was born with that feeling."

One such patient, Chloe, waited years to see herself in the mirror. After undergoing facial gender-affirming surgery at UCLA Health, she finally can. “I just wanted to look like me,” says the 40-year-old New York native. The facial feminization surgery was performed by Justine Lee, MD, PhD, a craniofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at UCLA’s Gender Health Program. Chloe shares her experience with facial feminization surgery and its effects on her well-being in "Being Trans," a podcast series by Lemonada Media that centers on the lives of four transgender people in Los Angeles. Opening up about her transition for a global audience has been “an exercise in vulnerability,” she says.

Dany, another patient, exemplifies a cultural shift in America toward acceptance of gender transition. Realizing he had never been comfortable in his own skin as a female, Dany was shunned by his family when he announced he was seeking professional help to transition to male. His parents and sister rejected him when he made this announcement in high school, he said. Kicked out of his home in Garden Grove, Dany stayed off the streets by sleeping on friends' couches until his grandmother took him in, even though she also did not approve of his choice to pursue gender transition. "So I got my support through my friends and cousins until my parents and siblings came around. I told my parents that it made no sense that my friends accept me but my own parents don't," said Dany, now 28. "My parents adjusted, and now they are pretty much my biggest supporters. My dad is driving me to my next surgery. So yeah, things have really changed."

Darius, who realized at a young age that the female body he was born with was not the one he wanted to inhabit, had a supportive mother who accepted her child’s gender identity and brought the rest of the family along to build a support network. "For me, I came out young,” said Darius, 27. “The first time, I was four years old. That one kind of got pushed under the rug a little bit. My family just wasn't quite ready to understand and accept it.” Although he had emotional support from family and friends, Darius knew there would be challenges ahead. "That's where mom came through again,” he said. “She would Google all the questions and find out the best way to proceed."

Sarah, assigned male at birth, tried on women's clothes and makeup for the first time at 30. She realized that she was a transgender woman. "I was not prepared for that powerful, emotional joy I felt when I saw myself in those clothes in the mirror," she says. "I knew this is who I was." Sarah's primary care physician referred her to the UCLA Gender Health Program.

Another patient shared, "I found The Gender Health Program when I was referred by my surgeon to get a pre-op examination. I was nervous at first, because going to the doctor can be really stressful when you're transgender. However, the program was so nice and cool! Everybody was really respectful and made sure I was comfortable, and Dr. A lot of doctors act like gatekeepers for transgender people, but Dr. Weimer was an ally from the get-go. She helped me explore my options and was super understanding and supportive. I even figured out some cool new stuff with her help. It's taken me a long time to accept myself. Twenty years ago, when I finally began the process, it was almost impossible to get insurance companies to pay for trans related care of any kind. Around 2002, I intuitively and stubbornly began to do whatever I could to confirm what I already knew about who I was. A friend I knew had a big jug of Premarin, and I consulted the only Doctor I had access to; Dr. Internet. After a few weeks, I began feeling calmer and more clear-headed. I've had caring physicians help me with my trans-related care, since, but recently, I was forced to find a new one by circumstances beyond anyone's control. I'm fortunate to have excellent health insurance and it was through them (and my own instinct) that I found Dr. Amy Weimer and the UCLA Gender Health Program. I had a morning appointment at the offices in Santa Monica and frankly, I was nervous."

Facial Feminization Surgery

Facial feminization surgery, as experienced by Chloe, is one of the many services offered. This surgery, performed by experts like Justine Lee, MD, PhD, helps transgender women align their physical appearance with their gender identity, significantly improving their well-being.

Valentina Rodriguez's Contributions and SoCal MIGS Collaborative

Valentina Rodriguez, MD, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is actively involved in advancing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS). She is a member of the Steering Committee for the SoCal MIGS Collaborative.

The UCLA Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery is proud to be involved with the SoCal MIGS Collaborative and to have participated in the inaugural SoCal MIGS 2022 Resident Bootcamp held providing area residents with hands- on experience in robotics, laparoscopy, and hysteroscopy from the top MIGS leaders in the region. Sukrant Mehta, MD, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, led a full day of teaching electrosurgery to 30 Obstetrics and Gynecology residents from across the Southern California region. Valentina Rodriguez, MD, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Kathryn Goldrath, MD, MIGS fellow, are members of the Steering Committee.

SoCal MIGS Collaborative

The SoCal MIGS Collaborative is dedicated to advancing the field of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery by providing hands-on experience in robotics, laparoscopy, and hysteroscopy to residents. This collaborative effort ensures that the next generation of surgeons is well-equipped with the latest techniques and knowledge in MIGS.

Research and Events in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA

UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology is actively involved in research, conferences, and events focused on women's health.

Research in Disparities in OBGYN Care

Sandra Orsulic, PHD, Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, organized the inaugural UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Office of Inclusive Excellence research symposium Research in Disparities in OBGYN Care focused on research on racial and socioeconomic disparities in obstetrics and gynecology care. In addition to Dr. Orsulic, presenters included Leah Marsh, MD, Gynecologic Oncology fellow, Katherine Cotangco, DO, postdoctoral fellow, Marie Douglass, MD, resident physician, Olive View- UCLA Medical Center, and Ava Mousavi, medical student, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The symposium was held on October 21, 2022.

Maternal Fetal Medicine Lecture

The UCLA Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine co-sponsored the lecture Writing Health Through Black Feminist Theory hosted by the Collaboratory for Black Feminist Health and Healing. The book “Weighing the Future: Race, Science and Pregnancy Trials in the Post Genomic Era” by Natali Valdez was featured. Victoria Massie led the discussion with moderation by Adeola Oni-Orasan. The lecture was held on October 24, 2022.

Read also: Insights from Alexandra Rodriguez

State of the Science Summit: Women's Health

Ritu Salani, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Karlan, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Gottfried Konecny, MD, Professor in Residence of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medicine - Hematology-Oncology were featured speakers at the State of the Science Summit: Women's Health UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and OncLive®. They presented Updates in Cervical and Endometrial Cancer, PARPs in Ovarian Cancer, and ADCs in Ovarian Cancer, respectively.

Fetal Cardiac Imaging and Evaluation Symposium

The 12th Annual UCLA Fetal Cardiac Imaging and Evaluation Symposium targeted all healthcare professionals seeking to improve their ability to scan and evaluate the fetal heart. Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, presented “Risk Factors for CHD Following Normal Fetal Cardiac Screening” and both she and Christina Han, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, served as moderators throughout the day-long symposium.

Honors, Awards and Appointments

Aparna Murali, MS, Genetic Counselor for UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, received both the UCLA Genetic Counseling Graduate Program Award for Excellence in Fieldwork Supervision as well as the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors (AGCPD) Outstanding Fieldwork Supervisor award for her dedication to her trainees and to the overall UCLA program.

Ritu Salani, MD, MBA, Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been newly elected as an International Gynecologic Cancer Society Council Member.

Aparna Sridhar, MD, MPH, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, was the Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the September 2022 ACOG Annual District Meeting. As well, she completed her 5-year term as the Chair of the Los Angeles Section of ACOG California District.

Beth Karlan, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vice Chair of Women's Health Research, and Director of Cancer Population Genetics, has been named as the 2022 Parker Endowed Lecturer and Visiting Professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine.

Mya Zapata, MD, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been elected as the new Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Section of ACOG California District.

Grants

Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, is the recipient of a Burroughs Welcome Fund 2022 Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative award for her research project “Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnostics for Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders.” The Next Gen Pregnancy initiative is designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translation science methods.

Sandra Orsulic, PhD, Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, received a 4-year Department of Defense grant for her project “A Deep-Learning Strategy to Integrate Karyometric Features with Underlying Molecular Pathways in Ovarian Cancer Initiation” to study subvisual nuclear image features to understand a pre-cancer niche in the fallopian tube. Dr. Beth Karlan and Dr. Paul Boutros are collaborators on this grant. Dr. Orsulic was also awarded a 3-year Department of Defense grant to evaluate mechanotransduction as a potential therapeutic target in ovarian cancer for her project “NUDT5 as a Novel Target for Ovarian Cancer.”

Aparna Sridhar, MD, MPH, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, received funding for the “ UCLA Initiative to Study Hate.” Dr. Sridhar is the Co-PI along with Paula Tavrow, Adjunct Professor of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Presentations

Beth Karlan, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vice Chair of Women's Health Research, and Director of Cancer Population Genetics, was the session Chair of “Precision Oncology Across the Care Continuum from Prevention to Survivorship” at the invitation-only American Cancer Society Jiler Conference held in Dallas, TX. She also chaired a session on “Advances in Ovarian Cancer Detection and Treatment” at the annual AACR meeting, as well as lectured about prevention and early detection of gynecologic malignancies at the 3rd Annual International Congress for the Future of Women's Health.

Sandra Orsulic, PhD, Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, was one of only 13 people invited to participate in the prestigious Forbeck Forum, Challenges and Opportunities for Transformative Therapeutic Development for Ovarian Cancer held in March 2022. She presented “Deep image analysis as an underutilized tool in ovarian cancer.”

Aparna Sridhar, MD, MPH, Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor of UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, presented a moderated webinar for FIGO on “Post Abortion Contraception” on September 15, 2022. She was also an invited panel member for FIGO's representation to the United Nations Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination held in Geneva, Switzerland in August.

Student Interest Groups at DGSOM

The David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA offers a variety of student interest groups (CSIGs) that represent different specialties and subspecialties. These groups provide opportunities for students to explore careers in medicine, become involved in research, and acquire hands-on practical skills.

Aerospace Medicine Interest Group (AMIG)

The Aerospace Medicine Interest Group (AMIG) aims to provide medical students with an avenue to explore careers in medicine beyond the traditional scope of clinical practice.

Addiction Medicine Interest Group

The mission of the Addiction Medicine Interest Group is to support the health and dignity of persons and communities impacted by addiction, promote evidence-based addiction education, and strive to sustain every person’s right to health and welfare.

American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Medical Student Chapter

This AANS Medical Student Chapter provides a forum for students to organize professional, educational, and research activities within DGSOM, promote mentorship, and facilitate participation at a national level for the next generation of neurosurgical leaders. The vision for this AANS Medical Student Chapter is to partner with AANS and the neurosurgery department at UCLA in the mentorship and professional development of medical students interested in neurosurgery.

Anesthesiology Interest Group

The Anesthesiology Interest Group provides opportunities for students to learn about the specialty, become involved in research/mentorship/shadowing, and acquire hands-on practical skills with common procedures and techniques.

Cardiology Interest Group

The Cardiology Interest Group aims to expose medical students to the field of cardiology through lunchtime meetings, shadowing opportunities, and social events.

Dermatology Interest Group

The Dermatology Interest Group aims to expand awareness and interest among students about the field of dermatology and dermatopathology through lunch panels, grand round talks, and volunteering opportunities.

Emergency Medicine Interest Group

As defined by the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association, disaster medicine "provides care for the victims of natural and man-made disasters with specific consideration given to timeliness and availability of resources”. The topic of disaster medicine is especially relevant to the world today, as COVID-19 has emphasized the difficulties of low-resource medicine in the context of a biological disaster.

Family Medicine Interest Group

The Family Medicine Interest Group’s mission is to provide DGSOM students with opportunities to learn more about the specialty of Family Medicine. Through a variety of events, their goal is to educate students about careers in Family Medicine, requirements for residency, and career pathways.

Gastroenterology Student Interest Group (GSIG)

The mission of the Gastroenterology Student Interest Group (GSIG) is to inform medical students of the increasing relevance of gastroenterology in holistic patient care. They aim to highlight the impact of various preventive measures in gastroenterology, including colorectal cancer screening and personalized nutrition guidance.

Global Health Equity and Social Medicine Interest Group (GHESM-IG)

The Global Health Equity and Social Medicine Interest Group (GHESM-IG) provides a space for students interested in global health to grapple with challenges, successes, and the future of global health delivery. Their aim is to unite medical students passionate about global health equity, social medicine, medical anthropology, and advocacy.

Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group

The Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group aims to provide medical students with information about what an orthopaedic surgeon does, what a career as an orthopaedist entails, and different sub-specialties that one could ultimately pursue.

Infectious Diseases Interest Group (IDIG)

The Infectious Diseases Interest Group (IDIG) at DGSOM aims to introduce medical students to the field of infectious diseases (ID). The goal of the group is to increase students’ awareness and to provide avenues for professional development and exploration in the field.

Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group

Lifestyle Medicine is one of the fastest-growing career fields of medicine globally. Holding the promise for health reform as it addresses the root cause of chronic illness, Lifestyle Medicine is the evidence-based practice of helping individuals and families adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that affect health and quality of life.

Los Angeles Medical Student Volunteers (LAMSV)

Los Angeles Medical Student Volunteers partners with local community organizations to identify roles for medical student volunteers to support the broad health needs of Los Angeles. They are grounded in the belief that health and wellness are human rights and that factors such as nutrition, housing, and social support are critical to one's health.

Med-Peds Interest Group (MPIG)

MPIG is committed to giving students access to information about the Med-Peds residency and putting them in touch with physicians and residents in this field.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group

The Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group offer resources to educate and support students who are interested in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology and serve as a liaison between medical students and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Oncology Interest Group

The Oncology Interest Group aim to provide exposure to various aspects of different oncologic subspecialties through lunch talks, shadowing, research, and mentorship.

Palliative Care and Hospice Interest Group (PHIG)

The Palliative Care and Hospice Interest Group (PHIG) exposes students to the fields of palliative and hospice care through education and mentorship.

Pathology Interest Group

The purpose of the Pathology Interest Group is to expand awareness and interest among students in the field of pathology as well as gain exposure to what a career in pathology entails.

Pediatric Interest Group (PIG)

The Pediatric Interest Group (PIG) strives to educate medical students about the vast field of pediatrics by promoting student exploration of pediatrics and its subspecialties, providing opportunities for career guidance, and encouraging awareness of issues pertaining to children and their families.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Interest Group (PM&RIG)

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Interest Group (PM&RIG) strives to educate medical students about the field of PM&R by promoting student exploration of PM&R and its subspecialties, providing opportunities for career guidance, and encouraging awareness of issues pertaining to children and their families.

Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Interest Group (PRSIG)

The Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Interest Group (PRSIG) aims to provide DGSOM students with information and opportunities related to the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

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