By V.K. Puppala, MD
Chronic neck and back pain remain among the most common reasons patients present to primary care, and a substantial subset will fail conservative management with physical therapy, pharmacotherapy, and activity modification. For these patients, interventional pain procedures offer a middle path between conservative care and surgery. Familiarity with the available options — their ... Continue Reading
By Nicholas D. Fletcher, MD
Back pain is something most adults expect to experience at some point in their lives, but it can be surprising—and often concerning—when a child or teenager begins to complain of it. Many parents understandably worry that back pain in a young person may signal a serious underlying problem. Fortunately, this is rarely the case. The vast majority of back pain in children and ... Continue Reading
By Joshua Wewel, MD, FAANS
Back and neck pain are among the most common complaints in clinical practice, affecting up to 80% of adults at some point in their lives. Despite its prevalence, the causes and presentations of these conditions are diverse, ranging from benign mechanical strain to serious structural pathology and possible neurologic compromise. From a surgical perspective, understanding the ... Continue Reading
By Jayne Morgan, MD
Medicine is organized by specialty. Menopause is not. And that disconnect is exactly where we are failing our patients. A woman does not experience menopause through the lens of cardiology, endocrinology, gynecology, or psychiatry. She experiences it as a whole-body transition, one that affects how she sleeps, thinks, metabolizes, moves, and feels. Yet, when she enters the ... Continue Reading
By Kristen Harris, MD, Arielle M Schwartz, MD, Gina P Lundberg, MD
The menopause transition is a vulnerable cardiometabolic period in a woman’s life. Characterized by unfavorable changes in blood pressure, cholesterol, and metabolic function, many women simultaneously endure a host of symptoms including but not limited to sleep disruption, hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, and weight gain. These symptoms impair quality of life and ... Continue Reading
By Gloria Richard-Davis, MD, MBA, NCMP, FACOG
It's been over three decades since genetic testing was first introduced as a tool for patients at risk of hereditary cancer syndromes. In its early days, genetic testing was expensive, time-consuming (often taking up to eight weeks for results) and offered limited impact on clinical management. Fast forward to 2026, genetic testing is now a routine part of cancer care. It’s ... Continue Reading
By Nadi Kaonga, Mary Grace Tadros,Sam Opara,Lisa Flowers
There are roughly 1.2 million individuals in the United States living with HIV, and in 2022 people assigned female at birth accounted for 19% of new HIV infections.1 In 2023, Georgia had the second highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the South, with metro Atlanta, in particular, having the highest HIV diagnosis rate in the state.2 Within our state, black cisgender women are ... Continue Reading
By Sandra B. Reed, MD
“I have breast cancer; must I suffer through the menopausal symptoms inflected on me by my treatment?” How many times in the past as Medical Oncologists and Gynecologists have we had our patients ask this question? In years past, we have done the best we could but treatment options were woefully inadequate or carried too much concern of risks. Today? Let’s look at the ... Continue Reading
By Mary Segars Dolan, MD, MPH, MSCP, FACOG and Jennifer Kawwass, MD
Perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause, typically begins in a woman’s forties but can start earlier or later. Typically, it is the 2-7 year time before the final menstrual period. Note this does include the final year of no menses since the diagnosis of menopause is retrospectively made. Perimenopause is characterized by hormonal fluctuations that cause ... Continue Reading
By Nadi Kaonga, Angella Appah, Supriya Jain, M.E. Cunningham, Manvi, DeAshley Smith, Sumon Kanti Dey, Selen Bozkurt, Azra Ismail, EB Chahine
Menopause is a universal life transition that affects roughly half the US population, yet too often it is treated as a private, isolating experience limited to the individuals undergoing the process. Importantly, menopause affects more than biology; it shapes daily functioning, emotional and psychosocial well-being and quality of life (Whiteley 2013). While clinical care and ... Continue Reading
By Jayne Morgan, MD
Menopause Is Not a Symptom Problem. It is a Systems Problem We Must Acknowledge. The gap in care is not accidental. It is structural. Women have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular trials. Cardiology has largely focused on obstructive, male-pattern disease. Menopause has remained siloed within gynecology, disconnected from cardiovascular risk ... Continue Reading
By Scott D. Miller, MD, MBA and Brian Rivers, PhD, MPH
Prostate cancer remains one of the most common malignancies affecting men, and in Georgia it continues to expose deep and persistent inequities. While advances in screening, imaging, surgery, radiation, and systemic therapies have improved outcomes overall, not all communities have benefited equally. In particular, Black men in Georgia are diagnosed at younger ages, present ... Continue Reading
By D. Adam Jones, MD
Since joining Radiation Oncology Associates in 2014 a practice founded in 1983 by my mentor, Dr. Charles Mendenhall - I have had the opportunity to serve alongside Dr. William Jay McAfee, our director and guiding visionary. Our department is integrated within Tower I of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, where we play an essential role in the comprehensive delivery of cancer care ... Continue Reading
By Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FACP, FASCO
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States; in Georgia, approximately 6,800 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed, and 3,680 deaths are reported each year.1 Georgia ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for incidence and mortality related to lung cancer. There has been a significant improvement in therapeutic options for lung cancer in ... Continue Reading
By Roland Matthews, MD and Giuseppe Del Priore, MD
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common female reproductive tract cancer in the United States, and is one of few cancers with increasing incidence and mortality. In some communities, uterine cancer is now more common than breast cancer and kills more people than lung cancer (Timoteo-Liaina et al 2020). Among guideline-forming organizations, the prevailing official ... Continue Reading
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