News
Dr. Lisa Larkin Published in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America
May 2026
Dr. Lisa Larkin, MD, FACP, MSCP, IF, is a co-author on a new peer-reviewed article, "Menopause in Cancer Survivors," published in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America (2026). Written alongside Mary Jane Minkin, MD (Yale School of Medicine) and Maryam B. Lustberg, MD, MPH (Yale School of Medicine), the article reviews current evidence for menopause management across cancer types — including the role of hormone therapy, non-hormonal options, and shared decision-making for survivors navigating treatment-induced menopause.
PCOS Just Got a New Name — and It Changes Everything
May 2026 | HERmedicine
Last week, The Lancet published a landmark global consensus: polycystic ovary syndrome has been officially renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). The change — 14 years in the making, involving 56 organizations and more than 14,000 patient and clinician survey respondents — isn't semantic. It's a formal acknowledgment that this condition is not primarily gynecological, but a complex, multisystem disorder involving endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, dermatological, and psychological health. Diagnostic delays have affected up to 70% of patients. The wrong name was part of why.
The new name corrects the record. Polyendocrine recognizes the multiple interacting hormonal disturbances driving the condition. Metabolic centers insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk as core features, not secondary complications. Ovarian retains the reproductive dimension without reducing the condition to a cyst problem. For clinicians, the rename signals upcoming updates to guidelines, medical education, and international disease classification — a global implementation roadmap that requires clinicians to be prepared to act on it.
The June 19 Faculty Is the Answer to That Question
This is exactly the clinical model HERmedicine was built around, and it's the lens our Women's Health Update on June 19 in Cincinnati is designed to put into practice. The faculty assembled for that day maps directly onto what PMOS actually demands:
Dr. Angela Fitch (MD, FACP, MFOMA, DABOM) addresses the metabolic core — her sessions on Metabolic Health & Weight Gain at Midlife and Update on GLP-1s speak directly to the realities of insulin resistance and body composition at the center of this condition.
Dr. Martha Gulati (MD, MS, FACC, FAHA), Director of Preventive Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai's Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, covers CVD Risk Assessment in Women and MHT and CVD — because PMOS patients carry elevated cardiovascular risk that the old gynecological framing routinely misses.
Dr. Sameena Rahman (MD, FACOG, MSCP, IF), OB/GYN and ISSWSH Fellow, addresses Sexual Dysfunction at Midlife and the downstream hormonal consequences that affect quality of life well beyond the lab values.
Drs. Marla Shapiro and Sabrina Sahni bring the midlife continuum perspective — because PMOS doesn't resolve at menopause, and clinicians need to follow these patients across decades, not just at diagnosis.
Dr. Alexa Fiffick (MD, MSCP), a Cleveland Clinic women's health fellowship graduate, represents where comprehensive PMOS care often starts: primary care. Her involvement in the day's small group case discussions on obesity management and complex menopause reflects what it takes to translate multisystem science into whole-patient practice.
Dr. Lisa Larkin, HERmedicine Founder and Past President of The Menopause Society, anchors the day with sessions on perimenopause, MHT, and mainstreaming menopause management — because the hormonal disruptions of PMOS don't stop at the ovary or at menopause.
The rename is a vindication of integrated women's health care. June 19 is a day to learn how to deliver it.
Eight AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Case-based. In-person. Seats are limited.
Press Release - October 21, 2025
HERmedicine Expands Board to Meet Surging Demand for Women’s Health Education
Ten new board members bring expertise to close training gap affecting 50 million working women and costing $1.8 billion in lost productivity
October 21, 2025 – Nearly 50 million American women over 35 navigate perimenopause and menopause largely unsupported by medicine and the workforce even though the life transition negatively impacts wellbeing and productivity.
The byproducts of this stage touch every aspect of a woman's life, from finances and health to work. Menopausal symptoms alone lead to an estimated $1.8 billion in lost work productivity and accrue health care costs north of $24 billion, according to The Mayo Clinic.
HERmedicine, a nonprofit education organization dedicated to advancing women's healthcare across the lifespan, today announced the appointment of ten distinguished leaders to its Board of Directors, positioning the organization to meet surging demand for rigorous, evidence-based education on women's health—with menopause as a critical and timely focus.
The board expansion reflects fundamental changes in how women's health is resourced and prioritized. Women comprise more than half the U.S. population yet women's health receives a fraction of medical research funding relative to population size. With menopause finally entering mainstream conversation and attracting increased investment and attention, the need for trusted, unbiased education has never been more critical.
"Women's health is having its moment—and with that comes both opportunity and responsibility," said Dr. Lisa Larkin, board-certified internist, nationally recognized menopause expert, and Founder and Executive Director of HERmedicine. "Women are asking more sophisticated questions across all stages of their health journey. Employers are recognizing workplace implications. Researchers are uncovering connections between midlife health management and long-term outcomes. While menopause has become a focal point of national conversation, our mission encompasses the full spectrum of women's health—from reproductive health and contraception through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. We're not advocating for attention anymore—we're building infrastructure to meet demand."
"At a pivotal moment when investments in women's health are increasing and women are demanding better options while questioning what's truly safe and effective, it's critical to platform trusted, evidence-based information," said Elizabeth Sarkar, Executive Advisor to HERmedicine. "For nearly three decades, I've witnessed the gaps in women's health education—both for clinicians and for women themselves. HERmedicine is positioned to close those gaps through rigorous, accessible information for physicians seeking continuing education and women navigating their own health decisions."
The ten new board members bring expertise essential to scaling evidence-based education:
• Jennifer Coppola, PhD, Vice President, Head of Medical Affairs at Sumitomo Pharma America, spent 25+ years advancing pharmaceutical development across oncology, internal medicine, and metabolic health—areas where women's health intersects with chronic disease management.
• Lori Conrad, secondary science educator with clinical laboratory training, translates complex medical science into accessible formats that reach diverse audiences.
• Alyssa Dweck, MD, FACOG, MSCP, Chief Medical Officer at Bonafide Health and practicing gynecologist in Manhattan, serves thousands of patients while contributing to national media conversations that shape public understanding of women's health across reproductive years and menopause.
• Amanda Kennedy, Women's Health Advocate and Philanthropist, directs strategic resources toward conditions that disproportionately affect women.
• Allison Lewin, Founder of Menowar and former corporate marketing executive, applies 25+ years of business leadership to menopause advocacy, workplace education, and policy development as San Francisco Bay Area Leader for Women’s Health Advocates.
• Whitney Maxson, Shareholder at Katz, Teller, and Hild, brings legal expertise and governance oversight that ensures organizational sustainability.
• Nina Nashif, founder of Healthbox (one of the country's first digital health accelerators) and current CEO of an AI-powered women's health solution, has spent 25+ years building and scaling healthcare innovation focused on underserved markets.
• Elizabeth Sarkar, Founder of JA Creative Healthcare Communications, has developed evidence-based educational content for women's health clinicians for 28 years, working with leading medical societies and experts across menopause, reproductive health, and related conditions.
• Jessica Schreiber, Chief Administrative Officer at Ms.Medicine with strategic planning experience at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Deloitte Consulting, drives operational excellence and growth strategy.
• Elizabeth Schumacher, JD, LLM, Founder and CEO of Affinity Strategies, four-time kidney transplant recipient, and past board member of UNOS and National Kidney Foundation, builds organizational capacity for medical subspecialty associations committed to advancing patient care.
Dr. Larkin serves as 2024 President of The Menopause Society, Founder and CEO of Ms.Medicine (a national healthcare management services organization), and CEO of Concierge Medicine of Cincinnati, where she maintains an active clinical practice.
HERmedicine's growth demonstrates escalating need: participation in the organization's weekly providHERS Discussion Group doubled from 78 to 158 clinicians in 2025. Monthly consumer-facing HERtalks programs reach an average of 82 women. The organization now serves more than 2,500 healthcare providers.
"We've reached the point where the question isn't whether women's health deserves attention—it's how quickly we can train clinicians, educate women, and integrate evidence-based care into standard practice," said Schumacher, President of HERmedicine's Board of Directors. "This board gives us the clinical expertise, business acumen, advocacy reach, and operational capacity to accelerate that timeline."
The board's collective experience spans clinical medicine, pharmaceutical development, healthcare innovation, legal and business strategy, medical communications, and policy advocacy—capabilities HERmedicine requires to deliver education at scale while maintaining scientific rigor and independence from commercial influence.
HERmedicine provides unbiased, evidence-based education through weekly virtual discussion groups for clinicians, accredited continuing medical education courses, monthly consumer education programs, customized workplace education, and professional development experiences. All programming prioritizes accessibility alongside clinical accuracy, covering topics from contraception and reproductive health through perimenopause, menopause, breast health, and cardiovascular disease.
"The infrastructure didn't exist for this kind of comprehensive, evidence-based women's health education," said Larkin. "We're building it now—when it matters most and when both the clinical community and women themselves are ready to engage."
About HERmedicine HERmedicine is a nonprofit education organization transforming women's healthcare through evidence-based education for women and the clinicians who care for them. The organization creates an inclusive community where diverse perspectives inform clinical dialogue, ensures free and accessible resources that reach both healthcare professionals and patients, and delivers trusted content developed by leading experts in women's health. Learn more at www.HERmedicine.org.
Media Contact: Elizabeth Sarkar 734-834-4625 esarkar@hermedicine.org