Cedars-Sinai Spring 2023

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CEDARS-SINAI

Lung cancer screening: The underused toolthat could saveyour life P. 4

Through meditation or medication, a physician practices a wholeperson approach P. 12

How LGBTQ+ patientscan connectwith caring doctors P. 16

overcomes her diabetes diagnosis with the help of a skilled partner—her endocrinologist P. 6

DEALT IN
SPRING 2023 NEWS | LIFE | HEALTH

Hello, Neighbor!

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Laura Grunberger

SENIOR EDITOR

Sarah Spivack LaRosa

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Cassie Tomlin

Nicole Levine

PROJECT MANAGER

Karen Link

DESIGN

DISTINC_

CONTRIBUTORS

Lisa Fields

Victoria Pelham

Carrie St. Michel

Rosanna Turner

Koren Wetmore

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL NETWORK

Jill Martin

VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC INTEGRATION, CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL NETWORK

Mary Clare Lingel

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS

Duke Helfand

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CEDARS-SINAI

Stories from the Cedars-Sinai landscape

PREPARE & PREVENT SMOKE

SCREEN

Lung cancer screening is a lifesaving tool—but devastatingly underused

LIFE & HEALTH

A bridge player overcomes herdiabetes diagnosis withthe help of a skilled partner—her endocrinologist

AT-AGLANCE

How LGBTQ+ patients can connect with caring providers, tips for managing multiple medications, research news and more

NEWS
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DEALT IN
2 4 6
HERE & NOW MEETING YOU WHERE YOU ARE Through meditation or medication, a physician practices a whole-person approach 12 1 @CEDARSSINAI NEWS | LIFE | HEALTH
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SPRING 2023

TORRANCE

Getting back on her feet after a bilateral hip replacement was a priority for yoga instructor Jill Lynch. A month after surgery at Torrance Memorial’s Lundquist Orthopedic Institute, she was able to return toher mat.

EL

SEGUNDO

The weight loss programs at CedarsSinai Medical Center; Torrance Memorial Medical Center, a Cedars-Sinai a liate; and CedarsSinai Marina del Rey Hospital hosted the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s Walk From Obesity at Recreation Park.

SAN

CLEMENTE

In 2018, without warning, Rebecca Prendiville experienced acute liver failure. At Cedars-Sinai, she received a liver transplant and recovered for 10 weeks inthe hospital. Rebecca and her family are generous donors to Cedars-Sinai. “I am profoundly honored to bethe recipient oflife itself from my anonymous hero,” Rebecca says. “Iencourage everyone to give of themselves by donating blood or bone marrow or designating their desire to donate their organs.”

TARZANA

Dr. Tania Esako , a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, isseeing patients at the new Comprehensive Women’s Clinic in Tarzana. The o ce will also o er orthopaedic, cardiology, GI, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and urogynecology services.

LEIMERT PARK

At Audubon Middle School, clinicians treated patients on a COACHforKids mobile medical unit. The units provide no-cost careto residents of South L.A. four days a week.

SANTA

MONICA

Cedars-Sinai employees collected 125 pounds of trash, including 665 cigarette butts, at a beach cleanup.

2 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023 NEWS FEED STORIES FROM THE CEDARS-SINAI LANDSCAPE

WEST HOLLYWOOD

Through a Cedars-Sinai partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, the team’s mascot, Rampage, visited kids undergoing cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s.

PASADENA

In June 2020, Mark Nestlehutt (center) spent three weeks at Huntington Health, an a liate of Cedars-Sinai, battling a severe case of COVID-19. He returned home with debilitating headaches, fatigue and high blood pressure. Mark was the first patient seen at the LongCOVID Recovery Clinic, founded by Dr. Kimberly Shriner (right). Mark and his wife, Stacey, recently welcomed their third child, JosephShriner Nestlehutt—named for Dr. Shriner and clinic physician Dr.Joseph Dellinger. “It’s one small way that we can show our gratitude for two very special doctors,” Mark says.

DOWNTOWN L.A.

Cedars-Sinai sta helped raise awareness and show support for survivors by participating in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

LA MIRADA

After treatment for a brain tumor, the left side of Vienna Lozano’s face was paralyzed. Her family thought they’d never see her smile again, but her surgeon, Dr. Mitchel Seruya, rerouted a facial nerve to restore her ability to smile. Now a freshman at Biola University, Vienna hopes to become a nurse practitioner.

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AN UNDERUSED TOOL THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

Lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan could save up to 12,000 lives annually, but only if people are screened.

SHOULD YOU GET SCREENED?

Many patients who should be screened for lung cancer have no idea they are eligible. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening with a low-dose CT scan for people who fit all the following criteria:

› Age 50 to 80 and in good health

› Currently smoke or quit in the past 15 years

› Have a 20-pack-year smoking history

A pack year is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes someone smoked per day by the number of years they smoked. One pack a day for 20 years would be 20 pack years; two packs a day for 10 years would also qualify as 20 pack years.

OTHER IMPORTANT SCREENING CONSIDERATIONS:

› Doctors are advised to counsel anyone who qualifies for screening to quit smoking if they still smoke.

› Patients should talk to their doctor about the potential benefits and limitations of screening, as well as potential harms, such as false positives.

› The task force recommends being screened at a center with experience in lung cancer screening and treatment.

4 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023 PREPARE & PREVENT

Imagine a tool that could potentially prevent 12,000 lung cancer deaths every year. Then imagine that only a tiny fraction of people are reaching for it.

The tool is real: screening with a low-dose CT scan for those at highest risk of developing lung cancer. Sadly, only 5.7% of eligible current and former smokers in the U.S. were screened in 2021, according to the American Lung Association. That number is even lower in California, where fewer than 1% of eligible current and former smokers were screened.

“The rates of screening for breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer are much higher than those we see for lung cancer,” says Andrew Brownlee, MD, a Cedars-Sinai Cancer thoracic surgeon in Tarzana. “We need to look at the barriers to screening, and one of them is simply that there are very few people who are candidates and are aware that lung cancer screening exists.”

LIFESAVING POTENTIAL

Medicare first started covering annual lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan in 2015. (A CT scan isan imaging test that uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed images of the body.) In February 2022, Medicare expanded the number of people eligible for screening, lowering both the age requirement and the quantity of cigarettes someone needed to have smoked to qualify.

Lung cancer is currently the No. 1 cause of cancerdeath in the U.S.—though the number of deathshas been dropping due to better medications, immunotherapies and improved surgical options for patients.

“Screening can help lower that number even more because, unfortunately, by the time someone is presenting with symptoms, their lung cancer is likely already at a late stage,” says Ani Balmanoukian, MD, an oncologist at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, an a liate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “The earlier we can detect this disease, the higher the chance of a cure.”

Currently the five-year lung cancer survival rate in the United States is 22%, Dr. Brownlee says.

“That’s really low compared to almost all other cancers that are just as prevalent,” he says. “However, if you identify lung cancer in its earliest stage, then that five-year survival rate is over 90%. At that stage, we can often o er a surgery that will take the cancer out—and it’s curative.”

The first step to obtaining a screening is having a conversation with a primary care physician who can guide you through the pros and cons and refer you for ascan. You may have to raise the topic first. Often, if a patient has already quit smoking, the subject doesn’t naturally come up during their routine physical.

Next, it’s important to choose a center with a screening program. Cedars-Sinai launched its lung cancer screening program in 2022. Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Tarzana and The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute also have screening programs where patients can get a CT scan and access care all in one facility.

“The fear and stigma around lung cancer contribute topeople not wanting to be screened,” Dr. Balmanoukian says. “They need to know we’re better than ever at treating this disease.”

BETTER CARE OPTIONS FOR LUNG CANCER

Advances in surgical technology have improved the options available for patients with lung cancer.

“Robotic technology is used for both the biopsy and thesurgery. For the biopsy, it allows us to be more precise and have a better chance of getting an accurate diagnosis,” Dr. Brownlee says. “For the surgery, it allows us to make small incisions, which means less pain and quicker recovery.”

In some cases, patients may undergo a diagnostic biopsy and, while they’re still under anesthesia, have thecancer surgically removed.

“The patient goes to sleep, and when they wake up, they find out that, yes, they had lung cancer, but they’ve also already had it treated,” Dr. Brownlee says. “That’s one of the most exciting developments in the surgical management of early-stage lung cancer.”

Targeted therapies and immunotherapies are also improving, Dr. Balmanoukian says. The specific genes ofa tumor can guide oncologists to treatments that will work against an individual patient’s cancer.

“When we identify a cancer early, we have many options to treat patients,” she says. “If we can get past thebarriers that are preventing people from being screened, we can save a lot of lives.”

Scan the QR code to make an appointment with Dr. Balmanoukian.

Scan the QR code to make an appointment with Dr. Brownlee.

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DIABETES DEALT HER  IN—AND SHE’S PLAYING TO WIN

A bridge player overcomes her diabetes diagnosis with the help of a skilled partner—her endocrinologist.

LIFE & HEALTH
Nicole Levine photos by Al Cuizon & Bill Pollard
6 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023
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Duplicate bridge is a test of raw prowess and guts. All players get a chance to play the same sets of cards, and the spoils go to whomever plays those hands most successfully. Chance is eliminated. Skill, wits and guile rule the day.

Lisa Caras is a remarkable duplicate bridge player, earning the level of bronze life master that recognizes her as a champion of the game.

But outside of the orderly rules of duplicate bridge, there’s no guarantee that everyone is dealt the same hand. Consider Lisa’s diabetes diagnosis—a disease that a ected both her mother and grandmother. As with a tough bridge deal, persistent planning, careful reasoning and a fantastic partner are helping Lisa live happily and healthily with diabetes.

“You have to know what your best choice is,” she says. “You need to make a plan. You need to ask yourself, ‘Whatare my risks? My challenges?’ Most of all, you musttrustyour partner, and in this case, Dr. Moore is my partner.”

FIRST STEPS AFTER DIAGNOSIS

Lisa started seeing Lisa Moore, MD, a Cedars-Sinai endocrinologist, following a blood test that showed high blood sugar levels. The diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes triggered Lisa’s fear and memories of her grandmother injecting insulin into her arm with heavy glass syringes.

“I thought I was a dead woman,” she says. “I thought Ihad neglected my health for too long. Dr. Moore and I

believe that I was prediabetic for upward of 10 years andjust didn’t know it.”

Lisa was previously diagnosed as insulin resistant, meaning that her body doesn’t respond normally to the sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Memories of her grandmother’s experience mixed with online misinformation made her reluctant to start an insulin regimen.

“I was partly self-diagnosed, and what I was reading wasn’t exactly scholarly information or reliable, evidence-based content,” she says. “I was dealing with allthese preconceived notions, and I had to decide: Was Igoing to rely on these things I thought might be true, orwould I rely on science and what this doctor is recommending?”

She decided to trust Dr. Moore.

ADJUSTING TO A NEW ROUTINE

In November 2021, Dr. Moore prescribed medical interventions and lifestyle changes to help Lisa get her diabetes under control.

“I asked her to take insulin. I asked her to check her blood sugars, to come in and see me, and to be accountable. And I asked her to lose weight,” Dr. Moore says. “It was a lot.”

The insulin pen was not as intimidating as the large, heavy syringes Lisa remembered her grandmother using, and she quickly incorporated those daily injections into her routine.

8 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023

Next, she tackled meal planning. Food isn’t only fuel for many people, Dr. Moore says. Lisa agreed that, for her,eating has an emotional component.

“As a child, food was rebellion,” she says. “My sister was the kid with the fast metabolism who could eat anything she wanted. I was the kid who got celery sticks after school. It took time to get past the idea that eating healthfully was a punishment.”

She traded ice cream for lower-carb options and started setting specific mealtimes. She realized that ever since she began working from home during the pandemic, the refrigerator had become a nearby distraction from the numbers she juggles as a finance professional. To combat the snack habit, she started planning meals mindfully, eating intentionally and dodging the urge to graze.

For exercise, she took tried-and-true advice: Take stairs instead of elevators. Park a little farther away. And look for reasons to move just a little more.

“There’s a misconception that if you’re on insulin, itmeans you failed,” Dr. Moore says, “or that you’re aboutto die, and that’s clearly not true. In Lisa’s case, it’s whatturned things around for her. She got her sugarsunder control. She got a better sense of control ofher illness.”

The small changes added up quickly: Within a month, Lisa felt noticeably better. She even lost 4pounds. The positive reinforcement helped her stay on track.

Blood sugar levels, insulin shots, new dietary habits and doctor’s appointments can all be managed. In many cases, patients must first face their fears about their diagnosis. Dr. Moore offers some advice.

A diagnosis is not a failure. Diabetes has a genetic component. Lifestyle factors can contribute, as well. “Think of it as an invitation to improve your health,” Dr. Moore says.

It’s OK if you’re struggling to follow your treatment plan perfectly. Just ask for help. “Partner with your doctors and be honest with us,” she says. “If you’re struggling, we can come up with a new plan. The more you share about your struggles, the more we can help.”

One size does not fit all. A dietitian and doctor can help tailor your eating plan and exercise specifically to you. “We can help you figure out the right number of carbs and the right amount of exercise,” she says. “Don’t worry about what you read on the internet. Modest changes can make a big difference.”

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FACE DIABETES WITHOUT FEAR

“I’VE GOT THE POWER!”

Just three months into her treatment, Lisa returned for acheck-in with Dr. Moore. Her blood tests showed bloodsugar levels close to the normal range. She’d also started steadily losing weight and has dropped 34 poundsso far. What Lisa didn’t anticipate was Dr. Moore’s next treatment suggestion: stopping her insulininjections.

“Not all patients who go on insulin have to take it forever,” Dr. Moore says.

So much great news in a single appointment called foran impromptu celebration. At Dr. Moore’s request, anurse went online and found the song “The Power,” a1990 electronic dance anthem by Snap! that’s best knownfor its refrain, “I’ve got the power!” They danced in the o ce.

“I picked that song because when Lisa came to me, Ithink she felt very powerless, afraid and overwhelmed,” Dr. Moore says. “She was scared, and she found withinher the strength to follow her treatment plan. Shedidevery single thing I asked her to do. She got herpower back.”

These days, Lisa embraces physical workouts and especially likes taking her recumbent trike out for aridein the fresh air. She’s excited about getting back toher mental workouts, too: The tremendous intellectual challenge of bridge is part of what has kepther hooked on the game.

In bridge and with diabetes, you have to know what your best choice is. You need to ask yourself, ‘What are my risks? My challenges?’ Most of all, you must trust your partner, and in this case, Dr. Moore is my partner. —

“ ” 10 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023
Lisa Caras

“I play for immortality, and I’m playing to achieve thesilver life master,” Lisa says. “Somewhere, in someannals of the American Contract Bridge League, my name existsas a bronze life master. I’m going for thenextlevelup now.”

Last year, pandemic restrictions eased enough thatshewas able to play face-to-face bridge with otherplayers, rather than just online.

She’s confident she can play her diabetes hand withthe same skill and confidence and continue a winning streak for good health.

“You just have to remember you have a choice,” shesays. “We have the power to make decisions and changes.”

EMPOWERING WOMEN AT ALL AGES

Girl Scouts promise on their honor to help people at all times.

Endocrinologist Lisa Moore, MD, hasn’t left that ideal, or the Girl Scouts, behind. She’s been a Girl Scout leader for 17 years and has served at the council level with Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. She assists girls in reaching their Silver and Gold Awards—the highest honors in Girl Scouting. Beyond Scouting, she helps women and girls around the world in other ways. She sews sustainable menstrual kits that have been sent to Africa, Cuba, Ukraine, Nepal and Central America—including pads that can be washed, dried and reused. The kits she sends contain a three-year supply.

Dr. Lisa Moore (right) empowered Lisa Caras to take control of her diabetes. Scan the QR code to make an appointment with Dr. Moore.
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MEETING YOU WHERE YOU ARE

Through meditation or medication, a physician practices a wholeperson approach.

photos by Bill Pollard
12 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023 HERE & NOW

Occasionally, if she senses they’re struggling, OmoladeOgun, MD, asks her patients to sit in silence with her—just for a minute.

“We’re all busy, saying yes to everything and reacting spontaneously,” says Dr. Ogun, a family medicine physician in Cedars-Sinai’s Marina del Rey primary care o ce. “Sometimes you need to take a moment to sit backand focus on you.”

She knows those moments can be few and far between, so after weight is taken and heart rate measured, doctorand patient take time to slow down andfocus on their breath. If the brief moment works to calm or refocus someone, Dr. Ogun sends them o with instructions to tryout the technique in a quiet spot at home.

Meditation isn’t a cure-all, but it can complement more traditional strategies to combat anxiety, sleeplessness and stress—and can even benefit patients seeking to lose weight or manage diabetes and other medical conditions.

Dr. Ogun is confident in the potential power of mindfulness because she recently developed her own practice. It helps her tap into something she’s always known but never defined: Simply pausing to pay attention helps her reprioritize her goals and responsibilities with positive, cascading e ects on her life.

But whether she’s recommending meditation or medication, the whole-person approach is the only way to really evaluate and achieve health, Dr. Ogun says.

She can’t prescribe an antidote to loneliness, but she can brainstorm volunteer opportunities that foster a sense of connection. She won’t force a patient to take blood pressure pills, but she will get to know their interests and suggest a new workout routine that could help move the needle.

“I see my job as having the resources to help peopleoptimize their own health,” Dr. Ogun says. “It’s about meeting people where they are and figuring itout together.”

It’s a well-informed philosophy. In 2002, after completing medical school in Nigeria, Dr. Ogun came toLos Angeles for a residency at the University of Southern California. Later, she worked at a clinic on LosAngeles’ Skid Row and then treated patients in correctional facilities.

Those patients taught her that the best way to gain their confidence and understand their deepest concerns is to ask questions and really listen to the answers. Whenshe’s open to learning more about someone’s financial anxiety or their lingering suspicion after a pastbad experience with a doctor, patients open themselves to her suggestions.

“I’m often the first contact a person has with the healthcare system, and everyone comes in with di erentfeelings: enthusiasm, anxiety, indi erence and sometimes resentment,” Dr. Ogun says.

By really paying attention to her patients, she can make small, practical suggestions to keep them on a

positive health trajectory. For those who are anxious about tests or procedures, she encourages them to distract themselves by listening to their favorite songs onheadphones. When patients struggle to remember to take their medications, she suggests they pair the habit with a routine they’ve already established in their life.

“Partnering with the patient is the bedrock of my practice,” she says. “I try to create an environment that helps them make their health a priority.”

To keep herself well, Dr. Ogun takes walks on the beachwith her husband near their home in the South Bay. Theylove to travel with the whole family, including their eldest son, a student at California State University, Fullerton; their daughter, who studies at UC Berkeley; andtheir youngest son, who’s a sophomore in high school. And she takes every opportunity to give all that she can, in the moment.

“On my drive home every day, I know, for the sake of my peace, that I did my best for all my patients,” she says. “When we’re the best versions of ourselves, we can contribute in our own little way to helping other people live their best lives.”

BEYOND MEDITATION

If sitting and breathing doesn’t help you get out of your head, try these other grounding strategies that work for Dr. Ogun.

DO SOMETHING CHALLENGING

Dr. Ogun rides roller coasters to help her find calm. “When I’m free falling, the things that stress me out don’t really matter,” she says. “When I get off the ride, I feel lighter.”

BE FULLY PRESENT

She holds close the memory of her grandfather, who was perhaps the first person to teach her to be mindful, as he often recited this poem:

Work while you work, play while you play. To be helpful and happy, this is the way.

PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Dr. Ogun focuses on all she’s grateful for: her family, her friends and especially her mother, who never makes excuses and always leads with her heart. Scan the QR code to make an appointment with Dr. Ogun.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Home Sweet Medical Home

When Cristina Aquino’s 9-year-old daughter fractured her leg in a household accident, the young mother was frightened, but she knew precisely what to do.

She rushed to nearby South Central Family Health Center, where clinicians took “such good care” of her daughter and sent her home happy in a hot-pink cast.

South Central Family Health Center became the Aquinos’ “medical home” when they were referred to the federally qualified health center by a case manager with COACH (Community Outreach Assistance for Children’s Health) for Kids at Cedars-Sinai.

Since 1994, COACH for Kids’ skilled teams have provided free primary healthcare and social services, in two state-of-the-art mobile medical clinics, to low-income children and families throughout underserved communities in South L.A.

In summer 2021, COACH for Kids launched an initiative to connect families with medical homes— three partner federally qualified health centers— that can provide continuity of care, which leads to better health outcomes.

83 percent of Medicare recipients surveyed said having a medical home improved their health

4 days a week, COACH for Kids medical units see patients in South L.A. neighborhoods

2.4 million children annually, on average, are enrolled in Medi-Cal but aren’t receiving preventive health services that are offered by providers in their medical home

860 medical-home referrals made by COACH for Kids to its three health center partners since summer 2021

$6.2 million in grants awarded by Cedars-Sinai to federally qualified health centers located in underserved L.A. communities

14 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023

How to Manage Multiple Prescriptions

The more prescriptions a person takes, the more likely they are to miss a dose or experience side effects, says Alexis Lang, PharmD, clinical pharmacist for the Cedars-Sinai Geriatrics Program. “Any time you have more than five medications, it becomes hard to manage them—especially if each has to be taken at a different time of day,” Lang says. “There’s also a greater risk of interactions between medications.”

Fortunately, there are tools to help. To better manage your or a loved one’s medications, Lang offers the following tips:

USE A PILLBOX Choose one that matches the medication schedule. Along with daily slots for Sunday through Saturday, spots for a.m., noon and p.m. may be needed. Prep the box weekly.

SET ALARMS Schedule alarms on your cellphone for audible reminders to take the medications at the prescribed times of day.

Research Roundup

UNAWARE OF OMICRON

The majority of people infected with the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 didn’t realize they had the virus, according to a Cedars-Sinai study. Through surveys, researchers learned that 56% were unaware of their infection. Of that percentage, only 10% reported having any symptoms—which they blamed on a cold or other type of disease. The team is now studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to o er long-lasting immunity to the virus.

COUNTING LYMPH NODES: A KEY IN CANCER

Counting lymph nodes that have been infected by cancer from elsewhere in the body provides a reliable predictor of patient outcomes for nearly all solid tumor cancers, according to research at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. The team found that this simple process is much better for determining the likely course of the disease than all other factors used today. Inaddition to accuracy, the method has the advantage of beinginexpensive.

FIBROID TREATMENT DISPARITIES

USE ONE PHARMACY

Fill all prescriptions at one pharmacy. Build a relationship with the pharmacy staff so they’re familiar with you and your medications. The pharmacist can answer questions and screen for any drug interactions.

Black and Latino patients are much less likely than white patients to undergo minimally invasive procedures for fibroids in the uterus, Cedars-Sinai research finds. Fibroids are tumors that are almost never cancerous. The findings are important because Black women are disproportionately a ected by the condition. A minimally invasive surgical approach for removal can reduce pain, length of hospital stay and risk of complications.

CONSULT YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN

Regularly review all medication with your primary care doctor. Advise them of any symptoms or side effects experienced. This is especially important when you have multiple doctors prescribing medication.

ENROLL IN A CLINICAL TRIAL

SIMPLIFY THE REGIMEN

Talk with your pharmacist or primary care doctor to see if medications can be taken fewer times per day, taken at the same time or even discontinued.

As of January 2023, Cedars-Sinai scientists were running 738 active clinical trials. This important work has the power to change the way medicine is practiced and create new possibilities for patients. Visit clinicaltrials.cedars-sinai.edu to find information about active clinical trials and how to participate in them.

15 @CEDARSSINAI AT-A-GLANCE

LGBTQ+ Patients: How to Connect With a Caring Doctor

LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to experience chronic disease and depression than their nonLGBTQ+ peers. They’re also more likely to experience barriers to receiving healthcare.

Seeing a physician you trust for preventive care and screenings may improve your overall health and quality of life.

Cedars-Sinai recently opened a new location dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+ community. This welcoming office—minutes from West Hollywood at 8820 Wilshire Blvd. provides services tailored to the LGBTQ+ community as well as gender-affirming care across a multidisciplinary team of physicians and clinicians. Cedars-Sinai offers inclusive, state-of-the-art care at its hundreds of locations and affiliates throughout the region.

Family medicine physician Stephanie Tran, MD, provides guidance on how to advocate for yourself at the doctor’s office.

MAKE CORRECTIONS

If your provider is not offering care that is genderaffirming or pertinent to your sexual health practices, correct them. This can include being misgendered or deadnamed, as well as not being offered preventive health screenings appropriate for your sex designated at birth or for your risk factors based on various sexual practices. “Being addressed in an appropriate and affirming manner makes patients feel more welcomed, so they are able to open up with their providers,” says Dr. Tran.

ASK QUESTIONS

If you’re unsure why your provider asks about particular practices, habits or bodily functions and wants to perform an exam, find out. “A lot of providers were taught to ask questions, but not all of them may elaborate on why,” Dr. Tran says. “Gaining this clarification enhances the therapeutic relationship.”

If your physician isn’t culturally competent or doesn’t provide judgment-free care:

› Ask friends or community members for referrals to LGBTQ+-friendly providers and organizations that provide inclusive care.

› Look online for keywords such as “inclusive,” “LGBTQ+-friendly” and “gender-affirming care,” Dr. Tran says.

› Call the office in advance and ask whether the practice provides inclusive care for LGBTQ+ health.

AT-A-GLANCE
“Patients want competent, caring providers—those who understand their constellation of unique healthcare needs while creating a safe and therapeutic space”
— Dr. Stephanie Tran
16 CEDARS-SINAI — SPRING 2023
Scan the QR code to make an appointment with Dr. Tran.

ANI S. BALMANOUKIAN, MD p. 5

ONCOLOGY

11800 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90025 310-231-2121

ANDREW R. BROWNLEE, MD p. 5

THORACIC SURGERY

8631 W. 3rd St., Suite 240E Los Angeles, CA 90048

310-423-2640

18133 Ventura Blvd., Suite 300 Tarzana, CA 91356 818-981-3818

SERGHEI BURCOVSCHII, MD PRIMARY CARE

5411 Etiwanda Ave. Suite 200

Tarzana, CA 91356

KATE MURAMOTO, OD OPTOMETRY

200 N. Robertson Blvd. Suite303

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

310-385-3450

MICHAEL CORPUZ, DPM PODIATRY

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