What can we do to promote women’s health, increase health equity, and prevent Ovarian Cancer? LOTS! If you want inspiration and practical ideas to improve your health and the health of those you love, then tune into Swift Healthcare Podcast with guest Diane Powis, PhD, Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health.
Ranked a Top 60 Healthcare Leadership podcast by Feedspot.
Diane Powis, PhD is a licensed healthcare provider, an advocate for women’s health, and the Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health. Thr...
What can we do to promote women’s health, increase health equity, and prevent Ovarian Cancer? LOTS! If you want inspiration and practical ideas to improve your health and the health of those you love, then tune into Swift Healthcare Podcast with guest Diane Powis, PhD, Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health.
Ranked a Top 60 Healthcare Leadership podcast by Feedspot.
Diane Powis, PhD is a licensed healthcare provider, an advocate for women’s health, and the Chief Spokeswoman at Aspira Women's Health. Through her advocacy, storytelling, coordination and management of an ethnically diverse patient advisory board, she is working toward empowering women to take control over their gynecological health by increasing their awareness of symptoms, understanding their genetic risks, and knowing that Aspira’s life saving biomarker tools exist.
Special Note:
Dr. Patrick Swift/Swift Healthcare do NOT have any financial relationships with any commercial interests with Aspira Health. Dr. Swift invited Dr. Powis on the show because they are grad school friends and Dr. Powis has an amazing and powerful story to share with the world. The information in this episode is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this video podcast/web site is for general information purposes only.
Dr. Diane Powis, PhD Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-powis-a7885a37/
https://aspirawh.com/
Music Credit:
Jason Shaw from www.Audionautix.com
THE IMPERFECT SHOW NOTES
To help make this podcast more accessible to those who are hearing impaired or those who like to read rather than listen to podcasts, we’d love to offer polished show notes. However, Swift Healthcare is in its first year.
What we can offer currently are these imperfect show notes. The transcription is far from perfect. But hopefully it’s close enough - even with the errors - to give those who aren’t able or inclined to audio interviews a way to participate. Please enjoy!
Transcript:
Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story w/ Diane Powis, PhD
[00:00:00] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of the Swift healthcare video podcast. I'm delighted that you're here and I have a fantastic guest for us today. Diane Powis, Diane. Thanks for being on the show. Welcome to the show. Welcome to the Swift healthcare podcast.
[00:00:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:00:12] Thank you. It's an honor to be here, Patrick. Thanks for having me.
[00:00:16] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:16] It's a joy having you here and the show title is Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story with Diane Powis . And let me tell you about Diane Powis, a dear colleague of mine. Diane has worked as a clinical psychologist since 2001. She did her training at NYU medical center, the Rusk Institute of rehab medicine.
[00:00:37] And then she suffered through the postdoctoral fellowship in neuro-psychology rehabilitation, psychology at Mount Sinai medical center in neuro-psychology rehab psychology. I say suffered because she and I both went through the same program LOL.
[00:00:51] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:00:51] We survived together?
[00:00:53] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:00:53] fellows and, um yes!, uh, the, and inspiration and trainingand outstanding training and all the wonderful stuff [00:01:00] that came with that as well. Right. Um, but since then, Diane, um, served as a rehabilitation psychologist neuropsychologist at Stanford hospital. And then she was at Greenwich hospital where she specialized in behavioral medicine.
[00:01:14] And, um, here's where it gets real. Not that that is a significant enough, um, in her training and the services done for patients and, and, and the community. Um, but here's where it really gets interesting in the work Diane's done; since 2019, Diane served as the chief spokeswoman for the MAT , Marilyn Ann Trahan charity program aimed at raising awareness.
[00:01:36] For health care providers on how to better prevent and detect early stage breast and ovarian cancers. And since then in November, 2020, Diane joined ASPIRA women's health, senior leadership team as chief spokeswoman and through her advocacy, storytelling, coordination management of an ethnically diverse patient advisory board, she's working toward empowering women.
[00:01:59] All [00:02:00] of us have benefit to that. She's, she's working on empowering women to take control over their gynecological health by increasing their awareness of symptoms and to understanding their genetic risks and knowing that APIRA's life-saving biomarker tools exist. Diane Powis, Dr. Diane Powis . Thank you for being here.
[00:02:16] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:02:16] Thank you, Patrick, what a lovely introduction. I really appreciate that. And, um, I'm really looking forward to our conversation today and trying to get the message out there. So
[00:02:27] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:02:27] and that's why we're doing absolutely. I'm happy to do it. So I'm going to give you the title again. Folks, Advancing Women's Health, Change the Story with Diane Powis. Folks, . I want you to bear in mind. This is about women's health, but it's. It's advancing healthcare in general, whether we're healthcare leaders, we're healthcare providers, whether we're healthcare leader providers, or whether we support the work being done in health care.
[00:02:50] These are issues that we all at least need to have a working knowledge of. And I'm grateful that Diane is on the show to talk with us about it. So Diane, if we could start [00:03:00] with your journey of misdiagnosis to diagnosis and the relevance to what we're talking about here now.
[00:03:07]Diane Powis, PhD: [00:03:07] Thank you. So yeah, my, my journey to diagnosis, , I, um, fortunately just have been so blessed with a very healthy life up until age 45. , I have beautiful family, husband and children, two great kids. , a working as Patrick mentioned, , it a very rewarding position as a clinical neuropsychologist rehab psychologist at various hospitals. , and suddenly after my 45th birthday. I started to develop some strange new problems and symptoms. , this period lasted for over 10 months overall. , and the symptoms varied. , it started with, , heavy menstrual periods, , with my gynecologist, , and the symptoms ranged from. [00:04:00] Pelvic discomfort and urinating frequently again, with my gynecologist to, , lower back pain to bowel problems, to, , just not feeling exhausted and just knowing something was wrong. , what happened over the 10 month period is I was bounced from specialist to specialist and the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Was missed. , and I was misdiagnosed with everything and anything from perimenopause to, , urinary tract infections, which the tests were negative, but the doctor said, well, it must be a false negative because, , you're still healthy. Nothing else would be wrong with you? , this is by my gynecologist along the way, I was referred to a urologist because, , since the many antibiotics I took for my faux bladder infection, , didn't seem to help. He said, well, , sorry. My faux , , urinary tract infection didn't seem to help. He said it must be a bladder infection.
[00:05:00] [00:04:59] So he referred me and this was a new doctor for me. He did his in-office evaluation and he did an, an office scan. And I told him I was really worried. Something just felt wrong. And he looked me in the eye and he said, um, Diane, you're perfectly fine. And as I was. Leaving the office. I, you know, I still wasn't convinced that, you know, as he put it, I have an overactive bladder and just take these new pills and that will help me.
[00:05:27] Um, I said, you know, doctor, look, I really think something's wrong. In fact, it's not just my, my bladder when I have to have a bowel movement, um, having some severe cramping and pain. And he smiled, chuckled, looked me in the eye and this is a direct quote. He said, well, that sounds like a gastrointestinal problem. So I guess I'm completely off the hook. So, uh,
[00:05:54] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:05:54] guess I'm completely off the
[00:05:55] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:05:55] guess I'm completely off the hook. Um, and that was the end of [00:06:00] that appointment and that interaction. Uh, from there I was passed. I saw my GP. She diagnosed me with diverticulitis because of the stomach pain and cramping, based on an in-office exam, more antibiotics after which, uh, those didn't help.
[00:06:17] I went to a gastroenterologist. She thought I had colitis. Um, ultimately this is 10 months after my initial heavy menstrual periods where I had peri-menopause. Um, she was, she had me for a colonoscopy to confirm the colitis and I woke up from the Twilight of the procedure and she stood over me and said, um, listen, I, I can't, I couldn't get the tube through.
[00:06:45] Cause there was a blockage. Um, you have cancer. So I was completely. I was completely blindsided. Yeah. It was devastating
[00:06:54] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:06:54] Incredible to be going through that months and months, and months, and months and months of seeing our colleagues in [00:07:00] healthcare who go to work every day with the intention of doing good. Um, but if we work in a siloed mentality and we think we're either on the hook or off the hook, then it's no longer putting the patient in the center of the care, but.
[00:07:16] Um, uh, put in the hero as the center of the care instead of the patient and that's backward, and that resulted in your journey there. Diane, and I'm so sorry, you went through that experience and that's why you're here. I mean, there's so much at stake cause your, your, unfortunately your story is not an exception.
[00:07:35] Um, you're a spokeswoman. Um, what's at stake for women here in general, and those who love them, we should be all of us. We should all be supporting one another in this team, human, um, in women's health. What's at stake here.
[00:07:47] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:07:47] Yeah. Um, well what's at stake is women are dying. And, um, even though it's not the most prevalent cancer, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. Over [00:08:00] 50% of those diagnosed, um, die within five years. That's about the prognosis. Uh, the reason why is that? Uh, first of all, there's no screening for ovarian cancer.
[00:08:11] There's a common misconception, , among women I think, and, and. , I'm not sure how much I knew about this myself, but that, , a pap smear protects you from ovarian cancer, which is absolutely untrue. A pap smear is a screening for only cervical cancer. No other gynecological. Issues or problems. So there's no screening, , no screening ever existed and still doesn't exist, which is shocking given the state of, , of science and what's been developed out there.
[00:08:43], another reason for the horrific, , prognosis for these patients is that the symptoms are often considered vague and, , can. Perhaps be written off as other kinds of [00:09:00] problems are not so serious. And I think both patients don't really know the symptoms or understand them. And many providers don't either, unfortunately, and you know, they call it the disease that whispers and these symptoms whisper.
[00:09:14] But for me, You know, in hindsight, having gone through this, I see them more as shouts than whispers and things were just missed. And again, as you, so aptly put it. It's not just, this is something that happens over and over and over again to so many women. ,
[00:09:34] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:09:34] Yeah, Diane. And I'd also , I'd also argue that there, it can be described as whispers, but it also described them as, um, voices calling out to be heard that are being ignored. Right. And knowing the cardiac data on women, more likely to die of a heart attack in a hospital than men because of how gender differences are perceived.
[00:09:54] It's, it's astonishing and ridiculous that women are more likely the [00:10:00] data in disparities in care. Uh, even when you control for socioeconomic status level of income, education insurance, um, women are more likely, uh, so the heart attacks are missed. Um, we need to be more sensitive to ova. Ovarian cancers are, are, are missed.
[00:10:17] Um, and that leads to your, your, your message here. This is a critical list, not this. This is about ovarian cancer. Detection, but it's more than that. And I heard you speak on, you touched on the, the test it itself. Um, so I'd love to hear what your organization is about that your spokesperson for, um, and how they're helping being part of the solution.
[00:10:40] Folks. This is not an ad folks. Aspire health is not a sponsor of the show. They didn't send me a coffee or a Starbucks. Card or a sponsorship. This is not an ad. This is real conversations about what we can do to improve women's health. So that being said, what's, ASPIRA women's health doing [00:11:00] to help prevent, you said 50% of women mortality rate in five years
[00:11:07] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:11:07] Yes, in fact, and
[00:11:08] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:11:08] and ASPIRA health has been part of the solution to reduce that and stop it.
[00:11:11] Yes.
[00:11:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:11:12] Yes, absolutely. And that's the idea, the issue with this, you know, with, with these misses and, and I'll, I'll talk about ASPIRA and just one moment, but time is everything in this disease and like so many cancers, the longer it festers and, and there's no awareness of what the problem is.
[00:11:31] The later you get in stages and the five-year survival rate, if it's caught in stage one, Is 90%. If it's cotton stage two, it's 70% stage three and four considered late stage caught stage tree. Your five year survival rate is 39%. If it's cotton stage Ford, 17%. So clearly what's happening. Um, and 80% of all ovarian cancers are [00:12:00] diagnosed at late stage three or four because of what I'm talking
[00:12:03] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:03] 80% of diagnosis as your journey was Dianne. And these numbers are not just numbers they're people's experience,
[00:12:12] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:12:12] Exactly. These are women. These are women.
[00:12:14] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:14] experience. So, you what's ASPIRA doing to help be part of the solution.
[00:12:18] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:12:18] So ASPIRA as mission is to, , globally transform women's health, starting with ovarian cancer. Okay. , And when they say women, they, they mean all women, all ages, stages of life, all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status. , they really are doing everything they can to, , treat all women the same and have their products available to everybody. , and remove some of the disparities that exist in healthcare for women, because they're really they're out there. , To the fact that their chief spokeswoman, I think speaks to the company and their real desire to
[00:12:57] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:12:57] A patient being you, you as the chief [00:13:00] spokeswoman.
[00:13:00] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:13:00] would be me. Yes. , they really want to understand the patient's journey and, , think about, you know, what's important as they develop their products and deliver them to the public, to providers.
[00:13:11], and they, they want to really be a support, , in that way. And I think that's quite unique in this world as a public company. You know, there are a lot of healthcare companies out there that develop products and they forget that they're really treating. Patients, and this is about saving lives and these are real women and these are real lives they're talking about. So
[00:13:30] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:13:30] Amen to that, to
[00:13:32] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:13:32] yeah. So what they're trying to do is develop, , comprehensive, , risk assessment products, tools that can be used. There's no screening tools, as I said, but the real focus is how do we take that 80% late stage and flip it and have women. Who, , and in a system where this can be discovered and detected at a much earlier stage, because the [00:14:00] saddest part of all of this, that women are dying is it's preventable. It does not have to be this way. , so the way
[00:14:08] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:14:08] a part of that. I encourage people to follow ASPIRA health on LinkedIn to find out what they're up to though. And there again, they're not there. There's no incentive for me to say that I, I it's, as far as health is doing the right thing and they, uh, they're worth following.
[00:14:21] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:14:21] we've developed, , biomarker tools. These are, , protein biomarkers, and it's a simple blood test. One in five women will have a pelvic mass at some point in their life. And, , and with that pelvic mass many will have to contemplate a surgical procedure to address the mass. What currently is the standard of care is to use the CA one 25 bio-marker um and it's a test that's been around a long time.
[00:14:52], but it's really insufficient. It does not pick up early stage disease. For ovarian cancer. What they've developed is [00:15:00] ovo one. Plus they've done a tremendous amount of research with, you know, large studies with large populations of women with pelvic masses. They've directly compared ovo one plus to , the CA one 25. And if they. If you sort of did a meta analysis of all of those studies that they've done, the sensitivity of the CA one 25 is much lower. In fact, it's around 65% to pick up stage one and two early stage ovarian cancer for women with pelvic masses. Whereas the OVA1®PLUS is at 91%. So there's
[00:15:38] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:38] plus.
[00:15:38] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:38] OVA1®PLUS
[00:15:41] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:41] OVA1®PLUS, yeah, you lost me on some of the numbers there, but the OVA1®PLUS . I my listeners. So, you
[00:15:47] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:47] Yeah. So
[00:15:48] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:15:48] then remember the OVA1®PLUS.
[00:15:50] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:15:50] significantly better than CA one 25 at detecting early stage ovarian cancer for women with pelvic masses. Yeah. So, [00:16:00] um, with that being said also for black women, the CA one 25 is just known to be a poor measure. It's the, the numbers come out low. Lower than for white women, um, there, where it's not as good a measure,
[00:16:18] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:16:18] sensitivity is weaker.
[00:16:20] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:16:20] the sensitivity is weaker for black women versus the ovo one. Plus that disparity doesn't exist between white and black women. So, you know, it's another reason to think about, you know, what to do. The problem is. Women aren't aware of to ask for OVA1®PLUS providers are very uncomfortable with making change sometimes and they go with the standard of care because that's what they know.
[00:16:46] And they unfortunately miss a number of early stage diagnoses and time loops forward. , ASPIRA is also doing a lot of continued research. , they're working towards. , further [00:17:00] developing their over one product. There's a lot of pipeline coming down, , with, with the research that they're doing to continue to monitor the women who have pelvic masses and also monitor women who have a high risk from a hereditary standpoint of ovarian cancer.
[00:17:16], the second that they have right now is called genetics with an X and it's. It's a very, uh, specialized genetic test for. , the mutations that could be connected to a gynecological cancer. So, , there are 33 potential mutations that are included in the test and it allows women to really have the knowledge of their genetics.
[00:17:46] There's nothing, there's no substitute for that because that's really the only way to prevent the disease, , is to know you have a genetic predisposition. , and it's, it's something that, you know, in my story, for [00:18:00] example, I have a very significant history of breast cancer in my family. My mother was diagnosed at age 40.
[00:18:06] She died at 48. Um, I have a number of great aunts who had breast cancer. , clearly that should should've rang a bell with any of my doctors. Over the years, I was very, , conscientious of. Of, , you know, I will not go down with breast cancer. So I was really vigilant. It was in a high risk program. , but I had no idea there was a genetic link between breast and ovarian cancers.
[00:18:32] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:32] not about OVA1®PLUS, and this also in the pipeline, the genetics
[00:18:37] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:18:37] Oh, it's out. It's not
[00:18:39] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:39] Good. Good, good, great, good, good, good, good. We got enough. Love to ASPIRA . And what they're doing, focusing on you also, um, I want to talk with you about your experience. Diane, what was it like in finding your voice to, to you?
[00:18:52] Didn't just wake up one day and say, I want to be a spokeswoman.
[00:18:54] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:18:54] No.
[00:18:55] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:18:55] what was the journey like for you and finding your voice? And I understand there's a little book, project
[00:19:00] [00:19:00] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:19:00] Yes.
[00:19:02] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:19:02] I love to hear about your finding your voice and this book you're working on.
[00:19:05] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:19:05] Thanks for asking about that. , yeah. You know, I think like so many women, , I grew up. , I grew up in the seventies, , but I think we're socialized a certain way. And I, I, my, my take on that is, you know, how to be a good girl and how to be compliant and listen to authority and not necessarily speak up and be an advocate.
[00:19:31], and I feel like, you know, there's that aspect of it for me. , and I'm also an introvert and I'm a private person. , and I have been my whole life, however, being faced with my mortality at, , you know, once I was diagnosed and recognize the severity of my situation and that, you know, I had a five-year prognosis and 39%.
[00:19:55], so I, I sort of realized I had a [00:20:00] choice. This was the crossroads for me. I could either. You know, like a raft without a paddle B be pushed through the system as a cancer patient. And, , like I was bounced from doctor to doctor, just not take charge of things in a way that would give me some semblance of control or start to speak up for myself and, and advocate for what I felt was best in terms of my care and all my treatments.
[00:20:26] And. , there are a lot of examples of that, but it really helped. And I think that translated ultimately to reaching out to others, you know, realizing I'm not the only one with ovarian cancer, connecting to other women and learning how many of them. Shared a very similar story of late stage diagnosis that could have been prevented because of misses, misdiagnoses blowing off symptoms, you know, attributing them to perhaps manifestations of stress. , for example, one woman was [00:21:00] given anti-anxiety pills and told, you know, because her belly's ex just, ,
[00:21:05] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:05] extending and there, yeah.
[00:21:07] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:07] she's, you know, sick or just not feeling right? Oh, it's anxiety. Um, you know, so many stories that I realized, you know what, I'm not alone in this. And
[00:21:17] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:17] You are not alone..
[00:21:18] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:18] even though my window has long closed for early detection, you know, maybe there's something that I can do to facilitate, , change and.
[00:21:28] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:21:28] if there's one listener that changes their behavior as a practitioner, or if there's one listener who is a partner and advocates for their. Their loved one to go through this, get this kind of testing or a potential patient themselves who may be brewing some ovarian cancer to be aware of this demand, you know, your lips to God's ears that, uh, this be heard and, and, um, even just saving one life.
[00:21:53] Um, but imagine getting this message out there more and more. So the what's the title of the book that you're working on it.
[00:21:59] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:21:59] thank you. [00:22:00] Um, the book is called what's a good girl to do. Records and revelations of a cancer survivor. And, um,
[00:22:07] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:07] Do you have a publisher?
[00:22:09] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:09] I'm working on
[00:22:10] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:10] All right. So we'll put that include those show. Diane Powis on LinkedIn.
[00:22:14] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:14] want to publish
[00:22:14] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:14] she needs a publisher folks. Um,
[00:22:17] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:17] It's with an editor right now.
[00:22:19] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:19] okay. Well still let's get the word out there.
[00:22:21] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:22:21] yeah. The goal is to get it out there though, and, you know, try to make a difference if I can and be heard.
[00:22:27] Um, but yeah, you know, women, women do need to know. And, you know, uh, just the opportunities that came my way to speak up. I just couldn't say no.
[00:22:37] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:22:37] Yeah. God bless you for doing that. And, uh, more power to you, and that is your call to action, um, for folks to act based on this information and, and save a life and it may be your own or one that someone that you love. And so this may be a good time to ask you then, um, um, if you had an opportunity.
[00:22:56] To speak to all the healthcare folks around the whole planet. You had [00:23:00] other attention for a brief moment. Diane, what would you say to them?
[00:23:05] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:23:05] Well, that would be incredible. I know how busy and overwhelmed a lot of healthcare folks are. Um, I would say, uh, a couple of things, first of all, please, you know, I know you're busy. I know you work so hard and not saying, you know, these are good people. These are people who have entered a profession to help others.
[00:23:24] And with all good intentions, do no harm, you know? Um, but I would say, please, please get educated. Learn about. Ovarian cancer, you know, other gynecological diseases and problems like endometriosis. It's another one that's often missed overlooked, shunned aside for women. Um, they go years without, without knowing what's wrong with them.
[00:23:49], but please get educated. , know the symptoms, know the early warning signs. , learn about Aspira's products. I mean, you know, if your go-to is the CA [00:24:00] one 25, if you have a woman with a pelvic mass who's contemplating surgery, please look into, you know, the ovo one, plus it's FDA cleared. It's been around for 10 years now.
[00:24:11] So no excuse let's let's think about what better options exist out there that. All the mechanisms are there. The technology's there that the scientists have developed this, please take advantage of it. I would also say too. My group of healthcare listeners, please, please listen to your patients. Um, I know time is limited.
[00:24:36] Your schedules are busy. You know, the, the drive is to get through a lot of people and maybe your waiting room is full and, and, you know, you're, you're just trying to get through your day and you have so much to cover. So when a woman comes in wondering, you know, something's really wrong with her, if she's having these pelvic.
[00:24:55] Pains and discomfort, please stop and listen, and [00:25:00] think comprehensively. Try to get a full picture of what's going on. What brought her to you? What other symptoms and problems she has been experiencing lately? Has she, what other doctors has she seen coordinate care with those other doctors so that you're not operating in that vacuum of your specialty because you're gonna miss it.
[00:25:20] You're gonna miss it. And, um, it's so important to think comprehensively so that, you know, women have. That chance, you know, that window of opportunity with early detection, they're not going to the gynecological oncologist. At that point, they're going to their GP. They're going to the gastroenterologist, the urologist, the chiropractor.
[00:25:43] These are the folks that have the opportunity to catch it early. And, um, it's just so important that they pay attention in a certain way. Take a history. And also consider genetics for women. I think a lot of doctors think about genetics. Testing is a [00:26:00] nice option sometimes, but it's essential. Knowing a woman's knowing her genetics could make the difference between life and death and give her choices about, um, prophylactic surgeries, ways to prevent completely prevent.
[00:26:17] Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other other issues and problems, um, and a lifetime of pain and suffering and medical uncertainty, and, um, real real hit to the quality of life
[00:26:34] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:26:34] A passionate and comprehensive full of heart, um, call to action folks. Um, if you take one thing away, it's listen to your patients. The of a one, plus the, the, the genetics testing, the, the whole context to all of it. Um, there's so much that you share Diane. I'm so grateful for what you have to say and for your heart and your passion for this, and, um, the takeaway to listen to your patients and [00:27:00] really it's to listen to one.
[00:27:00] And also it's still to listen to one another, um, in the work we do, um, we, we need to care for one another and, and the signs, the signs are there. If we, if we, um, listened to our heart and listened to our gut and pay attention to it.
[00:27:15] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:27:15] And you can tools available. Um, and also, you know, it's, it's about all the women in our lives. You know, I think about my daughter who has a 50% chance of. Of inheriting my Brock of mutation. Um, but it's not just about her. It's about all of our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, wives, friends, you know, the list goes on and on.
[00:27:39] Um, you know, please think about what can be done for prevention and really change the story for women.
[00:27:48] Patrick Swift, PhD, MBA, FACHE: [00:27:48] changing the story about there we go or we're talking about change. The story is to Advancing Women's Health, Change the story with Diane Powis , Dr. Diane Powis . Diane, thank you so much for being on the show. It's been [00:28:00] a pleasure and an honor, and thank you for your message and your heart and, and all that you shared. I really appreciate your, your being here.
[00:28:06] Diane Powis, PhD: [00:28:06] Thank you for having me, Patrick, it's been a pleasure. Thank you!
Special Note:
Dr. Patrick Swift/Swift Healthcare do NOT have any financial relationships with any commercial interests with Aspira Health. Dr. Swift invited Dr. Powis on the show because they are grad school friends and Dr. Powis has an amazing and powerful story to share with the world. The information in this episode is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this video podcast/web site is for general information purposes only.
