In The News
Cancer Surgeon Caps Fundraiser with Haircut
Two scissors-wielding women sliced off the almost blue-black ponytail belonging to a very willing surgeon Friday, before sharing a long embrace. The emotional moment was all for charity, the capstone of a $15,000 fundraising effort by Dr. Lisa Guerra for breast cancer nonprofit Susan G. Komen of Orange County. After the haircut, Guerra stood smiling … Read More
Each woman is an individual when it comes to cancer screening
Some researchers recommend that women get mammograms annually after age 40. Others suggest the test is best if women receive it every other year starting at age 50. Still others assert that if a woman has a family history of breast cancer, it’s really best to start 20 years before reaching the age at which … Read More
Become breast-cancer aware no matter your family history
When I ask patients if they perform regular breast self-exams I often hear, “no,” and the excuse, “I’m not high-risk.” What they mean is that they don’t have a family history of breast cancer or the BRCA gene mutation associated with a higher risk for breast cancer. But the absence of family history and the … Read More
Vaccinating children against HPV can prevent cancer
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 17,000 cancers in women and 9,000 cancers in men every year. In the United States alone, over 4,000 women will die of the disease. It’s important to highlight that almost all of these dangerous, and sometimes fatal, cancers can be prevented with a vaccine. Vaccination against known viruses … Read More
Help free the O.C. of domestic violence
The now-infamous video of suspended Baltimore Raven’s running back Ray Rice beating his wife unconscious created a “shock and awe” reaction that has opened the public conversation about domestic violence. Unfortunately, that conversation has been misdirected. Instead of using this horrible situation as a wake-up call to the community about the need to band together … Read More
Newport Beach First in OC to Have Obstetrics ED
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian became the first Orange County hospital to have a dedicated Emergency Department for expectant mothers when it debuted a four-room Obstetrics Emergency Department (OB-ED) in its Newport Beach location earlier this year. This service contributes to a growing trend nationwide that helps increase access to specialists and improves patient outcomes. The … Read More
Keep track of your numbers, live longer
Asking Siri to place calls for us has made memorizing our best friends’ phone numbers unnecessary. But there are some numbers you can’t get from your smartphone — numbers you should know by heart and for your heart. Your Body Mass Index (BMI), cholesterol levels and blood pressure are key indicators of how healthy you … Read More
Giving moms-to-be control of birthing process
After giving birth to her second child by cesarean section in 2010 at Newport Beach’s Hoag Hospital, Kimberlee Streiff felt something wasn’t right. She and baby Rhone, now a curly-headed 3-year-old, were fine; it was the process, and her sense that the birth was out of her hands, that had unsettled her. Streiff, whose oldest … Read More
Expectant Moms Have New Emergency Option
If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, you’ll be seen by a doctor. If you suspect you’re having a stroke, you’ll be seen by a doctor. But if you suspect you’re about to have a baby, you will most likely be seen by … a nurse. As an obstetrician, I have long been surprised … Read More
Where and how to have a baby in Orange County
On Jan. 12 at 8:04 a.m. Erin and Shane Stevens welcomed Piper into the world. The Lake Forest couple had chosen Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo to have their first child, as it was right next door to Erin’s doctor who would be delivering the baby. Shane Stevens said he was glad he was able … Read More