Melinda Abernethy, MD, MPH, has been named chief of the medical school’s new division of Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The new clinical division will focus on care of women seeking evaluation and treatment of prolapse and incontinence, as well as other complex surgical conditions. Dr. Abernethy said she has goals to recruit and hire another urogynecologist, continue to grow the division, and provide care for pelvic floor disorders in Kalamazoo.
Dr. Abernethy said the Kalamazoo community can support more urogynecologists, since she is the only specialist between Ann Arbor, Chicago and Grand Rapids. Dr. Abernethy and Christy Palma, PA-C, see 20 to 30 new patients a week, and patients wait approximately three months for new patient appointments. The need for pelvic floor specialists will only increase, Dr. Abernethy said.
“The population of people with pelvic floor disorders is increasing,” Dr. Abernethy said. “As women get older, one out of three women will present with a pelvic floor disorder in their lifetime.”
Dr. Abernethy said she has a vision to develop a center for pelvic health to include physical therapists who would, alongside WMed Health urogynecologists, work closely with urology and colorectal physicians at Ascension Borgess Hospital and Bronson Methodist Hospital.
“It would provide comprehensive care for women with pelvic floor disorders,” Dr. Abernethy said. “I enlist the care of physical therapists on a regular basis. Being able to refer patients to someone I work with closely to organize ongoing care, coordinate surgery and formalize that relationship would only help our patients.”
Dr. Abernethy joined WMed in 2018 as an Associate Professor in the Department of OB/GYN. She earned her MD and MPH degrees from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and completed her residency in OB/GYN at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She is fellowship trained, having completed an Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at Northwestern University.
Dr Abernethy is board certified in both general Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as in the subspecialty of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. She sees several types of ailments regularly in women, including vaginal and uterovaginal prolapse, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, fecal incontinence, fistulas and developmental disorders of the urogenital tract. She is passionate about improving these ailments in women both locally and around the world, having volunteered on medical mission trips to Ghana and Rwanda to perform surgery on women.
“It’s an area that causes a huge impact on a woman’s quality of life but it’s also an area that’s difficult to talk about and not brought up with a primary care provider,” Dr. Abernethy said. “Having someone who focuses on that allows this doorway for women to talk about it.”