For years, Dr. Kudzai Dombo thrived in the high-intensity world of hospital-based obstetrics, working 24-hour shifts and delivering babies. But in 2022, she began to feel burned out and knew she needed to make a change.
She started doing part-time telehealth work, prescribing hormone therapy for menopause. The response from her patients was immediate and life-changing. Women told her she was “saving their marriages” and “giving them their lives back.”
A nurse scientist at the University of Iowa, Dr. Yamnia Cortés studies how social determinants, stressors, and cardiovascular health impact the menopause transition – particularly among Latinas. Her story speaks to how lived experience can shape advocacy and health equity, leading to real change in women’s health.
For some women, managing menopause and their sexual health is laden with fear and shame. And in many communities menopause, let alone sexual well-being, is rarely if ever discussed openly. The experience is often shrouded in cultural taboos, misconceptions, and a lack of accessible healthcare resources. Dr. Sadaf Lodhi, a Muslim-American, board-certified OB/GYN and advocate for women’s health, has made it her mission to break down these barriers.
