Lumenis is sponsoring a series of educational events aimed at increasing awareness about endometriosis among undergraduate pre-medical and public health students.
The first Endometriosis Fellowship & Course, held by the Nezhat Family Foundation and Worldwide EndoMarch, began July 7 and will continue on July 14, 21, 28. This first-of-its-kind educational initiative will provide free education and Lumenis CO2 laser hands-on experience to students who one day will be tasked with recognizing and managing this under-diagnosed and difficult-to-treat condition.
“Endometriosis affects about 1 in 10 women and adolescents, many of whom suffer for years without a diagnosis. It is a whole-body disease affecting all the organs of the body. Through the Endometriosis Fellowship & Course, we want to engage a new generation of endometriosis experts to increase access to care and help solve this major public health crisis,” Camran Nezhat, MD, founder of the Nezhat Family Foundation and Worldwide EndoMarch, said in a press release.
“One goal for endometriosis is to develop minimally invasive therapies, which is why we are happy to partner with Lumenis, whose FiberLase CO2 laser technology enables us to delicately and precisely remove endometriotic cells while preserving healthy tissue, including reproductive structures,” Nezhat said.
With the CO2 laser treatment, patients heal faster from surgery and have lower recurrence rates. The procedure to remove endometriosis lesions also may improve the patients’ fertility. More about this treatment is available here.
For the Endometriosis Fellowship & Course, students are being separated into two groups in two locations: University of California, San Francisco, Mission Bay Campus, and Stanford University‘s Li Ka Shing Center.
Expert speakers include Nezhat, an expert on endometriosis and inventor of video laparoscopy, Azadeh Nezhat, MD, Ceana Nezhat, MD, Michelle Wood, MD, Linda Guidice, MD, PhD, Jessica Opoku-Anane, MD, and Megan Burns, MD.
“This is an exciting time in the endometriosis community, when growing awareness of this disease is meeting new growth in technology and patient care,” said Brad Oliver, Lumenis regional president of North and South America.
“As the world leader in CO2 lasers, Lumenis is very proud to join dedicated partners like the Nezhat Family Foundation and Worldwide EndoMarch to fuel that momentum, with a strong determination to change the future by educating and inspiring tomorrow’s experts in the field.”
According to the Worldwide EndoMarch website, the fellowship is now full. However, students may attend the course lecture series on any of the remaining dates of (July 14, 21, 28). The lectures are free of charge and open to the public and students of all curriculum majors.
Future dates of the Endometriosis Fellowship & Course are being planned and students can email [email protected] to be added to the waiting list if interested in upcoming courses.