Champion of Women's Health
Grateful patients and colleagues of JoAnn Pinkerton, MD, director of the Midlife Health Center, joined forces to honor her legacy by funding a new Women’s Midlife Health Endowed Professorship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Initially to be held by Dr. Pinkerton, the professorship secures the Midlife Health Center’s future by supporting clinical excellence and research moving forward. Two recent major gifts from the Kundrun family and the Oakwood Foundation sealed the effort.
“When I first came to UVA Health and discovered the Midlife Health Center, I was very impressed by the care, compassion, and high level of expertise I received from Dr. Pinkerton,” said Claudine Kundrun. “Our community is so fortunate to have the UVA Midlife Health Center as a resource. My husband and I are proud to help establish an endowed professorship at the UVA Midlife Health Center so that women will continue to have access to the highest quality healthcare for years to come.”
Dr. Pinkerton is grateful and excited about the opportunities the professorship presents: “It will provide me and future directors the time and resources to care for patients while continuing to research new treatments, train future practitioners, and advocate for women in the community and beyond,” she said. “The prestige of an endowed professorship will allow us to recruit, retain, and mentor additional midlife providers who can lead the center into the future and help provide care for women.”
When Dr. Pinkerton retires, the professorship will be renamed the JoAnn Pinkerton Professorship in Midlife Health.
AHEAD OF HER TIME
Menopause is having a cultural moment. Increased media coverage, advocacy, and recent medical advances are generating tremendous interest in what happens to women’s health during midlife.
“I think that providers and menopausal women themselves have come together to say that it’s time to get information about menopause out,” said Dr. Pinkerton. “Many, many women feel like their providers don’t know enough about menopause or how to help them navigate perimenopause, menopause, or beyond. Some women feel cheated because, in many parts of the country, they never even had a chance to discuss hormone therapy.”
Before a cultural spotlight started shining more brightly on menopause, there were few providers like Dr. Pinkerton, who is 30-plus years into her work in midlife health patient care, research, advocacy, and community engagement.
“In 1987, my chair, Paul Underwood, asked me to start a menopause clinic to meet the needs of menopausal women at the University of Virginia (UVA) and the surrounding area. He was ahead of his time. That clinic rapidly grew, and then in 1993, we founded the multidisciplinary Midlife Health Center at UVA Health,” said Dr. Pinkerton.
What Dr. Pinkerton built has become a nationally recognized model for women’s midlife healthcare. It’s flourished for three decades under her direction, and she has become an internationally renowned expert in perimenopause and menopause.
“I have long admired Dr. Pinkerton, especially her deep commitment to providing free health screenings and educational events for underserved women in our community. We have been honored to support the UVA Midlife Health Center over the years and are delighted to make a gift to support this professorship to honor Dr. Pinkerton and the many ways she advocates for women’s healthcare in midlife and beyond,” said Renee Grisham of the Oakwood Foundation.
Healthcare access is at the top of Dr. Pinkerton’s mind as well. “This professorship is going to help ensure world-class midlife healthcare for generations to come,” she said.
THE CENTER SHE FORGED
UVA Health’s Midlife Health Center is unique in that it specializes in caring for women over 40. By helping patients navigate perimenopause, menopause, midlife sexuality, gynecologic wellness, heart health, osteoporosis, and cancer prevention, the center offers a dedicated, integrated, holistic approach to women’s physical and emotional needs during an extraordinary stage of life. The center is also one of the few in the country that goes beyond patient care to conduct scientific research, engage in community outreach, and train the next generation of women’s midlife health providers and experts.
Dr. Pinkerton said she and her colleagues wanted to build a center that addressed more than just hot flashes and night sweats. “We wanted to look at women as a whole and menopause as a time to focus on health.”
Today, she said the center can provide up to 70% of a patient’s healthcare, partner with her primary care providers, and connect her with additional specialists as needed.
FROM UVA TO THE WORLD
Dr. Pinkerton’s advocacy for women’s midlife healthcare extends far beyond the borders of UVA. She has led over 30 clinical trials of novel hormone and nonhormone therapies for hot flashes and other menopause symptoms, making significant contributions to the global understanding and treatment of menopause.
She was the national lead and UVA site principal investigator for the international, randomized OASIS 2 clinical trials, which examined the efficacy and safety of the nonhormone drug elinzanetant to treat moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats of menopause.
“I am excited about the potential of elinzanetant to serve as an effective and safe nonhormonal (nonestrogen) treatment option for women with highly bothersome menopausal symptoms who can’t or won’t take hormone therapy,” Dr. Pinkerton said. “I hope that it becomes available for menopausal women, as it not only treats hot flashes but improves sleep disruptions and mood. What is really exciting is that it has been recently shown to work safely in women with breast cancer or at risk for breast cancer who are taking either tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors—the women who need this treatment the most. Currently, it’s under review by the FDA, and we are hoping for a favorable review.”
As a clinical investigator, Dr. Pinkerton has published more than 174 peer-reviewed publications, 90 abstracts, 30 invited papers, and 11 invited chapters. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and previously served as executive director and president of The Menopause Society, a nonprofit organization focused on providing healthcare professionals the tools and resources to improve women’s health during the menopause transition and beyond.
THE PROFESSORSHIP AND THE FUTURE
Dr. Pinkerton is filled with immense gratitude for the Kundrun family, the Oakwood Foundation, and the many other donors who gave to the professorship and the center.
“I think the women who come to our Midlife Health Center are incredibly appreciative of the care they get,” she said. “They are our biggest advocates—talking about us in the community and sharing evidence-based information with their friends, family, and peers. They are a huge part of who we are.”
Judging by their generosity and loyalty, Dr. Pinkerton’s patients see her and her legacy as a huge part of why they trust UVA Health with their care.
Paola Gehrig, MD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, summarized Dr. Pinkerton’s impact this way:
“This professorship commemorates a lifetime of work dedicated to improving women’s quality of life and outcomes as they approach midlife and beyond. Through Dr. Pinkerton’s hard work and dedication, women in Charlottesville and around the country have new evidence-based options to discuss with their providers. I am so honored to have been able to train under Dr. Pinkerton as a resident and then to return to see her lifetime achievements being recognized in this very special way.”