This is the second of a three part series. This features excerpts from an interview with Dr. Andrea Zuckerman who is an Attending Physician in the Department of OB/GYN at Tufts Medical Center and oversees the Wollaston OB/GYN clinic.  Interview conducted by Zenobia Lai of Asian Spectrum.

On Saturday October 23rd, Tufts Medical Center will be hosting the College of American Pathologists See, Test and Treat Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Prevention Program in the OB/GYN clinic, South building, 2nd floor, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  This program is being championed at Tufts by Barbarajean Magnani, PhD, MD, FCAP from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.  Collaborating physician partners include Dr. Nora Laver (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine), Dr. Andrea Zuckerman (Obstetrics and Gynecology) and Dr. Marc Homer (Radiology).  During the See, Test and Treat Program, women can receive a gynecological exam which includes a PAP smear, breast exam and lab work or a mammogram if necessary.

Q:  What do you do at Tufts Medical Center?
A:  I practice adult, pediatric and adolescent obstetrics and gynecology.  Tufts is actually the only hospital in Boston that sees patients of all ages.

Q:  Is pediatric or adolescent gynecology any different or more complicated than adult gynecology?
A:  Tufts has several physicians who are trained specifically in this field.  Common gynecological issues that are seen in girls include vaginal discharge, vaginal irritation and irregular bleeding.  We see adolescents for a whole host of gynecological issues such as routine care, pain with their period, irregular period, birth control or if their period is delayed.

Q:  What is your advice for Asian American women?
A:  We encourage women every year to check in and complete an exam.  They may not need a PAP smear every year, but they at least need a pelvic exam to feel their uterus and ovaries to make sure that everything is within normal size. This is important because Asian women as well as non Asian women are at risk of developing ovarian cancer. It also is important to get a regular breast exam and to learn how to do a self-breast exam.

Q:  So the other specialty of yours is the Obstetric side of Gynecology.  Can you please tell us more?
A:  We see women when they first become pregnant for a full history and medical exam.  We also do a full counseling session which includes talking about adequate nutrition during their pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy, which foods to avoid, how to sleep, which vitamins to take, and about different testing available to see if the baby will have any anomalies or birth defects.  Starting anywhere from 10 to 13 weeks gestation, we can actually hear and feel the babies heart beat.  Patients are routinely seen once a month until they are about 32 weeks along and then every two weeks until 36 weeks and then once a week until they deliver.  The due date is approximately at 40 weeks gestation.

Q:  Are there any other OB/GYN services that Tufts Medical Center offers?
A:  Tufts also sees high risk obstetrical patients that are seen in our Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic.  They are the Obstetricians who read all of the ultrasounds and perform any kind of advanced procedure that might need to be done when a woman is pregnant.  We also have an Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstruction Clinic where women who have any urinary issues such as urinary incontinence or pelvic floroprolapse can see a specialist and be treated adequately whether it is non-invasively or with surgery.  Tufts also has Gynecologic Oncology which consists of specialists who are trained to operate on women who have gynecological malignancies such as cancer of the cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes.  And we also have Reproductive Endocrinology which consists of specialists in women who have reproductive or fertility issues.

Q:  Tufts Medical Center has been around for awhile in Chinatown with a very robust OB/GYN program.  I heard that the program has expanded to Quincy.  Can you tell us more about that?
A:  We also have an office on 30 Beach Street in the Wollaston section of Quincy.  Patients who are seen there can get their pre-natal care there but they deliver at Tufts Medical Center.  All of their lab work is also run at Tufts Medical Center.  Although the patient’s care is at an ancillary site, it is all based through Tufts.

Q:  Quincy has a large and growing Asian population.  How is the Quincy OB/GYN program serving this core population?
A:  Our secretary and receptionist speak fluent Cantonese, Mandarin, Toisanese and English.  This enables the non-English speaking patients to easily make an appointment.  There are also two new Asian providers who started in August.  Dr. Zitao Liu and Dr. Yuhong She will see patients both in Quincy and at Tufts.  Our Medical Assistant speaks Vietnamese and is also studying to be an interpreter so she is also very helpful with the patients.

Q:  So of all the different medical specialties, why OB/GYN?
A:  I chose OB/GYN because I really loved working with children.  I considered going into pediatric surgery but I liked the idea that as an OB/GYN I can do primary care, take care of children and operate on patients.  For me, it was a great mix and every day I have a different day and a different schedule.

Article funded through the Asian Health Initiative of Tufts Medical Center