For Farzana Rashid (Hossain), MD, a gastroenterologist and director of Women’s Gastrointestinal (GI) Health at Pennsylvania Hospital, the health and happiness of her patients are everything. Even when she received the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Golden Medallion Award this past fall in recognition of her transformative work in the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community, she insisted that the spotlight shine on the true honorees — her patients.
She joined Penn Medicine as a specialist in IBD and transitioning adolescents into adult GI care, but over the past several years, her focus has expanded, and she developed a passion for advocating for the unique needs of women. It started when she noticed an influx of women coming to her for their GI consultations and procedures, during which a remarkable number of female patients requested that their entire treatment team be comprised of women. This phenomenon — plus her recognition of gender differences in GI diseases that result in need for a tailored approach to care, and her appointment to Philadelphia’s Commission for Women — all combined to light the fire that has powered her work.
“I’m developing a Women’s GI Health program that offers high-quality, innovative, customized patient care,” Rashid said. “I’ve been working closely with my colleagues in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Behavioral Health, Nutrition, and other departments and ancillary services in an effort to unite the service lines and better support women with GI disorders at every stage of their lives. My goal is to create a ‘one-stop shop’ of sorts for women’s health.”
COVID-19 forced Rashid to adjust her timeline, but her commitment to this interdisciplinary program only strengthened. She plans to unveil the Women’s GI Health program by the end of the year. To further enhance the program’s alignment with Penn Medicine’s educational and research missions, she aims to develop a women’s health conference for providers and patients alike by 2022, and by 2023, she is eager to incorporate a fourth-year GI fellow into Women’s Health in order to provide them with specialty training.
“Addressing health care disparities and helping women live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives motivates me to want to do more for patients,” Rashid said. “There is so much more to be done, and I feel confident patients will appreciate the Women’s GI Health program at Penn Medicine once it comes to fruition.”