[MUSIC PLAYING] My name is Kristin Pascoe. I am a general obstetrician gynecologist. That means that I take care of patients for essentially any of their gynecologic or obstetric needs. So whether that's a pap smear, whether that's birth control, whether that's menopause, whether that's pregnancy, whether that's they need surgery or a hysterectomy, I sort of take care of all of it.


I chose to become a physician because I think that I saw a lot of patients who didn't really understand what was going on with them. And I think that we sort of, a lot of times, throw medications at people without explaining why we're doing things. And I think that one of the things that really led me to want to be a doctor was that education piece, so teaching people about why this is going on, how it works in their body, and really trying to help them understand so that when we talk about treatment options, they're making a more informed decision and a choice about their body that they really feel comfortable with.


I did my training here at the University of Chicago. And I stayed because I love the patient population. I really love the patients in Hyde Park. And I love the team nature and dynamic of the University of Chicago. I feel like when I have a patient, whether I have a random question, or the patient needs care from another team, everyone is always willing to pitch in. They're willing to talk through patient care. It's really a team effort, and no one ever really feels like they're on their own, or that there's something that they can't figure out because they don't know who to reach out to.


I think my philosophy of care is really education first. So making sure that people understand what's going on with them, with their bodies. I think that one of the things that we do a horrible job in the United States about is educating people about what's going on inside. And so it becomes hard when something's going wrong when you didn't understand really what was going on in the first place.


So I think a lot of it is talking through what's normal, what's not, why we think that this is going on. And I think just developing that trust with patients, that this isn't something we're going to throw at you to make one thing better or one thing worse. It's really trying to figure out what works best for you.


My favorite things to do in obstetrics and gynecology is talk about contraception and birth control. So I think a lot with our younger patients, again, just really understanding how the body works, what things we can do, and really talking through options for that, I think, is one of my favorite things to do in obstetrics and gynecology.


In terms of having a sort of unique perspective, I think that being an OB/GYN is really a privilege and in a measure of trust. This is something that people necessarily don't feel comfortable talking to their friends about. You can talk about your headaches, but a lot of people won't talk about their heavy bleeding. They won't talk about their hot flashes. They won't talk about their issues having sex. And so I think that having that trust with your patients, where they can come and talk to you. It's not every day you find a doctor that you trust to share those things with. And I think that that's a really unique part of my job, and one that I really, really love.


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