Throughout her medical career, Jessica has expanded her knowledge and expertise. With degrees in women’s health, midwifery, family medicine, and psychiatric nursing (including a doctorate), she brings a unique perspective to women’s midlife care.

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“Women’s bodies amaze me, and I find the mind-body connection particularly fascinating. The uterus, ovaries, breasts, brain—all our organs and systems—communicate and work together. My education and experience have taught me to understand the whole picture.”

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Her mental health training has been especially eye opening. “Too many providers tell women it’s all in their heads. I learned how important it is to be empathetic, accepting, and to create a safe place for women to tell their stories. I don’t tell patients what to do—I listen and match up solutions to their concerns.”

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In addition, Jessica has extensive experience treating patients with weight and body changes. “Often women tell me I’m struggling with weight, appetite, and my metabolism isn’t what it used to be. Now we can provide them with evidence based medications that really make a difference. It’s exciting!”

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Cheri Barzottini has devoted herself to women’s health throughout her career, with 20 years of experience at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, the last 10 as Nurse Practitioner Lead for Ob/Gyn. One of the many things that excites her about the Midi model? Getting enough time with patients. “Modern health care can feel like a hamster wheel, with just 15 minutes to see a patient, not nearly enough time to devote to listening. When I heard that Midi allows clinicians far more time with each patient, I realized how different this would be. I have time to get a picture of her whole life, not just a quick snapshot. I can really hear her, and allow her to be involved in shaping her Care Plan.”

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Cheri is particularly invested in women’s needs at midlife. “I want to help them recognize that no part of their life should end just because their period ends. Their sex life shouldn’t end. Quality sleep shouldn’t end. Feeling good shouldn’t end, because there are treatment options out there for all of this. It’s a new chapter, and I want them to approach it positively.”

What frustrates Melissa about the way midlife women are treated in the healthcare system? “It’s the invisibility,” she says. “Once they’re done having babies, women are de-prioritized, and their needs are often ignored. Women themselves put their children first, and the medical system does the same thing to them. My mission is to change that, and help fill the void in care.”

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So Melissa added specialization in menopause to her decades of experience as a Certified Nurse Midwife with a masters in nursing. Her own experience inspired her to learn more: “In my 40s, I started feeling ‘off’—like my body was no longer familiar. I didn’t have hot flashes, but sex was painful. I felt infinitely dry! And my PMS was turning me into a fire breathing dragon of rage. I had to do research and essentially provide my own care. But I realized I was in perimenopause, and zeroed in on solutions that worked right away.”

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Melissa became a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner, did her own research, “and got the broadest education I could.” She treats all the symptoms of midlife hormonal change, but sexual health is a particular focus. “If you want to be sexually active, we can help you have good sex for the rest of your life,” she says. “That doesn’t have to stop.”

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A certified Family Nurse Practitioner with 39 years’ experience in healthcare, Dr. Carothers’ incredible qualifications include certification as a Menopause Practitioner from the North American Menopause Society and a doctorate (yes, she’s a nurse and a doctor) focused on women’s sexual health at midlife.

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Why did she pursue the topic? “My husband is a family practice physician and during my menopause journey he said to me, ‘Your arousal is different—what’s going on?’ I realized that if my husband, a physician, didn't understand changes in the female body during menopause, I needed to explore more, and I needed to involve men. So I wrote my dissertation on changes in sexual desire and response from the perspective of both menopausal females and their male partners.”

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Once she completed her doctorate, she told her husband: “From this point on, all I want to do is treat menopausal women and speak about menopause. Every single one of us will go through this life stage, but there is so little preparation for it. This needs attention!”

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That’s what she’s providing at Midi, treating all symptoms of menopause and taking care to touch on sexual health. “Women think pain with sex and loss of desire is a normal part of aging,” she says, “but it’s not. It’s a part of our hormonal depletion. If sex is important premenopausal, it’s important for the rest of our lives, and we can help.”

Bunmi has a masters and doctorate in nursing, plus a decade of experience in women’s health, but this isn’t her first career. She was a successful accountant with an MBA when she had her fourth child, and was helped through labor by a nurse named Laura who shared that she, too, had worked as an accountant before becoming a nurse. “I always knew I wanted to focus on helping people, and meeting Laura inspired me to make the same switch.”

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First as a labor and delivery nurse, and later as a general Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Bunmi has always approached her patients with two essential skills: “listening and compassion. That's especially important with menopause," she says, "because many women come in saying they feel ‘crazy,’ mostly from mood issues and mysterious symptoms. I tell them this can be a challenging phase of life but we're here to come up with a Care Plan that’s customized to you.”

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Bunmi is open for visits with Spanish-speaking patients, and feels strongly that “language—along with culture, age, race, income or gender—should never be a barrier to accessing healthcare."

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“My entire life I’ve been drawn to how the body works, but the first time I saw a birth in nursing school that was it,” says Donna. “I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be in women’s health.”

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Now, with 17 years of experience caring for women, she’s passing along the knowledge she’s gained as a professor in Nurse Practitioner and doctoral programs. “When you teach, you realize how overlooked women’s midlife health is,” she says. “I had to go out on my own to research the topic, doing literature searches and every kind of continuing education I could.”

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The additional ongoing training she receives at Midi has only deepened her knowledge: “Midi University presented so much amazing data and the discussions of complex cases are incredibly thoughtful.”

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As she supports her patients and guides them toward solutions that help them feel better, she reminds them to “honor how cool and fascinating your body is and respect the journey that brought you here.”

“The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are like a rollercoaster ride,” says Lia. “When I tell my patients, ‘no, it’s not you, it’s just a hormonal imbalance that we can correct,’ they are so relieved.” 

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Her 10-plus years treating women throughout the lifespan gives her the expertise to “empower and educate women, allowing them to really know their bodies.” Lia’s own perimenopause journey helps her empathize as well: “I’ve had horrendous night sweats that resulted in insomnia, irritability and brain fog—I absolutely talk to my patients about that experience.” 

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She also talks to them about sexual health. “I don’t wait for patients to bring it up. I ask them, and make them feel comfortable being open, because the more info you provide the better I can help.” That includes asking about previous trauma. “I’m a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and research shows that a history of psychosocial stressors can lead to worse menopausal symptoms.”  

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The bottom line, says Lia: “Every woman is built differently, so I work with them until we find the right solution. I want to get you back to where you were with sex, because we can!”

Shanna is a North American Menopause Society certified menopause practitioner, and was the lead practitioner at the menopause clinic at Sanford Health in South Dakota, which was founded in the Integrative Medicine philosophy of care. “My clinical experience taught me that many integrative practices work. For example, I saw that acupuncture helped with hot flashes, which is so powerful for women who can’t take hormones.”

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But it was her professional and personal experience with infertility care that really taught her how to counsel patients. “I learned how to have difficult conversations. Going through the infertility journey myself, I realized the value of education when you don’t feel you have power over every outcome. It gives you a deeper sense of understanding, and empowers you.”

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Shanna says her ability to connect is her greatest strength. “I never want to give revolving door care, so I ask great questions! Because in addition to following guidelines, we need to think outside the box and see patients as individuals. There’s no algorithm for that.”

Nursing is Jennifer’s second career—previously, she spent 22 years as a public defender. “I worked on a case involving juvenile prison conditions, and found myself interacting with lots of adolescent girls in the system,” she says. “They had so many questions about their reproductive health, and I gave them all the answers I could. I just loved educating these girls, and that got me thinking about pursuing medicine.”

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As she advanced through her women’s health nurse practitioner program, “my friends were telling me about gynecological issues their doctors weren’t addressing,” she remembers. So Jen was thrilled to do a rotation with James Simon, MD, a renowned specialist in women’s sexual health and hormonal care.

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She uses what she learned every day at Midi.  “Troubleshooting hormones is so interesting. Everyone responds differently to treatment. There is a path for everyone, but not always the first that you try.

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“Painful sex is one of the most gratifying treatment paths, because you can make such an improvement, so quickly,” she says. “And making hot flashes go away—we can do that!”

As a Certified Nurse Midwife and North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner, Anna brings a unique perspective to her work at Midi. “The word ‘midwife’ comes from Old English, and means ‘with women.’ That’s been my goal in healthcare—to be with women through their lifespan.” The system did a good job around reproductive care, but when Anna got to Stanford Health Care, she discovered that her midlife patients were struggling. “They weren’t being heard or helped. They wouldn’t even bring up their perimenopause and menopause symptoms, because they’d been dismissed so often.

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“So I did my own research, earned my certification from NAMS, and asked tons of questions of clinicians with experience. But primarily I learned from listening to my patients.”

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Anna’s particular area of expertise is vaginal health, treating dryness and painful sex. “I tell patients you're at the peak of your life. That should be true professionally, personally and sexually. If a patient wants to have more sex, I say, let’s make sure you have that!”

“I’ve been a full-scope Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner since 1998,” says Sheri, “and I’ve learned to take an integrated approach with my patients. To me, you’re not just your PAP result, your mammogram, your reproductive system. You’re a complicated individual. Who you are, your life goals, all matter to me.”

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Sheri brings that sensitivity to every patient visit, as well as her skills as a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner. Now she’s deepened her expertise with what we call “Midi U”—the extensive training program every clinician goes through before seeing Midi patients. “It’s fantastic,” she says, “the most comprehensive menopause education I’ve experienced.”

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At a visit with Sheri, you can expect to touch on a wide range of topics, including sexual health. “In a regular doctor’s visit, you never get to talk about your sexual wellbeing, but at Midi, we take the time to really get to know you. I’m so excited to be part of that!”

Ana began her career caring for women as a midwife before transitioning to midlife care. “Menopause is a normal physiological process, just like having babies,” she says. “There is so much we as clinicians, and you as a patient, can do to prepare for it and feel better as you go through it.”

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As a certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner,  Ana has a deep understanding of traditional approaches to treatment, but also uses integrative solutions. “It’s not just about pharmacology. There are many alternative options that I explore with patients, from acupuncture to herbs.”

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What excites her most about joining Midi? “First, working virtually. It  allows me to see many more women and defeats the geographical barriers that in-person care presents. Second, I’m amazed at the lack of care for menopause. Women rock, yet some drop out at the peak of their careers because of symptoms. I want to support them so they can continue to make an impact.”

“We come with expertise on the science, and you come with expertise on yourself,” says Maris. “That’s what I love about nursing.”

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With nearly a decade of experience as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, she sees herself as a partner to her patients. “I’m trained to manage what’s going on in your body from an evidence-based perspective, but also to keep in mind that every patient is a full human, with a history, a community and culture, and feelings about how her body is changing.”

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One constant in the care she provides? “Validation. It’s so important to let patients know, this isn’t in your mind, and it’s not something you have to white-knuckle. There are ways to manage menopause, and we can help to make symptoms so much better.” 

“Working at Midi brings together my two passions,"  says Dr. Newton. "Those are women’s care, because there is so much lacking there, and access. I spent part of my childhood in rural Alabama, and we had to drive an hour to get to a doctor. So it was always my mission to practice medicine in a way that would make services more accessible.”

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Telehealth puts expert care within reach for so many more patients, and it's ideal for women in midlife, Dr. Newton says, “because it’s much less physical-exam-based and much more about listening to a patient’s story and hearing about her symptoms.”

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Dr. Newton also asks patients great questions. “As a family medicine physician I know that menopause doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are other conditions that may tie into a woman's menopausal symptoms. It’s helpful for me to know the breadth of root causes that may be behind her experience.”

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She often tells her patients, “The menopause process is a marathon, not a sprint, and as you’re running that long race, I’ll be there for you to help you along the path.”

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Dr. Osiecki is an Internal Medicine physician with more than 25 years of experience caring for adult patients. Prior to joining Midi, she co-owned and managed an award-winning independent primary care practice with a focus on women’s health, preventative health, and medically complex patients. What she loved about running her own practice: “I was able to spend enough time with patients to really understand their medical problems, and develop a rich appreciation for their unique lives,” she says. 

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Her attention to detail and emphasis on personal connection make her a perfect fit for menopause care, and Midi. “I’ve always loved working with women in menopause, an underappreciated and poorly understood life stage. So when I learned about Midi I was so excited,” Dr. Osiecki says. “Menopause is a moment in medicine as a practicing doctor where you get to say to patients, ‘I have really good news for you! You don’t have to give up your sense of wellbeing, your sex life, your job, your sanity—because your symptoms are so treatable. We can make all of this better.”

Kat is a Yale-trained Nurse Practitioner with a focus on women’s health and deep empathy for patients who struggle to get high-quality healthcare. “I came from a family where I received no education about my body and became a mom in my early twenties,” she says. “I realized from personal experience that healthcare can be either transformational, or traumatic.” 

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To ensure a positive experience for her patients, she pays attention to “their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.” And she never stops learning: “I’m a big nerd! I’m always doing my own side research on mental health, neuroscience, and alternative modes of healing.” For example, “working with the naturopathic community taught me that there are many alternatives to hormones for people who can’t or don’t want to take them. Those solutions can work and be very nourishing, especially for cancer patients.” 

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What does she love about working with women in midlife? “They really come into their power. They’re sick of feeling discarded and unheard, and want to know what we can do for them. What we can bring, as clinicians, are solutions, and the ability to see them as whole people, not body parts.”

“I knew from childhood that I wanted to help women and advocate for them in some way,” says Gretchen, and she’s done just that for more than eighteen years as a nurse practitioner in OB/GYN practices. She is a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner, and specializes in compassionate, individualized HRT management.

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When she sees patients struggling with menopause symptoms, “I like to start by saying, ‘It doesn’t have to be this way. We can help you.’ I give patients a spectrum of options and partner with them to find what’s right.”

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Telehealth is a great medium for reaching patients, Gretchen says. “I love it as a way to get people access to quality care, even in the nooks and crannies of our system where they don’t have many options. I can reach them wherever they are, and there’s such a great, personal interaction—it’s like we’re in the same room!”

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Jen Tagatz has decades of experience as a nurse practitioner specializing in women’s health, including 20 years providing OB/GYN services for Kaiser Permanente. Certified by the North American Menopause Society, she brings an incredible depth of knowledge to her work, but her empathy is just as important in helping patients heal and thrive. Where did that come from? “My mom was an OB/GYN nurse and my father was a fertility specialist,” she says, “so we talked about women’s health at the dinner table every night. Those conversations, and my early biology classes in human sexuality, made me realize how little information we receive about what’s normal, and how to get help when we need it. I knew early on that this was where I wanted to be.”

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She decided to become a nurse, she says, when she worked at a reproductive health clinic and saw that NPs did most of the patient education. “I liked that this role lets me focus on the emotional, psychological and psychosocial elements of a woman’s situation, not just her physical care. For me it’s about taking care of the person as a whole.”

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Why did she join Midi? Her reasons are both professional and personal. “At Kaiser I was seeing menopausal women complaining of joint pain, poor sleep, sexual problems, hot flashes—a gamut of issues. I read everything I could get my hands on, from my textbooks to information put out by all the major guiding organizations, but the education wasn’t there, and it should be. 

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“Then, as I hit my forties, I found myself going through hormone transition along with my patients, and my friends. Together, we figured out what to do. I was their partner for this part of their life, and it’s wonderful to be that resource people can go to. 

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“At Midi, we’re scaling that kind of support. We’re building robust protocols and sophisticated position statements. I’m so excited to have a voice and help develop a program, leveraged by tech, that will support all women in this amazing life stage.”

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“Compassionate, engaged, accessible.” Those are the three words Sarah uses to describe the care she’s delivered throughout her twenty years in women’s health. All three values come into play with her patients in the menopause transition. She strives to help them feel validated, and put them at ease: “I see many women who’ve felt dismissed or overlooked in a health system that lacks understanding of how profound the changes of midlife can be. It’s not just about hot flashes! Our changing hormones affect everything from the immune system, to our ability to multi-task, to our intimate relationships.”

As a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Midwife who is certified by the North American Menopause Society, Sarah focuses on health and wellness in midlife. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and specializes in culturally sensitive care, with a holistic approach to women’s health that is tailored to each patient’s needs.

“The most important thing we can do as clinicians,” she says, “is to help every patient feel that the working of her own body is not a mystery, nor classified information, but that it’s an elegant design that makes sense—even as it’s changing. The more we can help women understand that process, and own it, the more they can take charge of their own well-being.”

Ashley’s career in nursing began nearly 15 years ago, and she has spent the last seven years focused solely on female health as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. 

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Her mother’s experience with breast cancer triggered her interest in menopause. “I watched my mom struggle with her diagnosis and also having to abruptly stop taking hormones. It was a lot on her. I spent time researching options during this transition, trying to help her find relief.”

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Ashley is now well-versed in supplements and other non-hormonal approaches to care. Prior to joining Midi, she also gained expertise at a vulvar specialty clinic: “Women in midlife and beyond were coming in with vaginal dryness, pain with sex, and vulvar skin issues. So many of them say they’ve been dealing with this for years, and, ‘It is what it is.’ I say, ‘Wait a second—we can help with all that.’”

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Her main message to patients: “Feel comfortable and ask questions! Bring up any topic, because whatever’s bothering you, there’s almost always a solution”

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When Ashley cares for her midlife patients, she draws on a challenging period in her own health history. “I’m a cancer survivor,” she says. “I was diagnosed at 29, and had a bilateral mastectomy. Treatment left me with low progesterone, night sweats, adrenal fatigue, and terrible trouble sleeping. So I can relate to my patients in menopause. I know what it feels like to have issues with your hormones and I know that you can’t be your best self when you’re feeling poorly.” 

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The empathy she feels makes her a better clinician. “My patients say they appreciate me because I listen and give them my full, undivided attention.” Solutions come out of that attention, whether she’s helping them improve hot flashes, moodiness, or a specialty focus: weight and body changes.  

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When she’s not seeing patients for Midi in Alabama, Ashley is focused on being a mom. “I had my miracle baby at 37!”

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For almost three decades, Dr. Goldman has been a Clinical Professor in the department of OB/GYN at UCSF, where she is also the Director of the Gynecology Center for Cancer Survivors and At-Risk Women. In addition to her role as Midi’s Chief Clinical Officer, she is a nationally recognized expert in the management of women’s health issues, including menopause, for women with cancer or at high risk. She has helped author guidelines in these areas for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). She is on the survivorship panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) where she is the Chair of the menopause panel and the Co-Chair of the sexual functioning panel, which provide guidelines in these topic areas for practicing oncologists. Throughout her career, Dr. Goldman has received numerous recognitions, including: San Francisco Magazine: Top Doctors (2015-2022), America's Top Doctors for Cancer (7th-10th Edition) and Exceptional Women In Medicine (2019-2021).

Prior to launching a private practice, Dr. Hirsch was lead physician at the Menopause and Midlife Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. An avid educator dedicated to dispelling the misconceptions surrounding perimenopause and menopause, Dr. Hirsch reaches an audience of hundreds of thousands of women who follow her on social media, listen to her podcast, and take her online courses. She covers topics including the use of hormone therapy, non-hormonal alternatives, sexual dysfunction, bone health, sleep and mood disturbances, and menopause care for cancer survivors. Dr. Hirsch is also author of “Unlock Your Menopause Type: Personalized Treatment, the Last Word on Hormones, and Remedies that Work.” She has conducted seminal research on female midlife health and was awarded the top poster prize at the NAMS 2019 annual meeting for her research on metabolomic changes related to the use of hormone therapy in the Women’s Health Initiative.

Dr. Bouldin is a professor of OB/GYN and director of the Women’s Health Division at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. In addition to being a board certified OB/GYN, Dr. Bouldin is certified by the North American Menopause Society, and is currently the only certified menopause practitioner in the state of Mississippi. She also holds a doctorate in healthcare administration from the University of Mississippi School of Allied Health, and specializes in obesity and healthcare. 

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While Dr. Bouldin has focused her practice on supporting women through hormonal transition, she still delivers babies, and often sees patients from three generations of the same family. “Caring for patients through their entire journey from adolescence through menopause has made my work so rewarding,” she says. What sets Dr. Bouldin apart? “I think it’s my relatability and empathy,” she says. “I’m able to encourage and motivate my patients, and they feel comfortable sharing their struggles and successes with me.”

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At the University of Illinois Chicago, Dr. Maki is a professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Director of the Women’s Mental Health Research Program, and Senior Research Director at the Center for Research on Women and Gender. Her research has been continuously funded by NIH and she has contributed to more than 140 published studies, primarily focused on the effects of hormone replacement therapy and alternative treatments for menopausal symptoms on cognition, mood, and brain function. Dr. Maki is a current trustee of the International Menopause Society (IMS) Board, and serves on the editorial board of the journal Menopause. She is also a frequent national and international speaker on midlife women’s health, and is one of the chairs for the upcoming 18th World Congress on Menopause in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Hudson is a nationally recognized naturopathic physician, speaker, educator, researcher, clinician and the first woman in the United States to become a full professor of naturopathic medicine. She is the author of the Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Alternative Therapies and Integrative Medicine for Total Health and Wellness, and has served as a Medical Director, Associate Academic Dean, and Academic Dean at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). In addition to founding and running her own clinic, A Woman’s Time, Dr. Hudson is the founder and co-director of the Naturopathic Education and Research Consortium (NERC), a non-profit organization for accredited naturopathic residencies. She currently serves as the program director for the Institute of Women’s Health and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Hudson also co-founded Vitanica, a supplement company offering formulations based on her decades of clinical experience.

Dr. Greenberg has been a practicing Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for more than two decades and is the founder of a boutique practice in Palo Alto, CA. After her training in general surgery and plastic surgery at Stanford University, she did additional fellowship training in breast and cosmetic surgery and is published in breast cancer reconstruction, among other specialties. She is a member of ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgery), ASAPS (American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), and board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Greenberg has done nonprofit work throughout her career, serving breast cancer patients and patients in developing countries. She has a holistic approach to issues related to female aging and supports full-body health, advanced skin care, cancer prevention, and noninvasive solutions. Predictable menopausal changes are a focus of her practice. She has received numerous recognitions, including the Patients’ Choice Award, California’s Favorite Physicians (5 year honoree) and the Patient Choice Award, “America’s Most Compassionate Doctors.”

At Midi, Dr. Dizon advises on all aspects of female sexual health for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, no matter where they are in their cancer journey, helping us to “create a place where access to this expertise is scaled and available.” In his practice, which focuses on breast and pelvic cancers, he provides clinical care and support to patients through treatment and beyond. He helps them manage side effects and physical changes, and as they reclaim their wellbeing and full lives, brings unique expertise in sexual health. ”Arousal, desire, sensation, sensuality, satisfaction—all these components change after cancer,” he says. “Body image changes due to surgery, sensation changes due to treatment. For younger women, menopause may be accelerated by 10 to 20 years. I see patients looking for normalization, education, and interventions.”

Dr. Aptekar is a Board Certified orthopedic surgeon with more than three decades of experience supporting bone health in many roles, including Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Stanford University. He trained at the University of Michigan and Stanford University and did research at the National Institutes of Health. Partnering with Midi, Dr. Aptekar serves as a consultant on women’s bone loss during the menopause transition. “After years of treating the effects of bone loss as a surgeon, I’m looking forward to supporting Midi programs focusing on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, because there is so much we can do to prevent fractures as women age.”