As a certified nurse midwife, 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, 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, became a member of the North American Menopause Society, 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!”

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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. With a master’s degree in family medicine, 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 Planned Parenthood 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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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.”

As Midi’s Chief of Clinical Quality, Dr. Hirsch leads clinician training, directs patient education, consults on protocols, and sees patients herself. Prior to joining Midi, she 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. 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. Goldman has been a practicing OB/GYN at UCSF for almost three decades and is currently a Clinical Professor and Director of the UCSF Gynecology Center for Cancer Survivors and At-Risk Women. Her clinical expertise includes managing menopausal issues for women with cancer or at high risk, helping to alleviate side effects of hormonal therapies used to treat breast cancer, safe and effective treatments for induced menopause, vaginal dryness and sexual dysfunction, and guidance on screening and prevention for high risk women. She is also the co-founder and co-chair of the U’ilani Fund, a non-profit that provided funding to women with breast cancer for integrative and complementary care to improve quality of life. She is nationally recognized expert on the management of menopause and sexual functioning for cancer survivors and gynecolgic care for breast cancer survivors. Dr. Goldman has helped author guidelines in these areas for the American College of Gynecology (ACOG) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). 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).

Dr. McClellan has more than three decades of experience as an OB/GYN and is the founder of her own practice in Newport Beach, CA. An expert in hormone transition, female stress response, and chronic medical issues related to allostatic load, Dr. McClellan is the co-author of the book So Stressed: The Ultimate Stress-Relief Plan For Women. She is the founder and organizer of the annual Vibrant Aging at Menopause and Beyond symposium, a gathering of the top minds in hormone transition. The forum is unique in that ordinary women, and their partners, can attend and hear directly from elite academicians and practitioners in the field. Along with her community co-chairs, Dr. McClellan raised more than 70 million to found a center of excellence for women’s health at the Hoag Memorial Presbyterian Hospital. The center pioneered her vision of a more holistic approach to women’s clinical care that gives patients agency and centers their needs. More recently, she served as the Chief Medical Officer at Tia, a healthcare startup focused on young women. She was the first practicing gynecologist at the Tia clinic where she architected and led the integrative women’s health care model still in use at Tia today.

As Midi’s Chief of Clinical Quality, Dr. Hirsch leads clinician training, directs patient education, consults on protocols, and sees patients herself. Prior to joining Midi, she 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. 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.”