January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and in celebration we are resharing an interview with Whitney Lieb, MD, MPH, in which she answers some frequently asked questions on cervical health.
During the video Dr. Lieb provides useful gynecological information including what is the cervix, what is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and what are recommended screening guidelines for cervical cancer. The information provided is based upon The American College of Obstetricians Gynecologists Frequently Asked Questions.
Although the number of cases and deaths from cervical cancer has decreased significantly over the past 40 years, it is still the fourth most frequent cancer in women around the world and significant racial health disparities persist. Black, Latina, American Indian, and Alaskan Native women continue to be disproportionately affected by cervical cancer compared to white women. The mortality rate from cervical cancer in Black women is twice that in white women.
Dr. Lieb highlights that education, regular screening, the HPV vaccination, and follow-up after an abnormal Pap results are ways to help reduce these disparities.
Whitney Lieb, MD, MPH, is the Women’s Health Scholar with The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her interests include cervical cancer screening and prevention, maternal mortality, and reproductive health in the United States and globally.
Amy Balbierz, MPH, is a program manager in the Department of Population Health Science and Policy and for The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute. She has worked alongside Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, founding Director of The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, on her NIH and RWJF funded research for the last 10 years.