Anna Barbieri, MD

The new Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness exists to move women’s health care from fragmented encounters to coordinated, whole-person care.

“We know every woman’s health journey is different,” says Anna Barbieri, MD, Clinical Strategy Leader at the Center. “But too often, the experience feels the same with rushed appointments, disconnected specialists, and the burden of coordinating it all yourself. The Rowan Women’s Health Center was created to change that.”

In this Q&A, Dr. Barbieri explains how the Center was created to move women’s health care from fragmented encounters to coordinated, whole-person care by bringing the right experts together, listening deeply, and creating a streamlined plan that supports the whole woman at every stage of life.

In simple terms, what problem is the Center designed to solve?

Fragmentation. Women are often left piecing together care. They have to retell their story, juggle opinions, and try to connect the dots on their own. We bring that care together. Our teams communicate, share a plan, and coordinate the care so patients don’t have to.

How will a patient’s experience feel different?

You won’t feel rushed or dismissed. We take the time to understand what’s happening in your body and your life. Then we build a clear, personalized plan that makes sense across specialties. Care here is holistic, integrated, proactive, and intentional. We are not taking a symptom-by-symptom approach.

 Women often manage separate appointments for hormones, sleep, mental health, and more. How do you simplify that?

Those issues are connected, so that’s where we start. Our guided clinical pathways bring the right experts together under one roof, and the care including appointments is coordinated by a dedicated navigator—essentially a care guide that helps organize the journey through the health care system. There’s a shared plan and clear next steps aimed at eliminating any gaps.

Many women say they don’t feel heard. How is this different?

Being heard isn’t optional. It’s essential to good medicine. We’ve built our model around longer visits, deeper listening, and a culture that takes women’s concerns seriously.

What does coordinated care actually look like from the patient’s perspective?

Seamless. There’s a clear entry point, a thoughtful assessment, and a plan that unfolds over time. Specialists communicate directly with each other, so patients aren’t stuck playing messenger. The personal navigator is the glue making sure all details are taken care of efficiently.

What about major transitions like perimenopause or postpartum recovery?

These aren’t one-visit issues. We support women over time through education, evidence-based treatments, and adjusting care as needs evolve. The goal is thoughtful help with symptoms and long-term health, not crisis-driven visits. It’s impossible to cover all aspects of these transitions such as emotional health, sleep, energy, and gynecologic health in a single 15-minute time slot. That is why we designed our care pathways to unfold in a way that addresses these and other layers of health. For example, we know that women can struggle with sleep problems, and adequate sleep is critical for women’s health and plays a vital role in regulating various functions of your body.

How do you make sure care is truly personalized?

It starts with listening, but it’s also grounded in data and shared decision-making. Every treatment has its intended benefits and trade-offs. We consider a woman’s symptoms, risks, goals, and preferences and build a plan together. What’s right for one patient may not be right for another.

Who might be part of a woman’s care team?

Depending on her needs, that could include gynecology, cardiology, endocrinology, behavioral health, nutrition, pelvic floor therapy, and more. The difference is that everyone works within a shared model, with shared goals.

What excites you most about the future of women’s health care?

We’re moving from reactive, episodic care to integrated, lifelong care. That means connecting hormonal health in young adulthood to midlife and beyond, integrating emotional and cognitive health, and blending medical treatments with lifestyle strategies. We’re also bringing research directly into clinical care so knowledge advances faster.

Egg freezing is popular among women looking for options and balancing family planning with other important responsibilities. Thanks to significant scientific advancements in the laboratory, success rates are higher than ever.

In this Q&A, Alan Copperman, MD, Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Vice Chair of the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Mount Sinai Health System, explains the process of egg freezing and its benefits. Dr. Copperman is also Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of RMA of New York.

“Fertility preservation has the potential not only to safeguard fertility, but also to empower women to choose parenthood on their terms, at their own pace, aligning with personal and professional aspirations,” says Dr. Copperman. “It enables informed decisions about future family planning.”

Why should I freeze my eggs?

Egg freezing halts the biological clock, which is crucial for women whose age may mean they are facing possible declines in egg quality and quantity. Preserving eggs at a younger age enhances the chances of future conception and reduces risks of chromosomal abnormalities in offspring. It safeguards a woman’s fertility timeline while optimizing her prospects of having biological children later in life.

When should I freeze eggs?

Freezing eggs at a younger age is advisable, ensuring eggs are preserved at their peak quality and minimizing age-related reproductive challenges.

How does the process work?

Over a two-week period, the ovaries are stimulated to release multiple mature eggs for retrieval. Patients self-administer fertility medications, attend monitoring appointments, and then undergo a brief egg retrieval procedure under light sedation. Eggs are frozen and securely stored for future use.

How many eggs are frozen?

The number of eggs to freeze varies based on a woman’s age and family-building goals. Some may require multiple rounds of egg freezing to collect an adequate number of eggs.

What happens next?

When you are ready to conceive, your frozen eggs are thawed and fertilized with sperm, leading to embryo transfer into the uterus to achieve pregnancy.