The following experts will speak at IUGA’s Public Forum on pelvic floor health on Monday, June 19, 2017.
Dr. Olanrewaju Sorinola is a consultant urogynaecologist in the UK with expertise in treating pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, prolapse surgery and pelvic floor reconstruction. Dr. Sorinola is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, UK, and has published extensively on pelvic floor problems. Dr. Sorinola is the chair of the IUGA Public Relations committee and has worked with other members to promote women’s health worldwide by developing patient information leaflets, organising public forums, and educating women. Dr. Sorinola will be chairing the IUGA Public Forum in Vancouver and together with the excellent panel of speakers will answer all your questions.
Johanne Sabourin will address painful intercourse, but also what women can do to be proactive about it (in their own means). A McGill graduate, Johanne has 34 years of practice under her belt, 20 of which were spent as a pelvic floor physiotherapist. Her passion is early intervention in order to make a difference long term, but she has a strong interest in the impact of the neural structure mobility on pain and muscle activity. She has training in muscular imbalance, treatment of functional instability of the pelvis and chest, manual therapy, neural mobilization, and visceral (organ) mobilization, to name a few. Her approach is global, looking at the whole body to assess which factors are influencing the problem at end. Johanne has her own private practice in Coquitlam, BC and joins the uro-gynecology team at St. Paul Hospital one day per week, preparing to do research on identifying neural factors influencing possible prevention of pelvic pain post-operatively.
Dr. Lynn Stothers will cover bladder basics, urinary incontinence (when the bladder doesn’t hold), and treatment options. Dr. Stothers is a professor of urology at the University of BC and an associate member of the Department of Gynecology and the UBC School of Population and Public Health. She obtained her fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Urology and her Master’s degree in public health and epidemiology from the University of British Columbia. She completed her subspecialty fellowship at UCLA in female urology, neurourology and urodynamics. She has been the recipient of awards including the McLaughlin Fellowship in Medicine and the IB Holubitsky award from UBC. Her grant funding has included NIH, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Rick Hansen Institute. Dr. Stother’s research in near-infra red spectroscopy has led to 15 patents related to the technology. In 2017 she was named a UBC Peter Wall Scholar where she will study new technologies to better understand the brain-bladder connection. She currently works at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries in Vancouver BC Canada.
Teri Thorson will share her personal story. Teri was a support technician for a computer software company, model and professional dancer before a 1996 motor vehicle crash in Australia left her a quadriplegic. After 2 months of bed rest, she was transferred to Vancouver where she stayed at GF Strong rehab hospital for 9 months. With determination and support from friends, family and co-workers, Teri was able to go back to work, becoming Manager of the Technical Division, get her own Vancouver apartment and become completely independent. After a few health set-backs, Teri left her job to join a non-profit raising money for people with disabilities. In 2002 she found wheelchair racing and one year later went back to Australia to focus on year around training. In 2004 she made the Canadian National Team and competed in the 400m at the Athens Paralympics, making the finals after only 2 years of racing. Teri currently lives in North Vancouver with her partner and 7 year old son Lucian. She works part-time as a program coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury BC, has a clothing line for woman who are seated called “Normal” Fashions, and is an image consultant for people with disabilities. She is a board member of BC Wheelchair Sports and WC Race Series, and a Rick Hansen Foundation ambassador. She continues in sport as a recreational athlete playing wheelchair rugby.
Dr. Roxana Geoffrion will address prevention of pelvic floor problems. Dr. Geoffrion is a full-time urogynecologist at the Centre for Pelvic Floor Competence of St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver. In addition to her clinical practice, she is the program director for the Advanced Training Program in Urogynecology and Female Pelvic Floor Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Geoffrion is involved with various ongoing research projects in the areas of patient education, surgical outcomes after various pelvic reconstructive surgeries and surgical skill development through simulation and standardized training. In addition, she often assists gynecologists wishing to improve on skills related to particular pelvic floor reconstruction procedures such as vaginal prolapse or urinary incontinence surgery. At a national level, she assists with drafting practice guidelines for practitioners caring for women with pelvic floor concerns.