Northwestern Medicine physicians receive NAMS awards for contributing to women's health, menopause

Two Northwestern Medicine physicians will receive awards from The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) during its annual meeting in Chicago on September 25.

Lauren Streicher, MD, NCMP, director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Menopause, and Traci Kurtzer, MD, NCMP, a gynecologist in the center, will both be honored for their outstanding contributions to the field of women's health and menopause.

Dr. Streicher will be recognized with the 2019 NAMS Media Award. This award recognizes a media professional whose body of work, through any consumer media outlet, has served to expand the knowledge and understanding of menopause.

Considered a thought leader in her field, Dr. Streicher regularly appears in national and local media outlets discussing all aspects of health. Dr. Streicher is a recurring guest on WGN Morning News, The Today Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Good Morning America and the Dr. Oz Show.

She has also appeared on CNN, Nightline, 20/20, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Windy City Live, ABC World News Tonight and Nightline. She is on the medical advisory board and is a columnist for Prevention Magazine. She is the author of a comprehensive menopause and sexual health book: Sex Rx: Hormones, Health and Your Best Sex Ever. Dr. Streicher has also published the book The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy.

Dr. Streicher is the medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and oversees all center clinical, research and educational activities. She is clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a Certified Menopause Practitioner of The North American Menopause Society (NCMP). ​

I've dedicated my career to women's health and believe that if women are given good information, they will make good choices. Working as a media contributor and author has allowed me to extend my reach and empower more women with health information that can change their lives. It is a great distinction for our center to have two practitioners honored by NAMS. Dr. Kurtzer and I are committed to making Northwestern Medicine the premier destination for women seeking care related to menopause."

Lauren Streicher, MD, NCMP, Director, Northwestern Medicine Center for Menopause

Dr. Streicher continued, "These awards reflect that commitment and the excellent care that we provide to the patients we see in our center, as well as our work to extend that mission further by informing the public about menopause and what it means for a woman's health."

Dr. Kurtzer will be honored as the NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) of the Year. This award recognizes one current NCMP for outstanding work to her patients. To become certified by NAMS, a clinician must pass a competency exam to demonstrate their expertise in the field of menopause care assuring high-quality care for women at menopause and beyond.

Dr. Kurtzer has more than 25 years of clinical experience in menopause, sexual medicine, vulvar disease, and screening and prevention of osteoporosis. In addition to being a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner, she is a member of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, and the National Vulvodynia Association.

Dr. Kurtzer is currently the lead physician of the Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Violence Prevention Group and on The Healthcare Committee of the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force (CCHTTF). She is past a past president of The Chicago Gynecologic Society and trains medical professionals on trauma informed care, intimate partner violence and human trafficking.

"It's an honor to be recognized by NAMS with this award and a wonderful recognition for the exceptional menopause care we offer at Northwestern Medicine," said Dr. Kurtzer. "By 2030, more than 1 billion women will be post-menopausal.

The repercussions of estrogen deprivation are life long and with increasing life expectancy, women today can expect to live almost 40 percent of their lives after the menopause transition. It is critical that women have access to expert clinicians and the advanced, comprehensive care they need to meet the complex medical needs that come with menopause."

At the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Center for Menopause, a team of certified menopause practitioners help patients navigate both hormonal and non-hormonal options to alleviate symptoms or consequences of menopause. The expert team is uniquely suited for the woman whose care is complex due to medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer.