Why Black Women Need to Be More Involved in Bladder Treatment Research

Our goal is to transform healthcare so that all of us have a seat at the table. So that all of us feel like our voices are being heard and our problems are being addressed. And we’re starting right in our own specialty, female urology, with a new project that focuses on learning what’s meaningful to you when it comes to bladder issues.

If you leak when you laugh or cough or sneeze, if you feel wet whenever you bend or lift or otherwise move around, we want to hear from you. The Engaging and Amplifying Women’s Voices in Stress Urinary Incontinence project was created so that you can share your real world experiences with us, let us know what disappointments and successes you’ve had on your treatment journey, and tell us what you’re hoping to see from the medical community in the years ahead.

Why is this so important? Because traditionally researchers have been the ones to decide what’s worth studying and what success means. But their ideas about what to study may be very different than your own. And their ideas about what success looks like may have nothing to do with what matters to you.

When you participate in our study, you’ll be giving us important information that can point researchers in a better direction. A more patient-centered direction. So please take a moment to fill out this survey—your input, your insight and your wisdom can have an impact that goes on for years.

—Shenelle Wilson, MD, urologist, Metro Atlanta Urology and Pelvic Health Center, Kennesaw, GA; and Una Lee, MD, Urology Physician Lead, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Seattle, WA, and Project Lead for “Engaging and Amplifying Women’s Voices in Stress Urinary Incontinence Research Prioritization”

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