It’s no secret that the pandemic has taken a major toll on our physical health and mental health. That’s why Kelly Geer Ripken, national chair of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s “A Woman’s Journey,” believes attendance at this year’s seminar is so crucial.
Due to COVID-19, the 27th annual seminar, on Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., will be held via Zoom. (Attendees can register online at hopkinsmedicine.org/awomansjourney.)
“The pandemic has taught us many things. Among them is the critical importance of up-to-the-minute news about our health and advances in medicine,” says Ripken, a women’s health advocate and community philanthropist. “At no time during our lives has current information and accurate data been so essential to our survival. ‘A Woman’s Journey’ gives women reliable, cutting-edge information about their health in one place from leading experts.”
Ripken says that women make 85% of health care decisions for their families.
“I believe in empowering women to learn more about their health and the health of the people they love,” she says.
This year’s seminar will begin with a keynote address by Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Karen Lee Swartz. Dr. Swartz will discuss resilience in the face of crisis.
“She’ll talk about stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, health concerns and getting back into life after the pandemic,” says Ripken. “Basically, she’ll focus on mental health, which is really the next pandemic if you think about it.”
Other sessions include one on the latest research about estrogen and hormone replacement with Hopkins gynecologist Dr. Wen Shen.
“Estrogen has been talked about in lots of different ways — the good, bad and the ugly of it,” says Ripken. “What we’re going to hear from Dr. Shen is fascinating and important information. People are going to be surprised.”
Hopkins oncologist Dr. Neeha Zaidi will speak at “A Woman’s Journey” about recognizing the warning signs of serious health problems.
“During this pandemic, I feel we’ve all forgotten about our general health. We focused on other things,” says Ripken. “It’s important not to ignore little things that you think are just going to go away.”
Ripken says this year “A Woman’s Journey” offers content for women of all ages.
“I think these days, young people are really tuned into their health,” says Ripken, 62, a mother of two young adults. “They’re watching what they eat, exercising, trying to get enough sleep, doing all the right things. But what’s interesting is they’re getting a lot of their health information off the internet, which we know is not a good, viable source. So they’ve tuned in to [‘A Woman’s Journey’] and realized that this information is much more trustworthy.”
Infertility is a topic of particular interest to younger women, says Ripken.
“We have a session on fertility [with Hopkins obstetrician Dr. Mindy S. Christianson] because women are having children later in life,” says Ripken. “That’s fine, but there are concerns that come with that.”
A session on cosmetic surgical procedures is especially timely in the era of Zoom, says Ripken. Hopkins dermatologist Dr. Noori Kim will share news about the latest procedures and their safety and efficacy.
The morning will conclude with a talk by psychologist Dr. Neda F. Gould, associate director of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Anxiety Disorders Clinic. She will explore “the journey of renewal” and offer evidence-based information on the benefits of mindfulness and meditation.
Seminar participants may choose two sessions but can change their selections online anytime before the start of the program. Attendees can also submit questions to physicians before or during their sessions.
In addition, after the seminar, registrants will have the opportunity to watch all eight sessions online through the end of the year.
In addition to the annual one-day program, “A Woman’s Journey” has grown to include monthly newsletters and podcasts with Hopkins physicians, as well as a twice-monthly program moderated by Ripken called “Conversations That Matter.” All of this content is available on the “A Woman’s Journey” website.
Despite the pandemic’s hardships, Ripken says it has led to greater accessibility to critical preventive health care and information.
“Strangely enough, through the pandemic and through Zoom, we’ve been able to reach so many more people,” she says. “We are actually in 52 countries now. So it’s pretty amazing.”
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