Andreea Newtson, MD
As Dr. Jenny Mueller described in a prior blog post, there is something about writing a new year on your consent forms that makes you reflect upon the past and look forward to the future. January 2025 has already shown us so many changes—a new administration, new weather patterns (e.g. more snow in Pensacola, Florida, than in Omaha, Nebraska), and Southwest Airlines moving towards assigned seating.
Though we are all more comfortable fitting into a routine, staying the same does not ensure that our worlds also stay the same. A simple example—my dog. If there’s anyone who hates change, it’s him. Any time there is a little change to his schedule, he gets mad. He goes on a hunger strike. His side eyes multiply. Despite doing the same thing every day (usually sleeping and barking at ghosts), some days, things just turn out differently than he expects—when he least expects! It’s not just Hunter, though.
Take our field, for example. In preparing for boards last year, I would get frustrated at the constant stream of paradigm-shifting studies. It made me nervous about getting “the right answer” and how that meant something different in January 2023 vs. July 2023. But, when the rubber hits the road, and I sit in front of patients, I am so grateful for the new options I have to offer. The complexity of our field has grown exponentially even in the short time since I graduated fellowship—not just in our treatment options but also in the way we relate to our generalist and other subspeciality colleagues. It seems that the days of gynecologic oncology practicing in a silo are long past. Some of our wellness blog posts are a microcosm of these and other shifts.
In 2024, our membership eloquently detailed various sources and downstream effects of our stressors, as well as ways to cope. They covered topics on sleep deprivation, balancing home and work, and, in a particularly beautiful piece, what it means to be part of the “sandwich generation.” By far the most moving piece of 2024 was, “Building a New Vocabulary Around Survival,” which brought home why we put ourselves through the trials and tribulations of our job and highlighted the very joys of what we are privileged to do every day. In 2025, the SGO Wellness Blog will bring this energy and more, building upon themes of vulnerability, connection, and perspective building. I am looking forward to hearing from the membership, and I hope you are, too.
Andreea Newtson, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist at Endeavor Health in Evanston, IL.