Newswise — MAYWOOD – Colleen Fitzgerald, MD, MS, received the Inaugural Research Excellence Award from the Midwest Pain Society for her outstanding work in the field of pain research. Dr. Fitzgerald was honored with the award at the Midwest Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Chicago.

Dr. Fitzgerald is the medical director for the Chronic Pelvic Pain Program at Loyola University Health System and an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Dr. Fitzgerald’s specialty is physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Her areas of clinical and research interest include pregnancy-related pain disorders, pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic rehabilitation. Dr. Fitzgerald recently received an NIH grant to study pelvic floor muscle and nerve differences in women with postpartum musculoskeletal pelvic pain, women with bladder pain and healthy pain-free women. She also will perform functional brain imaging in these women and correlate the brain changes with the changes in the pelvis.

Chronic pelvic pain is one of the most common medical problems in women. It is characterized by pain in the pelvic region that lasts for more than six months. Loyola’s Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic offers all of the expertise needed to manage these patients under the direction of Dr. Fitzgerald. The staff is composed of internists, gynecologists, urologists, gastroenterologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, physical therapists and psychologists. Women interested in scheduling an appointment can call (888) LUHS-888 and ask for the Pelvic Pain Clinic.

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