December 2, 2020
Editor’s Note: Seven years ago, FACTS began to train speakers to provide the presentations we created to share the science of fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) with medical professionals, students, and the public. Since that first training, we have equipped about one hundred speakers to share the FACTS in their hospitals, clinics, training programs, universities, and communities throughout the United States and internationally. Our speakers are essential as we seek to educate medical professionals so they may empower women and couples with accurate, reliable, evidence-based information and resources.
In 2020, we have featured a FACTS-trained speaker monthly to highlight the diversity, depth of knowledge, and expertise of our talented pool of speakers. We value their contributions immensely and are grateful for each of them. This month, we feature Kate Heimann, DO, a board-certified family physician who incorporates FABMs daily as she cares for girls and women of all ages. We are grateful for her support and commitment to our mission and her ongoing contributions to our success.
Dr. Heimann’s next webinar!
The Female Cycle as the 5th Vital Sign
DECEMBER 7, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET
REGISTER NOW!
Meet Kate Heimann, DO
Dr. Kate Heimann is a family medicine physician who cares for the whole family, including providing prenatal care to pregnant mothers all the way through delivery of their babies! She has the privilege of caring for those children from the womb throughout their lives and cherishes this aspect of family medicine.
Fertility awareness and FABMs are a central part of how she provides whole-person care to adolescent girls, women, and couples. She incorporates FABMs into her daily practice of medicine, from adolescents with painful periods to postpartum family planning to guiding difficult discussions while addressing infertility evaluation and management.
Her Path to FACTS
Dr. Marguerite Duane, executive director and cofounder of FACTS, recalls meeting Dr. Heimann. “Kate reached out to me while working to educate students and residents about FABMs, and she was thrilled to discover FACTS.” She felt strongly that future physicians need “a solid foundation in the science and physiology of reproductive health. Dr. Heimann wanted them to see how fertility awareness plays out in the care of her patients and medical practice. She was pleased to learn about the work of FACTS and chose to become a speaker, so she has these resources at her disposal to easily share this information with medical students and residents.”
Advice for the Next Generation of Physicians
Regarding her work in fertility awareness and with FACTS, Dr. Heimann appreciates “feeling supported by a network of like-minded physicians and allied health professionals.” She recognizes the field of fertility awareness is expanding rapidly and encourages students and medical professionals to “remain connected to FACTS and continue to support and attend its educational conferences and webinars to stay up-to-date on developments in research, methods, and training opportunities.”
She is concerned that medical education is missing the mark as it relates to fertility awareness. “Medical schools continue to poorly educate about female fertility and infertility,” and FACTS is here to bridge that gap. “FACTS has been extremely useful in forming a concrete understanding of the female cycle that lends to understanding intricacies of restoring overall health to women. This organization is unique by its way of encouraging women to have self-awareness and enhancing their medical decision making.”
Contributions to the Mission of FACTS
Dr. Heimann enjoys educating women by serving as a speaker for FACTS. She appreciates how serving in this capacity has helped her “gain proficiency at discussing and presenting a number of women’s health topics, especially in large group settings.” She’s been able to present to local junior and high schools, colleges, and medical schools,” impacting the next generation of physicians as well as the general public.
Beyond serving with excellence as a FACTS-trained speaker, Dr. Heimann has played an important role in one of our long-term projects—the development of a shared decision-making tool for medical professionals to use in patient care. She has enjoyed contributing to this important research to create a practical tool we plan to release in the spring of 2021. According to Ginger Martinez, who has led the research aspect of this effort, Dr. Heimann has brought energy and “enthusiasm to this project and did a great job with the data collection.”
Dr. Duane “admires Dr. Heimann’s commitment to care for the whole patient and family” through the full-spectrum of family medicine, including prenatal care and delivering babies. She appreciates how “Dr. Heimann sees the value of caring for the whole person in a holistic way, taking time to explore the root causes” of symptoms with every patient. Her knowledge and expertise with the Creighton Model help her identify root causes, and she uses that knowledge to address women’s symptoms more comprehensively.”
Dr. Heimann speaks at FACTS conferences and hosts webinars—her next one will be on December 7, 2020! She also plans to host FACTS students as a clinical preceptor in the future. We are grateful for all her contributions to the mission of FACTS and value her commitment to sharing the science behind FABMs and inspiring the next generation of medical professionals. We look forward to many more years of sharing the FACTS together!
More About Dr. Heimann
Dr. Heimann is proud to host Marian University School of Osteopathic Medicine students nearly every month and serves as medical director for a pregnancy resource center. She is married and she and her husband have four children.
Our presentations can also be delivered virtually!
Become a FACTS Preceptor!
Are you trained in natural or fertility awareness based methods (FABMs) of family planning? Do you want to share your knowledge and experience with integrating FABMs into women’s health care with future health professionals? If so, we’d love to have you on our team of FACTS Preceptors!
Matching interested students with you so they may observe how you incorporate FABMs into your practice, may influence how they practice medicine in the future. If FACTS would like to place an interested student with you, we will contact you in advance to confirm your availability and the best contact information to share with the student. Signing up as a preceptor does not guarantee students will work with you, but it does provide us with a list of willing professionals should a student or resident in your area seek out a preceptor
Join us – click here to learn more!