Women in Medicine and Science – Jennifer T. Anger, MD, MPH

Jennifer T. Anger, MD, MPH, is a professor with tenure and the inaugural chair of the Department of Urology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Her career has been dedicated to improving quality of care, costs of care and access to care for underserved populations. And, currently, that focus has led to her conducting a large-scale quality improvement intervention for urinary incontinence in primary care. Using electronic tools, her team designed a system that alerts a provider when their patient screened positive for bothersome incontinence. The alert occurs when the provider opens the chart at the time of a patient visit. “We found that this alert alone significantly increased the likelihood of a provider having a conversation about urinary incontinence with their patient,” she said. This takes the burden off the patient, who is often very bothered by incontinence but too embarrassed to bring it up. 

In addition to that project, Dr. Anger is enthusiastic about her new collaborations with the Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) — an alliance between Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona. They are seeking to advance the diagnosis and screening of urologic cancers in Native American men through patient navigators in the Hopi tribe.

Despite all the advancements in the field, one key issue remains: “We have a serious shortage of urologists and a growing population of aging patients who need urologic care,” Dr. Anger explained.

To combat this, Dr. Anger has established a urology residency program in partnership with Devin Patel, MD, urologist at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center and an assistant clinical professor of Urology with the college. “We are in the process of ACGME accreditation, and I am really excited about the program that we will be able to offer future urologists,” Dr. Anger said. “Ten years from now, I hope to see our program grow and be able to accept a large number of residents to train.”

Another remedy to this shortage is continued mentorship — inspiring the next generation of potential urologists and fellow women in medicine and science. For Dr. Anger, that means leaning on her own history and using her journey as an example. “I have found that what has inspired people most was not a lecture I gave or a surgical technique that I taught, but the fact that I have a family in addition to an academic practice,” she said. “People just like to see that it can be done.” 

And she credits her mentors with helping shepherd her during her own training. “I was the second woman in my residency program. Fortunately, I was treated like a sister to my male co-residents, and I never noticed any differences between us,” she said. "It truly taught me the meaning of inclusion. It is great to see so many more women entering medicine and science. And for me, I love seeing women entering surgical fields.” 

For prospective medical students, Dr. Anger offered a few pieces of advice. “I see few careers more rewarding than a career in medicine. We combine science and technology with humanity,” she said. And she advised that for those interested in pursuing it, the best preparation is getting hands-on early and spending time shadowing faculty. Working on research projects is another great way to get involved in academic medicine.