Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruth Arumala.
Ruth, before we jump into specific questions about your practice, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
During my MPH program, I was afforded the opportunity to the Health Administration certificate program at UNC-Chapel Hill, specializing in Emergency Preparedness. I ended up completing both programs before matriculating to medical school at Rowan University School of Medicine in Stratford, NJ. Although I received a number of acceptances, I chose to go to Rowan for two reasons: it was in between my brothers in NYC and my parents in Maryland and they offered me an academic scholarship. During my second year of medical school, my brother Samuel Arumala passed away in the hospital from complications of sickle cell anemia. This life changing event dictated my path for the next couple of years. I completed the third year of medical school then embarked on a year-long dermatology and telemedicine research fellowship through the Botswana- UPenn partnership in Gaborone, Botswana. Upon return and completion of medical school, I started my residency program at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
I chose to pursue a specialty in Ob-Gyn because I knew this specialty would afford me the tools to be able to advocate for women in my office, labor and delivery, operating room, and society at large. I developed a passion for women’s health, particularly racial health disparities and health literacy. After residency, I spent a year doing gynecologic surgery in a small town outside Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Subsequently, I moved to Mansfield, Texas to open a solo Ob-Gyn practice affiliated with Texas Health Mansfield. Our goal is to provide evidence-based, personalized, patient-centered health care. In addition, I created the Pretty in Pink Podcast which serves as a platform that interviews expert guests as we explore ‘all things women.’ These dynamic episodes are curated to empower women to live a more fulfilling life.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. The most significant struggle I have faced in my life is losing a sibling. My brother, Samuel, was my best friend. His passing broke my heart and it took me years to recover. In addition to bereavement, I experienced a lot of microaggressions and unadulterated racism most of my medical training, particularly in residency. My flaws were exaggerated and punished. My strengths were downplayed and normalized. My self worth and esteem were affected mainly which in turn materialized in my performance. The vicious cycle affected me at the core and took me over a year post-training to recover.
Please tell us about your practice.
My Mansfield Ob-Gyn is a boutique-style women’s health practice. It is decorated to mirror a posh apartment far from the stuffy waiting areas and sterile examination rooms that our counterparts offer. Our staff is warm and inviting. I love the one-on-one personalized care we offer our patients. We specialize in the medical and surgical management of fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome, menopause management, sexual dysfunction and pregnancy. We offer a full range of women’s health services. We are known for uterine-sparing (non-hysterectomy) techniques for managing fibroids. I am most proud that our practice has deviated from the rushed approach to medicine and instead offers personalized care that every woman deserves.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The medical field will make its’ most rapid changes in the next 5-10 years. With the wide-spread implementation of telemedicine suddenly during the COVID-19 epidemic, I predict this method of healthcare is here to stay. In addition, this provides specialty consultation to rural areas. I also think there will be more reliance on mid-level providers such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and midwives rather than the physician-nurse model solely. In addition, there may be more multi-disciplinary approaches with several specialists caring for one patient at the same time. Post pandemic, I am unsure how many solo providers will survive. I anticipate many providers will either coalesce into multi-provider groups or be purchased by hospital-based multi-specialty groups.
Lastly, I anticipate an emphasis on reducing racial health disparities as this adversely affects overall national health outcomes and overburdens the health insurance system.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1759 Broad Park Circle
Ste 101 Mansfield, Tx 76063 - Website: www.drarumala.com
- Phone: 817-806-1120
- Instagram: @my.mansfield.obgyn_
Image Credit:
Darnell Porter
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