If you will be in the Boston area on Wednesday evening, Sept. 14, 2022, we hope you will join us for a special event – an advance screening of the film about endometriosis, called Below the Belt. The screening will be followed by an expert panel discussion with clinicians, scientists, and patients from the MIT community about the challenges in integrating basic and clinical research to improve patient care.
The documentary film, executive produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton, addresses the social and scientific challenges of endometriosis, through first-person stories. Follow this link for tickets and see the invitation below for information. The film viewing is in-person only. Although virtual participation in the panel is not yet scheduled, we will provide updates on the event, including news about a virtual option, on the CGR listserv.
Sept. 14 Event Information
Screening location: MIT 10-250
Film: 6:30 – 7:35 p.m. | Panel 7:35 – 8:35 p.m.
Panelists (see event website for bios):
Chris Bobel (Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston)
Aleshia Carlsen-Bryan (Associate Director, Career Advising & Professional Development, MIT)
Keith Isaacson (Medical Director, Newton Wellesley Hospital Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecology Surgery, and Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Harvard Medical School)
Stacey Missmer (Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University; Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Lecturer in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; President-Elect, World Endometriosis Society)
Peter Movilla (Associate Medical Director, Newton Wellesley Hospital Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecology Surgery)
Nyia Noel (Medical Director, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, Boston Medical Center; Assistant Professor of OBGYN at BU School of Medicine; founder, BMC Fibroid Center).
Tavneet Suri (Professor of Applied Economics at MIT’s Sloan School)
Panel Co-Moderator: Shannon Cohn (Film director/producer, lawyer, and activist)
Panel Co-Moderator: Linda Griffith (Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering; Director, Center for Gynepathology Research, MIT)
This event is presented by MIT’s Center for Gynepathology Research (CGR) and the Below the Belt production team, with partnership from MIT’s Women and Gender Studies team.
Below the Belt: A film to change endometriosis
Affecting approximately one in 10 women globally, endometriosis can cause debilitating pain for sufferers. However, both culturally and medically, it’s not a widely recognized condition. Shannon Cohn, the creator and director of Below the Belt, aims to change that with the launch of this new documentary. Through the lens of four patients urgently searching for answers to mysterious symptoms, the film exposes widespread problems in our healthcare systems. It reveals how millions of people with endometriosis are effectively silenced.
The Sept. 14 event is an opportunity for the community to advocate for the roles MIT and others can play in improving diagnosis and treatment of gynecology diseases in clinical practice, and bolster calls for improved funding for research. We hope you will be able to attend.
