Local surgeon Robyn Hakanson has spent years treating women, and she used this expertise to educate lawmakers as she participated in a recent congressional briefing.

On Jan. 8 Dr. Hakanson took a break from her practice and her efforts with Women Orthopaedist Global Outreach to be part of a panel at a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. The title of the presentation was “Shape and Size Matter: Osteoarthritis in Women.”

The presentation was sponsored by the Society for Women’s Health Research, which organizes congressional briefings on various topics related to women’s health on a regular basis.

“It’s to educate people in Washington on issues that are going to affect policy one day,” Hakanson explained. “And obviously health care right now is the big buzz.”

Hakanson’s portion of the briefing focused on the treatment of osteoarthritis. She said most knee-replacement patients are women.

When it comes to osteoarthritis, Hakanson said, “Women are much more likely to have it and are less likely to seek medical treatment. There really are some big disparities.”

She said gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status also affects who seeks treatment. Hakanson said since many women are the caregivers in their family, it is harder for them to take the time to get a major surgery.

“And we tend to put off our own things,” said Hakanson. “We take care of others.”

She said those present at the congressional briefing seemed interested in presentation.

“There was a lot of interest in disparities and why women get it,” Hakanson remarked.

People were also interested in the fact that the number of osteoarthritis cases are “increasing tremendously.” Hakanson said this might be because the baby boomers are aging. But although the demand for knee replacements and surgery revisions is going up, there is a shortage of qualified surgeons.

Hakanson has been working for Tri-County Orthopedic and Sports Medicine since 2004 when she moved to Mount Airy. In addition to receiving her degrees, Hakanson supplemented her knowledge and experience by completing a fellowship for orthopedics, which is an extra year of residency. Participating in the Jan. 8 panel was her first time speaking at a congressional briefing.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.