Meet Dr. Iris

Hi there - I'm so glad you're here!

(I know life can be hectic, so if you are limited on time, feel free to scroll down for a brief video intro instead!)

I’m Dr. Iris, a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Lifestyle Medicine Physician and a Women's Health Pre/Post-Natal Performance Training Specialist. I grew up in South Jersey for most of my life, graduated from The College of New Jersey with a B.S. in Health & Exercise Science, went to Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor (since I was a little girl), and completed my PM&R Residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in NYC.

I’m a fur mama to an adorable Miniature Australian Shepherd, Hippocrates! I enjoy baking, listening to music, playing guitar/ukulele, writing songs, painting custom shoes/acrylic on canvas, knitting (because I’m secretly a grandma), and ALL things Disney (oh, I’m also a kid at heart- how does that work?).

The root of the problem...

I’m a proud Physiatrist (nope, not a Psychiatrist) aka PM&R Doctor and Osteopathic Physician (>10+ years of experience treating patients with Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine)! But after 12 years of school/medical training, I was extremely burnt out and tired of the bureaucracy of our healthcare system. Even as a medical student and resident, I realized very early on how traditional medicine does not allow doctors the time nor the opportunity to learn or educate our patients on lifestyle-related preventive care (nutrition, fitness, stress management, sleep hygiene, and overall, focus on wellness), especially when it comes to treating the pregnant and postpartum population. Even my OB/GYN, Peds, and Family Medicine colleagues will agree — we're simply not taught any of this in medical school/residency.

There is a lack of overall knowledge and support for postpartum women, particularly during the "4th trimester” (the first 12 weeks postpartum). This is especially true when it comes to the musculoskeletal issues that occur which lead to pain during pregnancy.

“Many studies highlight the epidemiology of pregnancy-related low back pain, ranging from 25-90%; most studies estimate that >50% of women will experience low back pain at some point during pregnancy. 1/3rd will suffer severe pain, which will reduce their quality of life. The majority of women are affected in their first pregnancy. 80% of those suffering from low back pain state that it affects their daily routine and 10% are unable to work.”

To make matters worse, I’ve spoken to many women in pain whose own doctors told them that they just have to “deal with it” and “it’ll go away after 9 months.” As a result, many musculoskeletal issues, which are often preventable, are left untreated and extend from pregnancy into motherhood, such as pelvic, pubic, and back pain. Even in the field of PM&R, where treating musculoskeletal injuries and pain is our specialty, we did not learn pregnancy-specific issues nor how to manage them.

The last thing we should tell our patients, who are in pain, is to suffer through it without a solution, especially when so many musculoskeletal issues can be prevented. This is NOT acceptable.

The more research I did, the more I realized I needed additional training outside of traditional medicine. Fortunately, I found PROnatal Fitness and became certified as a Pre/Post-Natal Performance Training Specialist, which is largely for personal trainers and fitness instructors.

Did you know: childbirth can be equated to running 4-5 marathons — back to back?

How many people do you know can even run one marathon? A typical marathon is 4-5 hours long, whereas childbirth for a first-time mom is at least 12-18 hours. We don’t think of it this way, but “childbirth is as traumatic as many endurance sports.”

For most women, labor will be the GREATEST challenge of their lives — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Much like training for a marathon, training for childbirth allows for a faster, easier labor process AND more importantly, a faster, easier recovery process. Not to mention, it reduces the need for medical intervention and other post-partum issues.

If marathon runners train for marathons, why are we not teaching women to train for labor?

If there are resources like this out there, why is this information not taught to physicians nor readily available to moms everywhere?

What if I combined my knowledge and skills as an Osteopathic PM&R and Lifestyle Medicine Physician, my passion for Women’s Health, and my background in Exercise Physiology?

I couldn't find a practice model to support women with all of these key components, so I thought, “Why not create it?”

And that’s how the concept of Women's Osteopathic Wellness, PLLC, was born.

Shortly after opening my practice, I added Aesthetic Medicine to my services to truly focus on preventive care from the inside out. My goal it to enhance my patients’ natural beauty while preventing signs of aging to maintain youthfulness. I have had extensive training in botulinum (neurotoxin) aka “botox” and other hands-on procedures and injections from residency, various workshops, and personally trained with Dr. Lanna Cheuck, who is NYC’s top master injector and the “Celebrity Facelift” guru.

I'm excited to empower you by giving you all of the tools you need to look and feel your best from the inside out & to properly prepare for pregnancy, labor, & motherhood, so you can live a healthy, happy, and pain-free life!

You’ve got this,