Dr. Rachel Pope
Dr. Rachel Pope
Rachel J. Pope, MD, MPH is an American obstetrician-gynecologist and reconstructive surgeon specializing in female sexual health, menopause care, and global women's health. She serves as Chief of the Female Sexual Health Division in the Urology Institute at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Early Life and Education
Pope was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Allderdice Highschool and completed her undergraduate education at Case Western Reserve University in 2006, majoring in Anthropology. She earned her Master of Public Health from Case Western Reserve University in 2007 as an integrated undergradate and graduate student, and her medical degree from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel in 2011 at the Medical School for International Health.
Medical Training and Career
Pope completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University from 2011 to 2015. Following residency, she pursued fellowship training in global women's health, focusing on obstetric fistula repair in sub-Saharan Africa. From 2015 to 2019, Pope lived in Malawi, where she directed a national Fistula Hospital treating women with severe birth injuries. During this time, she gave birth to her first daughter in South Africa.
In 2019, Pope returned to Cleveland and joined University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, where she became Chief of the Female Sexual Health Division. She also serves as part of the Gender Care program and holds an appointment in the Department of Reproductive Biology. Pope is a Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner and holds a Fellow designation from the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health[1] (ISSWSH).
Pope’s passion has been in reducing and eliminating obstetric fistula worldwide[2]. She trained and learned how to repair obstetric related vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulas[3] and then dedicated her life’s work to training others to learn how to perform the repairs. Her desire to help prevent them and reduce the number of women suffering with incontinence from fistulas through surgery has driven much of her ongoing work in global health.
Clinical Practice and Research
Pope's clinical practice in the US focuses on female sexual dysfunction, vulvar and vaginal disorders, genitourinary syndrome of menopause, vaginal reconstruction, and gender-affirming surgery. She provides surgical care for patients with vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulas, postpartum birth injuries, cancer survivors, and individuals undergoing gender affirmation procedures.
As an NIH-funded researcher[4], Pope's research interests center on health disparities and social determinants of health, particularly in women's sexual and reproductive health. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and regularly presents at national and international conferences[5], including the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Congress.
Pope also directs the Global Health Program in Urology at University Hospitals, facilitating collaboration between urologists and gynecologists in the United States and centers in West and East Africa.
Entrepreneurship and Advocacy
Our Womanity
Pope founded "Our Womanity," an online platform and podcast dedicated to empowering women with information about their bodies. The podcast[6], which Pope hosts, addresses topics including sexual health, menopause, perimenopause, reproductive healthcare, and health equity. The platform provides a space for women to ask questions anonymously about health topics that are often stigmatized.
The Menopause Retreat
Pope co-founded The Menopause Retreat, which offers both virtual and in-person educational experiences for women navigating perimenopause and menopause. The retreats combine medical education with opportunities for connection and community support.
Learn with Dr. Rachel
Learn with Dr. Rachel is an educational YouTube initiative created by Dr. Rachel Pope. The series was developed in response to increasing gaps in sexual education across the United States and aims to provide accessible, evidence-based guidance for parents and caregivers. Drawing on her clinical expertise and training in public health, Dr. Pope offers clear, age-appropriate explanations of anatomy, puberty, and sexual health. Learn with Dr. Rachel is designed as a parent-led resource, encouraging adults to give consent and engage in open conversations with their children while using the videos as supportive tools.
Authored Works
Pope is the co-author of "Love, Sex and Menopause" and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications on topics including female sexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, obstetric fistula repair, and health disparities in women's healthcare. Her work has been featured in medical journals and she regularly speaks on women's health issues in professional and public forums.
Sex in Your Sixties: Practical advice for women in their 60s who want to improve their current sex life by Jean Marino, Rachel Pope, Anna Myers, Karen Connor, Erika Kelley, Sheryl Kingsberg.
Professional Memberships
- The Menopause Society (Certified Menopause Practitioner)
- International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH Fellow)
Personal Life
Pope resides in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband, a family physician, and their three daughters. The family enjoys hiking and outdoor activities.
Advocacy and Philosophy
Throughout her career, Pope has been a vocal advocate for reducing stigma around women's sexual health and menopause. She emphasizes the importance of evidence-based medicine, patient-centered care, and ensuring that women feel heard and supported in their healthcare journeys. Her work addresses the gap in medical education and treatment options for conditions affecting women's sexual and reproductive health across the lifespan.
Media Features
- Ophrah Daily: The Age You Begin Hormone Therapy Could Shape Your Future Health
- Ideastream Public Media: The Sound of Ideas
- CWRU: Medicine's Rachel Pope clarifies estrogen research findings
- 19th News: What influencers got wrong about a new study on estrogen and perimenopause
- The Menopause Society: When Women Initiate Estrogen Therapy Matters
- 93.1 FM Cleveland[8]: Dr. Rachel Pope on the Nature of Menopause
Publications List
- Obstetrics & Gynecology 131(5):p 863-870, May 2018: Research in Obstetric Fistula Addressing Gaps and Unmet Needs
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 15, Issue 8, August 2018, Pages 1125–1132: Sexual Function Before and After Vesicovaginal Fistula Repair
- Pope, R., Bangser, M., & Requejo, J. H. (2011). Restoring dignity: Social reintegration after obstetric fistula repair in Ukerewe, Tanzania. Global Public Health, 6(8), 859–873.
References
- ↑ staff, Urology Times (2026-03-19). "Dr. Rachel Pope recaps the 2023 ISSWSH Annual Meeting | Urology Times". www.urologytimes.com. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ isofs-global.org https://isofs-global.org/team-member/18. Retrieved 2026-03-19. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Pope, Rachel (13 February 2020). "Obstetric fistula: new research, new techniques". figo.org. Retrieved 13 February 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Ahrendt, Hannah; Hayek, Salim; Kingsberg, Sheryl; Myers, Anna; Pope, Rachel (February 2025). "Application of International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health consensus algorithm for persistent genital arousal disorder/genito-pelvic dysesthesia to 10 cases and use of epidural spinal injections as long term management". Sexual Medicine. 13 (1): qfaf008. doi:10.1093/sexmed/qfaf008. ISSN 2050-1161. PMC 11879244 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 40041302 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ "FIGO World Congress – Perspectives | Fistula Group". Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Our Womanity Q & A with Dr. Rachel Pope". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ Flow Space (2025-03-18). Hotter than Ever? The Truth About Sex in Midlife. Retrieved 2026-03-19 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Stowe (2024-02-26). "Listen: Dr. Rachel Pope on the Nature of Menopause". 93.1 WZAK. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
This article "Dr. Rachel Pope" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Dr. Rachel Pope. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
