We are all busy in our day to day activities and we don’t get to spend much time together. The purpose of the faculty spotlight series is for our faculty, staff, and trainees to get to know each other a little better. A different faculty member will be highlighted in each of our newsletters. The faculty spotlight is on Nazema Y. Siddiqui, MD, MHSc
Where did you grow up?
Williamsville, NY (suburb of Buffalo)
Tell us about your family...
I am married and my husband is an orthopedic hand surgeon. Though he did his fellowship at Duke, he now works at WakeMed in Raleigh.
We have two boys ages 9 and 12. (My 12 year old had his birthday yesterday!) Our family enjoys cooking, traveling, watching movies, and playing Euchre (4 person card game) together.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my family. Though I am not an avid runner, I like to jog and do interval training, so I guess exercise is considered a hobby. Cooking and traveling are probably my 2 favorite hobbies.
What is your specialty?
Urogynecology; my research focuses on answering the question of why women with insulin resistance are more likely to get overactive bladder.
Is there any specific area related to your profession that you are particularly passionate about? What inspired you to pursue your specialty?
I am particularly passionate about basic and translational research in the arena of pelvic floor disorders. This is mainly because we don't fundamentally know why some women have prolapse and others don't or why some women get bladder disorders while others do not. I would love to be able to answer some of those questions.
I originally pursued Urogyn because 1) I like complex pelvic surgery, and 2) I like solving puzzles. Many times pelvic floor disorders present with vague symptoms or overlap with other clinical entities and I like that we serve as the "sleuth" to figure out why some seemingly disparate symptoms may all relate to one another.
What do you enjoy most about Duke?
My colleagues and the passionate spirit of Duke fans!
How long have you been at Duke?
9 years (2007-2010 was my fellowship, 2010-present as faculty)
What in particular excites you about treating/managing patients in your specialty? Is there a particular story that’s inspiring (without providing any patient details)?
I really enjoy solving some of the complex urologic problems that we see. I had a patient who had sling surgery for stress incontinence elsewhere. She then developed other bladder symptoms, and eventually after more than a year came to see me. I could see that these new bladder symptoms were related to poor positioning of her prior sling. This required revision and replacement of her sling, but the last few times I saw her she was beaming because she feels that she has her life back, AND she is continent. I like when we can offer a simple solution that really changes how a women feels on a day to day basis.