With more than 14,000 doctors in Minnesota and a mountain of medical information available via the Internet, it’s increasingly difficult to figure out the best course of action when it comes to making health-care decisions. Sorting through the details and narrowing the options can be particularly challenging for women in need of a doctor who knows the difference between, say, Mars and Venus. That’s where this list comes in. Each of these 228 doctors was recommended by his or her peers in a metro-area survey conducted earlier this year. They are the doctors to whom other doctors send their sisters, daughters, mothers, wives, partners, and friends. Need a solid recommendation? Just check out the links below.
Featured Docs
Darrell Eager
Darrell Eager
June LaValleur,
associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health at the University of Minnesota, director of the Mature Women’s Center, and practicing obstetrician and gynecologist with University of Minnesota Physicians
Clinical interests: menopause, osteoporosis, sexual dysfunction, hormone therapy
Why she chose her specialty: “When I started med school in 1983, I was going into family medicine. I was 41 years old and had been working as a lab tech in a family-medicine setting for more than 20 years,†LaValleur says. “But when I did my ob-gyn rotation, it was something I became passionate about doing. I’ve been at this now for 16 years, and I still look forward to going to work every day.â€
Mumtaz Kazim,
Darrell Eager
family practitioner for Edina Family Physicians, team physician for the Minnesota Lynx
Clinical interests: aesthetics and skin care, sports medicine, women’s health
Why she’s a top doc: “Dr. Kazim understands medicine, and she has made many connections in the medical community during the 20 to 25 years she’s been in practice,†says Edina Family Physicians president John Beecher. “She is ethical, honest, and hard-working. Patients come to her because they expect the finest care and know they will get it from Dr. Kazim. Women, especially, say they find her helpful, non-judgmental, gracious, and approachable.â€
Darrell Eager
Linda M. Funk,
pulmonologist, Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates—St. Paul Lung Clinic Clinical interests: asthma, critical care medicine, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
One step toward better health: “Stop smoking, stop smoking, stop smoking,†says Funk, whose ex-puffing patients have better lung function, fewer symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath, and reduced risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Another bonus she attributes to kicking the habit? Enhanced smell and taste. Though Funk knows extinguishing the flame isn’t easy, she offers this advice: “Each time someone attempts to quit, their chance of being successful increases. Never stop trying to quit.â€
METHODOLOGY
Here’s how Minnesota Monthly’s Best Doctors for Women 2007 was compiled. In January, we sent surveys to more than 5,500 doctors in the seven-county metro area. Respondents were asked to name up to three doctors in each specialty, based on the criteria they would use to make recommendations to female family members, friends, and loved ones. We asked them to list doctors, both male and female, who were attuned to the specific needs of female patients. More than 1,600 doctors were nominated by their peers; 228 of those nominees (or roughly 14 percent) received enough votes to meet the threshold established by our staff.
