SUMMARY
Lynne T. Shuster, M.D., studies women's health from an internal medicine perspective. She focuses her research on conditions related to the menopause, estrogen therapy and female hormone-related conditions of women.
Dr. Shuster applies information gained from years of clinical experience in patient care to the design, conduct and coordination of studies committed to the improvement of women's health across the lifespan.
Focus areas
- Effect of hormonal conditions unique to women on brain function and healthy aging. Dr. Shuster directs clinical research testing within the Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex Difference, a National Institutes of Health-funded research program investigating how menopausal hormone changes and hypertensive pregnancy disorders may affect cognitive function and brain aging in women.
- Health consequences of oophorectomy and early-onset menopause. Approximately 1 in 8 women age 55 and older in the U.S. has had her ovaries removed before natural menopause. Dr. Shuster collaborates with Walter A. Rocca, M.D., director of The Mayo Clinic Cohort Study of Oophorectomy and Aging, to examine long-term health outcomes after this frequently performed surgery. This study has revealed important information about an increased risk of heart disease, neurological disease, stroke and psychiatric conditions in women who had ovary removal surgery before age 45, particularly if they did not take estrogen therapy.
Significance to patient care
Whether to start or continue estrogen-containing hormone therapy is an important decision facing women in midlife and older. Dr. Shuster's research will help provide women with more complete information to guide individualized decision-making about menopausal hormone therapy.
Dr. Shuster's ability to build and integrate successful physician-scientist teams, bridge clinical care and research, and engage women patients in research has advanced women's health research at Mayo Clinic.
Professional highlights
- Member, executive committee, Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women's Health (a National Institutes of Health-funded training program for junior faculty), 2010-present
- Recipient, Laureate Award, American College of Physicians, Minnesota, 2010
- Director, Mayo Clinic Office of Women's Health, 2006-2014
- Founding director, Mayo Clinic Women's Health Clinic, 2005-2012
- Specialty medical editor, Women's Health, Mayoclinic.com, 2000-2009
- Associate medical editor, Mayo Clinic Women's Health Source, 1997-2006