Ob/Gyn Dispatches During COVID-19: Arnold Advincula, MD

Each day during the COVID-19 crisis, we'll share an update from a member of our team in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Today's note is from Arnold P. Advincula, MD, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Specialty Surgery.

As I awakened this morning to get ready to go into the midtown office to see urgent gynecologic surgery visits and thought about the events of the last several weeks, one of the first words that came to mind was grit. I felt so lucky to be able to work with a division and department full of individuals who embody that characteristic. 

Merriam-Webster defines grit as unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. One might ask, what drives an individual to embody that characteristic? To me, it is the passion to continue to provide the highest quality healthcare for women from adolescence to menopause in spite of whatever challenging circumstances we face.

I have always believed that women are the backbone of our society. Now more than ever, we must remain unflagging in our care by meeting our patients’ medical and surgical needs, from obstetric care and family planning to cancer care and reproductive medicine. We may not have the answers every day, but one thing I am sure of is the fact that we will figure it out and make improvements each and every day.

Famed author Angela Duckworth once said: “One form of perseverance is the daily discipline of trying to do things better than we did yesterday.” I have seen that every day as we continually adapt and innovate in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. I know we will not waiver, and in the end we will emerge on the other side stronger and better.

Arnold P. Advincula, MD