CEC's Heather Guidone & Wendy Winer
Heather Guidone has been the CEC’s Surgical Program Director since mid-2005.  She is a women's health professional with a dedicated interest in female reproductive issues - specifically endometriosis and pelvic pain gynepathology - who has served the clinical and consumer health industries for nearly twenty-five years in various capacity.  Continually striving to promote education and advocacy while facilitating clinical research within the MIGS and endometriosis communities, she is also a woman who has experienced Stage IV endometriosis, adenomyosis and primary infertility herself.

Often, Heather can be found in the CEC's operating room, in pre- and post-op holding visiting patients and their families, and at various speaking engagements across the country.  She has dedicated her life’s work to helping all those affected by endometriosis around the globe, and her relationships with many of the CEC's patients continue long after their surgeries are completed.  "My wish is for every woman and girl with endometriosis to be able to make empowered choices about her own care," she says. “I believe no one with this disease should ever have to feel alone or hopeless.”  Her single most important piece of advice for patients? "You have an absolute right to a high quality of life and to live well in SPITE of this disease. Know that successful treatment options DO exist. All is not lost - gather all the information you can, then choose your options based on informed decisions."

Personal Journey

With symptoms that presented in adolescence, she was ultimately diagnosed in her late teens with what would prove to become a decades-long battle with advanced stage 4 disease.  After years of debilitating pain and symptoms - including 6 years of infertility, more than 20 surgeries and countless rounds of failed medical suppressive therapy - she ultimately took her care into her own hands and discovered the path that led her to Dr. Albee, the CEC’s Founder.  Having undergone a lengthy excision surgery including of the diaphragm, bowel, ureters, kidney and bladder, she readily credits Dr. Albee, her CEC predecessor Donna Laux, and Mentor Nancy Petersen, RN, Founder of the country's first excision program, with restoring her health and quality of life and for her son, a "CEC miracle" born the year following her own laparoscopic excision.  Subsequently, in addition to her professional capabilities, Heather possesses a unique understanding of the pain, devastation, frustration, isolation and missed opportunities that accompany the insidious illness which others, while sympathetic, can never truly grasp having not lived with endometriosis themselves.  She is inspired each and every day by the women who live with endometriosis – and the girls who are yet to be diagnosed.

Professional Activities, Memberships & Board Appointments

In addition to her primary role as the CEC’s Surgical Program Director, Heather is also extensively involved in the Laparoendoscopic surgery, biotech and research communities outside the CEC in various collaborative capacities as well.  She holds a senior voting seat on the Executive Board of Directors of the Endometriosis Research Center and has served as the Director of Education for Padma Lakshmi's Endometriosis Foundation of America.  She also heads a cross-organizational initiative for the global establishment of multiple ‘Centers of Excellence’ for the research and treatment of endometriosis, and has a committed interest in early intervention among the adolescent pelvic pain population.  To that end, she has taught students within several school about endometriosis, ranging from 7th grade to university level, and was responsible for the planning and execution of Ms. Lakshmi's School Nursing Education Conference (the first in the country) in October 2011.  She was previously elected serve on the Executive Board of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Women’s Council, a seat she maintains through 2012.  In late 2011, she was one of two exclusive invitees to co-chair and present for the first time on endometriosis in Washington, DC at the second annual Women in Government's Health Summit.  Her talk, 'Critical Shortfalls in Endometriosis Care' was lauded by state and federal legislators alike.

She is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM); the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS);  the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL); the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN); the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP); the International PAX Society; the American Medical Writers Association; the World Endometriosis Society; and the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.  She also remains active in various professional Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on endometriosis, contraception, the environment and reproduction, imaging in reproductive medicine, menopause, pediatric and adolescent gynecology and female sexuality.

As a women’s health educator, Heather holds many medical and professional Certifications, including PeriOperative Standards & Recommended Practices and Operating Room Protocols, given only to those industry professionals who pass rigorous exam requirements issued by the professional oversight body, the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses. Additionally, she holds Certifications in Minimally Invasive Surgery Protocols, Med-Surg, Anatomy & Physiology, Journalism for Business, Healthcare Management and more from such respected institutions as Rutgers University School of Adult Continuing Education, Sacramento State College of Continuing Education and Columbia University School of Professional Continuing Education.  She participates in various global medical symposia, including the World Congresses on Endometriosis, the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons Annual Congress, the Annual Conference of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Annual Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (AAGL), the International Symposium on GnRH Analogues and many others. She networks extensively with industry professionals to establish research projects, product focus studies and clinical trials; provides a number of comprehensive services ranging from patient relationship optimization to the development, expansion and enhancement of women’s health programs and services designed to improve delivery of care and provide education to both patients and professionals; plans and supervises industry-related symposia and fundraising events; and much more. She also presents frequently as a guest speaker to advocacy groups, health professionals and students.

Heather has also served as a Clinical Coordinator in conjunction with groundbreaking disease research and proprietary studies with leading industry partners and professional organizations, including the Association of Reproductive Toxicologists.  She continues her active involvement in, and fostering of, ongoing research efforts ranging from recruitment for trials on proprietary treatments to coordinating genetic research studies.

As a frequent Consultant specializing in next-generation gynecologic surgery techniques and reproductive healthcare to many of the world's leading foundations, biotech, medical device and technology, clinical research and health marketing firms, she has contributed content to several prominent books and publications on related health and advanced gynecologic topics.  An accomplished writer, Heather has developed and written countless endometriosis, reproductive and general women’s health education materials in both the consumer-oriented and professional sectors of the women’s health industry ranging from presentations, continuing medical education (CME) and health practitioner education materials, slide kits and speaker content, marketing materials, newsletters, website content, substantive edits, proof of concept efforts, book reviews and critiques; to sales sheets, press releases, branding development, monographs, white papers, training materials, investigational case studies and much more. She is often sought after by various media and advocacy groups for her expertise in reproductive health, endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain pathologies, and is routinely invited by prestigious authors to contribute content contributions and forewords to their own prominent books and publications.  She has also appeared as a guest on many radio shows and media outlets dedicated to women’s health and infertility; most recently on the “Surrogacy Law Radio Show” (Voice America) and “Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys”.

Resources with whom she has worked include the Association of Professors of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Valeo Medical, the National Women with Disabilities Task Force, Covidien Corporation, Cytyc Corporation, America Online’s Health division, Comcast Media, Thrive@Health, Health Frontier, New South Wales Endometriosis Association of Australia, the National Women's Health Information Center, Menses United Kingdom, the Equus Sanctuary, Season Magazine, RedBook Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Pregnancy Today, Nurses World, What the Health magazine and countless others.  Recently, she was profiled feature in the NY-based Times Herald Record, a division of the Dow Jones Local Media Group, Inc.  She is also a contributor to the national Examiner in the women’s health division.  She was a guest editor for, and is the co-author of the foreword in, "Coping with Endometriosis" by Glenda Motta, RN, MPH and Robert Phillips, Ph.D. (Avery Publishing) and the author of the foreword and a profiled subject in "Living well With Endometriosis" by Kerry-Ann Morris (HarperCollins), in which her own works are extensively cited. She also contributed to the best-selling book by leading surgeon David B. Redwine, MD, "Endometriosis: 100 Questions & Answers", as well as Dr. Susan Evan’s critically acclaimed “Endometriosis & Other Chronic Pelvic Pain” and the newly released "Healing Painful Sex" by Deborah Coady, MD and Nancy Fish, as well as many others.  Her own "Letter from Survivors," a poignant insight into the life of the endometriosis patient, has received international acclaim and been extensively shared by more than 1.5 million unique sources, both online and off, and was presented on the steps of the Lincoln Monument in Washington, DC at the country’s first national EndoWalk Event.  Additionally, her work concerning healthcare on the Internet was featured in the book, "Real People, Real Stories: How the Internet is Touching Lives."

Heather has been included in the 20th edition of "Who’s Who among American Women" and is a former member of OBGYN.net's Women & Patients Advisory Board, as well as the previous managing editor of EndoZONE and Endometriosis Pavilion sites. She has also served as a eleven-term judge by invitation for the National Health Information Resource Centers celebrated "World Wide Web Health Awards" Program. She is also very active in patient advocacy and lobbying efforts.  Heather’s important testimony concerning dioxin exposure as it relates to endometriosis was read before the California State Legislature at the invitation of the general Assembly in support of AB2820, a consequential bill calling for the independent investigation of toxins in feminine hygiene products.  She also co-authored the text contained in various endometriosis legislative Awareness Resolutions passed by local and national lawmakers, including House Concurrent Resolution No. 291, a groundbreaking National endometriosis awareness Resolution. The Resolution was unanimously passed by the 107th Congress of the United States, and is the first and only such formal Legislation ever to pass in the United States concerning endometriosis to date. Since that time, the states of New York, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, California, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and others have also passed one or more subsequent statewide Awareness Resolutions.

Goals for the Future of Endometriosis

Heather’s passion for women’s health and well-being continues to foster her tireless efforts across the patient support, advocacy and scientific agendas as they relate to women’s healthcare needs.  From recruitment for clinical trials on proprietary new treatments to coordinating research studies to lobbying insurance companies for proper coverage of disease treatment, she continues her endeavors to meet the domestic and international demands of the endometriosis community across the global sector, collaborating with and contributing to like-minded initiatives in order to promote advances in the “art and science” of the disease.

Heather eagerly awaits the day when a universal cure for endometriosis is discovered and she can subsequently retire, but until then, she considers it “an absolute honor and privilege” to serve those in the global endometriosis community.  Alongside Dr. Albee, Dr. Sinervo, Wendy Winer, RN, BSN, CNOR and the CEC team, she maintains her dedicated commitment to serving the needs of all those around the world who may be affected by endometriosis and those who care for them, and invites contact from anyone wishing to learn more about the CEC and endometriosis via email at Heather@centerforendo.com or by calling the Center toll-free at 866-733-5540 (outside the United States, +770-913-0001) – or join the CEC on our social media platform at http://www.facebook.com/centerforendometriosiscare.