Julie Suyama, MD, PhD

Biography

For the pelvic floor, leave your worries at the door

Part of being human is having to deal with sometimes sensitive health conditions. And millions of women — one in three in the U.S. — face uncomfortable issues with the muscles surrounding their bladder, bowel and reproductive organs.

Julie A. Suyama, M.D., Ph.D., wants you to know you’re not alone — and that pelvic floor problems are nothing to be embarrassed about, despite symptoms that can negatively impact your daily life.

“I love meeting women where they are, and having a compassionate and non-judgmental provider is paramount to treatment success. I’ve always been empathetic, but I’m also an extrovert who loves talking about more classically taboo topics, like urine or bowel leakage and sexual dysfunction,” she says. “I like that I get to elicit this discussion from patients, make them comfortable talking about their condition and find out what other things in their life may be contributing to their symptoms. My goal is to help women maintain and restore pelvic floor functioning so that they can once again live active, healthy and happy lives.”

With a doctorate in neuropharmacology (the study of drugs on the body’s nervous system) and a specialized Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellowship from the top-tier University of California San Diego-Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Suyama brings a wealth of knowledge and a diverse skill set to her practice.

She has specific expertise in disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse (when organs slip down and bulge into the vagina), urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction and bladder pain. They are symptoms that cause women to stop interacting with friends and in social circles, or to quit being active and healthy due to worries about leaking urine. “But I’m going to meet you with a smile and an open ear. You can be comfortable being honest about what ails you so that we can get you the best possible treatment,” she says. “I love giving people their life back.”

Thanks in part to her fellowship at UCSD and Kaiser San Diego, where she trained alongside 14 world-renowned attending urogynecologists, Dr. Suyama has developed a vast “toolbox” of surgical and non-surgical techniques, enabling her to offer a full range of treatment options tailored to each individual’s unique needs.

When surgery is the best option, Dr. Suyama is trained in robotic and vaginal procedures for prolapse and incontinence. “Robotic surgeries are safe, efficient, effective and help to minimize post-operative recovery time, allowing women to return to their normal lives as quickly and safely as possible,” she says.

Dr. Suyama also understands the importance of not doing it all herself, “which is why I believe in an interdisciplinary approach: working with you and collaborating with other professionals like pelvic floor physical therapists, sex therapists, urologists and colorectal surgeons,” she says. “When you come to VCU for your women’s health needs, we are going to get you the most comprehensive and effective treatment possible.”

Beyond caring for patients, Dr. Suyama considers herself a surgeon-scientist, and is establishing her own research lab to advance the field of pelvic health. In particular, she studies the brain-bladder connection, and how a person’s central neurochemistry and behaviors impact bladder function, and vice versa. Her goal is to uncover new therapies to treat bladder pain. She has authored or participated in dozens of medical articles and peer-reviewed publications and made numerous presentations in the fields of bladder pain and neuropharmacology.

“Women’s health, in general, lags far behind other fields with regards to basic science and translational research,” she says. During her fellowship at UCSD, she received the prestigious June Allyson Memorial Fund Research Award from the American Urogynecologic Society to support her research on biomarkers for bladder pain syndrome. During her doctorate studies, she was selected as one of only 50 young researchers nationwide to attend the 2014 Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, where she met and learned from dozens of Nobel Laureates and some of the greatest scientists in the world. “I am committed to contributing to an ever-evolving landscape that maximizes pelvic health for patients under my care,” she says.

Dr. Suyama is a member of numerous professional organizations, including: the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the Sexual Medicine Society of North America; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the International Urogynecological Association; the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction; the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists; the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons; and the American Urogynecologic Society.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Dr. Suyama’s personal passions include spending quality time with her family including her husband, their two daughters and their Bernedoodle. She is an avid yogi and exercise enthusiast who loves to explore the outdoors. She also cooks, with recipes inspired by her Japanese heritage and husband’s Italian roots.

Advice to Patients

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Knowledge is power. There are no ‘silly’ or ‘gross’ questions. We all deserve to have healthy pelvic floors, which includes the ability to control our bladders and bowels, enjoy sex and live healthy and active lives.”