Summit doctor has his research published on uterine bleeding

SUMMIT, NJ — Dr. Robert Rubino, of Summit, founder of the Rubino OBGYN Group, recently had an article published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, and two former Summit High School students, Liam Stewart and Zach Rissman, observed the clinical research involved in the article’s development.

The study and article focused on 26 women across the United States who had heavy, abnormal uterine bleeding, as well as polyps or fibroids, and reducing their need for hysterectomies by implementing new procedures to combine surgeries traditionally performed at two separate times. Rubino’s resulting article was titled, “Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Control by Sequential Application of Hysteroscopic Lesion Morcellation and Endometrial Ablation.”

“I used a new procedure to remove the tumor that involved the use of a morcellator,” Rubino told LocalSource in a July 28 phone interview. “It removes a piece of the tumor at a time. This process is called a ‘hysteroscopic morcellation’ which involves the ablation of the uterine lining which was usually done as a separate surgery. When the uterine lining is ablated, it lightens menstrual bleeding or stops it altogether. Traditionally, performing these surgeries together posed a risk for traumatic scarring in the uterus. There were no complications, and we spared 87 percent of the women involved from having a hysterectomy.”

“These women no longer have to have two separate surgeries, saving them the risk of having anesthesia twice, reducing costs and improving the quality of their lives,” Rubino said.

Two students selected as a part of Rubino’s student research program observed the operating room procedures and research process, which the doctor said was a valuable way to introduce young people to the medical field.

“I wanted to donate to Summit Education Foundation and I noticed all these talented people who could mentor kids in their fields,” Rubino said. “Students with an interest in the medical field can observe the procedures from start to finish.

“I worked with one student at a time and taught them the basics of research and clinical medicine and how it applied to medical procedures. One of the students just finished his first year in medical school and it would be nice to see a kid come full circle and start practicing medicine in New Jersey. This is an opportunity to show kids they matter and that their serious interest is respected. It also gives them a chance to decide if this is something they want to study and gives them a real life look at what they’d be doing to confirm if it’s something they want to do or not.”

The research took a total of two and a half years to complete at several outpatient centers in the United States. Rubino worked in New Jersey outpatient surgical centers to collect data which was submitted to a peer review journal.

“Sometimes research is challenged after it’s sent in for peer reviews or they ask for more data,” Rubino said. “One of the oldest gynecology journals published the article on the multicenter national trial.”