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BY ELIZABETH LIBERATORE / PHOTOS BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE

FOR WOMEN, BY A WOMAN

Dr. Mitzi Krockover is rethinking and rewriting women’s health care to benefit real people

Unsettled by the growing list of factors – including, but not limited to, socioeconomic status, access to health care, and legislative decisions – that affect women’s health, Dallas native Dr. Mitzi Krockover decided to make a career out of amending it. Over the course of her decadeslong career, the now-Paradise Valley resident has held many leadership positions in her professional and volunteer work that support and advocate for women and women’s health. Krockover initially recognized the shortcomings in women’s health when she was a medical student at University of Texas

Health Science Center at San Antonio and noticed women’s health was only a brief topic of discussion. "[It] was covered poorly, and we were taught that certain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, were nothing more than empty nest syndrome,” she says. After her residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Krockover worked as an assistant clinical professor and attending physician at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She and her colleagues set out to develop something better for their female patients that treated the whole woman, resulting in the Iris Cantor UCLA Women’s Health Center. In 1997, the center was designated a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Pioneering with Pride

As a founding medical director of the center, Krockover’s work was just getting started and she continued to pull up a seat for herself at tables of influence. She was the vice president of women’s health, preventative services, and eHealth at Humana, and the director of the Health Futures Council at Arizona State University. She also co-led the health care sector group of Golden Seeds, an investment group that funds women-led businesses, and co-founded the Arizona chapter. Over the past 20 years, Krockover has provided technical advice on women’s health services as a senior partner of SSB Solutions, a consulting group that offers value-focused strategies for the health care industry. More recently, she rejoined Golden Seeds as an angel investor, where she learns about innovations in women’s health and mentors entrepreneurs to help them develop their companies. Some of her investments have helped advance women’s health technology, otherwise known as “femtech.” “Femtech companies have been growing in number and scope for years now in response to the actual pain points that women experience concerning specific medical issues,” she says. “The area was primarily focused on reproductive health issues but has more recently expanded to include incontinence, sexuality, perimenopause, and more.” Krockover is currently developing her own company, Woman Centered, LLC, which will provide women’s health information and services for women over the age of 40. Her company’s first initiative is a podcast called Beyond the Paper Gown, which will be available for streaming sometime this month. “Through my podcast, I hope to inform and engage women to learn about the factors that impact their health and help them to advocate for themselves,” she says.

Above and Beyond

The aforementioned is merely a snapshot of Krockover’s seasoned career in women's health care. She is also an experienced volunteer, having served in board-level positions at organizations like Black Women’s Health Imperative, Take The Lead Women, and Springboard Enterprises, to name a few. In 2019, she was appointed board chair of the Institute for Mental Health Research – Arizona’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health research. Since the start of her term, Krockover has helped the institute reinvent itself and maintain funding during its most challenging time: the pandemic. “We created the COVID-19 Mental Health Research Impact Fund to draw attention and donors to the important work [of the institute and its scientists] and the ‘coming tsunami’ of mental health challenges,” she says. Under her leadership, the institute also launched a free webinar series to educate the public on various mental health topics related to the pandemic. The webinars (www.imhr.org/ webinars) take place on the second Tuesday of every other month at 11 a.m. “Outstanding researchers present these webinars, most of them are based in Arizona. The webinars can be helpful to those focused on their mental health, those supporting others, and anyone curious about current research and research needed in the future,” Krockover says. According to Krockover, the most challenging part of her work is finding the time to do everything that she wants to do. The people closest to her, including her colleagues, fellow board members, community advocates, and, most importantly, her two grown daughters, give her the energy to push forward. “In many ways, I do [all of this] for my daughters,” she says. “I want to leave a better environment for them and their generation – one in which they feel safe, their concerns are heard, and they can access health information, health care, and innovation in a way that enables them to lead their most healthy life, both physically and mentally.” In the little free time she has, Krockover enoys playing piano, taking long bubble baths and watching her favorite TV shows.

CRAMPING

Varicose veins will not go away on their own. Approximately 50% of women & 40% of men suffer from vein disease.

DISCOLORATION PAIN

Restless legs may be a sign of vein disease.

LARGE BULGING VEINS

Spider veins can be your first sight that you have varicose veins.

HEAVINESS & TIRED LEGS

SWELLING

Get the facts and the care you need today.

Varicose veins are not a cosmetic issue. That’s why non-surgical treatments at our valley wide locations is generally covered by Medicare and insurance plans. If you suffer from heaviness, aching, numbness or pain in your legs call to schedule an appointment today.

JAMES R. MCEOWN, MD • KAREN GARBY, MD, RPHS

HASSAN MAKKI, DO, FACC • JEFF BRAXTON, MD, FACS

Q&A with Dr. Jeffrey Baxton

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

Dr. Jeffrey Braxton is the Director of Venous Intervention at CiC Vein Center. He is double board certified in general surgery as well as venous and lymphatic medicine.

Q What is CVI?

A Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) develops when excessive pressure builds up in your leg veins. This happens when the veins are unable to bring the blood back to the heart and it backs up in the legs. As the pressure builds, veins near the surface can bulge which are called varicose veins and excessive fluid can accumulate in the legs.

Q What are the symptoms of CVI?

A Symptoms include pain, aching, leg heaviness, itching or leg cramps at night. Left untreated over time the skin can darken, thicken and even break down into ulcers. A common sign of CVI is varicose veins.

Q How is CVI diagnosed?

A Diagnosis involves a painless ultrasound exam to show if the valve in the vein is allowing blood to leak, flow back into the veins or blocking it all together.

Q How is it treated?

A In-office treatments involve closing the diseased vein which causes it to shut down and disappear. Your body reroutes the blood to healthier veins improving the flow. Most people notice a significant improvement within days.

Q When should someone seek help?

A The symptoms of CVI can impact the quality of your life. You shouldn’t have to limit your outings or spend less time doing the things you enjoy. Innovative procedures can improve the condition and as a result the appearance improves too.