Rachel Scott, DO, is a physician at Northwest Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates in Hilliard and recently joined the Columbus Medical Association.  

What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? 

My grandmother had stage 3 uterine cancer - and I know now that's a very treatable type of cancer when caught early. But the culture around reproductive health and lack of conversation around gynecologic topics prevented her from seeking care for the longest time. I came into healthcare wanting to break down barriers to reproductive health, make patients feel comfortable in a healthcare setting, and be someone patients are comfortable opening up to about the sensitive topics.  

What brought you to Columbus, and what do you enjoy most about practicing here? 

I matched Columbus for residency without having ever lived here. Now five years later, my husband and I have bought a house and are becoming Buckeye fans. The community is so close-knit in Columbus. Training at Riverside has given me so many wonderful mentors and friends in the OBGYN world, and it has been a privilege to serve such a widespread population of Ohio by working at the large tertiary care center that is Riverside Methodist.  

What are your areas of clinical or professional interest? 

I practice both gynecology and obstetrics, including performing robotic procedures and hysterectomies, but I hold a special place in my heart for recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility and high-risk pregnancies. I like to co-manage these with patients and see them to a successful outcome.  

I also think the field of OBGYN is growing increasingly aware of trauma-informed care and meeting patients where they're at as they enter healthcare settings. Whether that looks like talking through an intimate exam, working together to come up with a pain management regimen for procedures or something else, I have committed myself to being an approachable and aware physician. 

I am also following closely with the new HPV testing options. The self-swab HPV is going to change screening access for so many people and break down barriers for intimate exams, and I am excited to see how this changes guidelines and detection rates in the future.  

What’s one thing you’d like your colleagues to know about you or your work? 

A hot topic lately has been hormone testing - I've seen some referrals for this in reproductive aged women who are not near menopause. Current guidelines don't have evidence for testing estradiol, progesterone, LH/FSH, and testosterone, and titrating these to treatment with exogenous hormones, and these are usually just spot tests for where a patient is at in the menstrual cycle. I think as a whole, we should have more discussions as healthcare providers about how to approach how patients are feeling and how to navigate the increasing demand for hormone testing.  

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

Before she retired, my mentor wrote me a card and said, "Bloom where you're planted." I think that's lovely. I never planned to end up in Ohio or working where I am - life takes you on unexpected paths. But I've enjoyed growing in and enriching the community here in Columbus, as well as making some deep and meaningful connections with patients - and I look forward to many more years of good practice to come.