Faculty Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS, Retires From the U of M Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

After more than 34 years of service, department faculty Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS, retired on January 8, 2016. She was faculty in the University of Minnesota St. Joseph's Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. Her primary interest was women’s health, and she had been active in postpartum research for more than 25 years.

The following post is a Q&A with Gjerdingen, reflecting on her time as a family medicine physician, researcher, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota. 

What roles have you held during your time here in family medicine?

• Associate and interim director of St. Joseph’s residency, 1982-1999

• Director of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) course

• Research fellow (completed MS in clinical research in 2011)

• Researcher of women’s postpartum health 

• Member and former chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee

• Educator of family medicine residents and medical students

Will you share some highlights of your research in postpartum depression?

I had the privilege of working with a great team of investigators from the UMN School of Public Health, Department of Psychiatry, and other academic and clinical institutions. We conducted a series of studies, looking at:

• The nature and duration of postpartum recovery

• The correlation of postpartum mental health with other variables (health, social, employment). Our research was the first to show a direct relationship between women’s postpartum mental health and their length of maternity leave.

• The impact of stepped collaborative care on postpartum depression outcomes.

• Validity tests of the two-question screen and PHQ-9 for postpartum depression.

• The feasibility of screening for postpartum depression during well-child visits. 

It is exciting to see others furthering this line of research for the benefit of mothers and their families. 

What do you enjoy most about teaching residents?

Our residents are fantastic to work with—they are sharp, kind, hard-working, care about their patients, and are just nice people. What more could you want?

What are your favorite memories from your time here in family medicine?

Years (no, decades) ago, our residents used to go Christmas caroling in the hospital. Sometimes, the hospital staff would join us, and it was a very uplifting, delightful experience, enjoyed by all. I suppose there are all kinds of rules against this today, but the shared music really seemed to build good will, and the harmonies were beautiful!

My more recent favorite memories are the conversations that we have in our precepting room at the clinic. Everyone chimes in—medical students, residents, faculty, PharmDs, psychotherapists—and, it is not uncommon for the entire room to end up laughing together over some silly story.

What are your plans for retirement?

I hope to spend more time with my husband and family, perhaps travel, enjoy walking, reading, cooking, playing piano, volunteering at church. I have a special interest in wellness (nutrition and exercise), so I am hoping that I might contribute to some community wellness initiative. 

Do you have anything else you would like to share?

I will greatly miss the people I’ve had a chance to work with, those at our residency program, in other affiliated programs, and within our central department. Wow, I have so many good memories. Thanks everyone!

Gjerdingen, (front row, far right) with a group of
family medicine residents from the 1970s