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

2015 UMN Family Medicine Residency Grads: By the Numbers

In 2015, 53 medical residents graduated from University of Minnesota family medicine residencies. An update on where those grads are practicing or pursuing additional training follows.

Practice/Training Locations

Of our 53 residency grads from 2015, 52 are currently practicing or pursuing additional training in the U.S. Locations follow.

• 74% stayed in Minnesota
• 13% went to other Midwestern states 
• 6% went to Western states
• 4% went to Eastern states
• 1% went to Southern states

Of the 50 states, residency grads from 2015 are practicing or training in 12 of them. States include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin.

One grad is currently undecided and has not selected a location for practice or additional training. 

Types of Practice

Our 2015 residency grads are practicing in a number of settings and caring for a variety of communities and patient populations.

• 70% are working in private practice (4% at multispecialty clinics)
• 13% are working as hospitalists
• 4% are working in emergency/urgent care settings
• 1% are working in academic environments (specifically at our own UMN Medical Center residency)
• 1% are undecided

Additional Training

Eleven percent of 2015 residency grads were accepted into fellowship training programs in sports medicine and geriatrics. 

MN Monthly Presents "Best Doctors" 2015

Minnesota Monthly shared its "Best Doctors" 2015 list in its October issue. The list represents who licensed Minnesota physicians would recommend their friends or loved ones see if needing medical care. Their most frequent answers comprise the 2015 list, representing 768 physicians in 49 specialities/areas.

U of M Family Medicine and Community Health faculty were recognized in the areas of family medicine, geriatric medicine, and sports medicine.

Addiction Medicine

• Robert Levy, MD

Family Medicine

• Patricia Adam, MD, MSPH
• Nicole Chaisson, MD
• Reneé Crichlow, MD
• Jon Hallberg, MD
• Robert Levy, MD
• Joseph Ofstedal, MD
• James Pacala, MD, MS
• Kara Pacala, MD
• Shailendra Prasad, MD, MPH
• Andrew Slattengren, DO
• Jeremy Springer, MD
• Michael Wootten, MD

Geriatric Medicine

• Teresa McCarthy, MD, MS
• James Pacala, MD, MS
• Teresa Quinn, MD

Sports Medicine

• Suzanne Hecht, MD
• Robert Johnson, MD
• William Knopp, MD
• Dave Olson, MD
• William Roberts, MD, MS
• Steven Stovitz, MD, MS

Please note: The article in Minnesota Monthly lists a number of our faculty practice locations incorrectly. Click on each faculty member's name (above) to know where they practice.