Ah, Jamaica — land of sun, sea, world-class Olympic runners and…outstanding physicians.
The New York City Council recently celebrated the 46th Jamaican Independence Day by paying tribute to the contribution of immigrants the United States and by honoring local Jamaican-Americans.
Millicent Comrie, MD, vice chairman of OB/GYN at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) of Brooklyn, was an honoree. She is often referred to as the “preserver of fertility in black women.”
For years, the only option available to women with uterine fibroids a complete hysterectomy. The procedure dashed the hopes of motherhood for countless young women of child-bearing age. Fibroids, non-cancerous growths in the uterus, are three to nine times more common in black women than in the general population.
They also tend to be larger, start earlier and grow more quickly, causing cramps, heavy bleeding and severe anemia. Most troubling of all, they interfere with fertility, causing miscarriage after miscarriage. Dr Comrie is an expert in myomectomies, the surgery in which the fibroids are removed and the cavity filled in.
Additionally, she has pioneered myomectomies without the use of donor blood so Jehovah’s Witnesses, who refuse transfusions for religious purposes, can benefit from the surgery.
Dr Comrie, born and raised in Jamaica, is a current resident of Brooklyn.
“The celebration of Jamaican heritage by the City Council is the recognition of our city’s great mosaic,” stated council member Leroy Comrie (no relation), host of the event. “The honorees are representative of the diverse and distinctive contributions Jamaican-Americans are making to our city and nation.”
LICH is located at 339 Hicks Street.
