Vadim Morozov, MD, FACOG, FACS, considers reading a good science fiction novel ideal for unwinding from his duties as an attending physician at the National Center for Advanced Pelvic Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “It allows me to turn my mind off for a bit,” he explains, adding that the books may well be providing some clues about treatment tools he may be using in the future. After all, he says, “Many everyday technologies were first mentioned in science fiction stories. Medicine is no different.”
Indeed, the minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic procedures that Dr. Morozov and his colleagues routinely perform today are not that far removed from the realm of experimentation. He also marvels at how once relatively large instruments have been miniaturized, while also gaining extra degrees of precision.
We’re not that far away from giving patients pills, in lieu of certain other treatments,” Dr. Morozov says. “Injectable microparticles are already being used for blood purification, so there’s no reason why they can’t fix other parts of the body.”
A Family of Doctors
Medicine would seem to be in Dr. Morozov’s blood as well. Both his parents and a grandmother were physicians in his native Belarus. Having begun his medical education before coming to the U.S. at age 23, he received his medical degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Syracuse. It was then on to a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, an affiliate of Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Morozov then completed an American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) fellowship in gynecologic endoscopy and minimally invasive gynecology at the Nezhat Medical Center, at the Atlanta Center for Special Pelvic Surgery & Reproductive Medicine. He joined the Hospital Center after nine years at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Medical Inventions and Contributions
Along the way, Dr. Morozov has made his own contributions to the field of gynecologic treatment technology. His inventions include the uterine excision device (UED), an electrosurgical element to the uterine manipulator for total laparoscopic hysterectomy. He also developed hybrid surgical mesh for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, and a pelvic device for control of hemorrhage during pelvic surgery.
But Dr. Morozov insists that a technology’s true value is realized when it makes a positive difference in the lives of patients with chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis and other conditions.
“It’s great to see the positive change we can bring to their lives,” he says.
The Future of Medicine
There may well be another medical Morozov on the way. The older of Dr. Morozov’s two sons is currently a sophomore, in the pre-med curriculum at the University of Maryland at College Park. What kind of clinical world will he inherit?
“I don’t think physicians will ever be replaced totally, but many more things will be done semi-autonomously,” Dr. Morozov speculates. “What is certain is that our methods will continue to evolve. And being here at the Hospital Center helps me stay on top of everything that’s happening.”
