Amelia Jernigan, MD, FACOG
Degrees
2005 - B.S. Newcomb College of Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
2009 - M.D. Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2013 - Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
2016 - Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Biography
Dr. Amelia Jernigan is a Gynecologic Oncologist with the LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She completed her medical degree at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA where she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. She then completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, where she served as Administrative Chief Resident and won the Ungula Sinistra award in recognition of her surgical skills and exceptional care of women with gynecologic cancer. This was followed by a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. As a Gynecologic Oncologist she specializes in the comprehensive care of gynecologic conditions. She has expertise in advanced surgical procedures - both minimally invasive approaches and radical surgical resections - and she treats both gynecologic cancers and complex benign gynecologic conditions. She also administers systemic anticancer therapies including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal agents. She works closely with other cancer care experts and team members such as radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, palliative medicine providers, general obstetrician gynecologists to ensure that you have a clear, well-rounded, and evidence based treatment plan.
Dr. Jernigan is a Fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Gynecology Oncology. She is an active member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and serves on the Communications Committee. She is also an active member of the NRG and serves on the Rare Tumors Committees. She has published and presented dozens of scientific abstracts and articles over the past several years and is actively engaged in research, hoping to advance the care and treatment options available to women with gynecologic cancers.
Research interests & productivity
List of published articles authored by Dr. Jernigan on pubmed
Dr. Jernigan has is passionate about advancing cancer care options and cancer care delivery for our brave patients. Below are some descriptions of some of her research and academic contributions.
- Obesity is a risk factor for the development of endometrial cancer. While endometrial
cancer often presents early and cure is attainable, when followed over time, women
diagnosed with endometrial cancer are more likely to die of obesity related complications
and comorbidities. Much of my early research focused on how gynecologic oncologists
approach obesity in endometrial cancer survivors. In a survey of gynecologic oncologists,
I found that gynecologic oncologists want to address obesity, but feel they lack the
training to do so. In a separate survey of endometrial cancer survivors, we confirmed
that gynecologic oncologists do not routinely address this with patients. Utilizing
the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we confirmed that morbidly
obese patients with endometrial cancer are more likely to have preoperative morbidities,
experience postoperative complications, and were less likely to undergo a minimally
invasive surgical approach. Finally, I performed a prospective cohort study in which
121 obese endometrial cancer survivors were counseled on weight loss and offered referrals
to bariatric specialists; only 17% complied with referral, but 59% reported initiating
a weight loss attempt. I demonstrated that women were more likely to act on their
obesity if they were counseled about it early in the course of their cancer care.
I served as the primary investigator or co-investigator in all of these studies.
- Jernigan AM, Tergas AI, Satin AJ, Fader AN. Obesity Management in Gynecologic Cancer Survivors: Provider Practices and Attitudes. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2013 May; 208(5)408e1-8.
- Mahdi H, Jernigan AM, Lockhart D, Kebria MM. The impact of obesity on the 30-day morbidity and mortality after surgery for endometrial cancer. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. July 23, 2014. PMID: 25064420
- Jernigan AM, Maurer KA, Cooper K, Rose PG, Michener CM. Referring Survivors of Endometrial Cancer and Complex Atypical Hyperplasia to Bariatric Specialists: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. May 14, 2015; PMID: 25981846
- Tseng JH, Long Roche K, Jernigan AM, Salani R, Bristow RE, Fader AN. Lifestyle and Weight Management Counseling in Uterine Cancer Survivors: A Uterine Cancer Action Network Study. International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer. September2015; PMID: 25966932
- Jernigan AM. Reply. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. September 25, 2015; PMID: 26408084
- I am very interested in enhancing perioperative care by making surgical approaches
more minimally invasive and enhancing postoperative recovery. From my earliest years,
I have been interested in how we can accomplish excellent cancer outcomes but improve
the patient experience and minimize the side effects of treatments. Prior to my career
in gynecologic oncology, I worked with a breast surgeon on a project outlining the
excellent outcomes associated with axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant
chemotherapy for breast cancer. Moving forward, I performed a randomized controlled
trial in residency finding that the administration of sugar-free chewing gum after
laparotomy resulted in lower rates of postoperative ileus. Later, I developed a keen
interest in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. I compiled a comprehensive review
of minimally invasive approaches for gynecologic cancer surgery. With colleagues,
I published a case report on a rare pregnancy complication after robotic myomectomy,
uterine diverticulum. I have also published on the long-term outcomes of patients
after single-port laparoscopy for gynecologic cancer surgery and removal of adnexal
masses; the modality is safe and feasible, but long term incisional hernia rates exceed
20% in high risk groups. I served as the primary investigator or co-investigator in
all of these studies.
- Schwartz GF, Tannenbaum JE, Jernigan AM, Palazzo JP. Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for carcinoma of the breast. Cancer. 2010 Mar 1;116(5):1243-51
- Jernigan AM, Chen CC, Sewell CA. A randomized trial of chewing gum to prevent postoperative ileus after laparotomy for benign gynecologic surgery. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. July 21, 2014. PMID: 25147092
- Jernigan AM, Auer M, Fader AN, Escobar P. Minimally Invasive Surgery in Gynecologic Oncology: A Review of the Applications and Evidence for Traditional, Robotic, and Single-Port Laparoscopic Approaches to Gynecologic Malignancies. Women's Health. 2012 May 8(3):239-50
- Destephano CC, Jernigan AM, Szymanski LM. Iatrogenic Uterine Diverticulum in Pregnancy Following Robotic Assisted Myomectomy. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, March 28, 2015; PMID: 25827328
- Moulton L, Jernigan AM, Carr C, Freeman L, Escobar PF, Michener CM. CM. Single Port Laparoscopy in Gynecologic Oncology: Seven years of experience at a Single Institution. Am J Obstet Gynecol June 2017; PMID: 28619688
- Moulton L, Jernigan AM, Michener CM. Single Port Laparoscopy for removal of Adnexal Masses in Patients Referred to Gynecologic Oncology. J Minim Invasiv Gynecol. Nov-Dec 2017 PMID 28673874
- Chambers LM, Carr C, Freeman L, Jernigan AM, Michener CM. Does surgical platform impact recurrence and survival? A study of utilization of multiport, single-port, and robotic-assisted laparoscopy in endometrial cancer surgery. Am J Obstet Gynecol May 2019 PMID 31075245
- I have published on the treatment of rare tumors and common tumors presenting in a
rare fashion. Ovarian carcinosarcoma is a very rare form of epithelial ovarian carcinoma;
In one of the largest published series of patients with this condition, I demonstrated
the improved survival associated with optimal cytoreduction and a trend towards improved
survival with platinum based chemotherapy. Later I published one of the largest series
of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer with brain metastasis, which is a very
rare in the disease process. I reported a very high rate of a family history concerning
for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and BRCA mutation in patients who were tested,
suggesting a potential link between homologous repair deficiency and distant metastasis
and with potential implications for treatment and surveillance in women with homologous
repair deficient mutations. Later, I helped compile single and multi-institutional
treatment outcomes for women with low grade serous ovarian cancer, a rare and very
chemoresistent tumor. While low grade serous ovarian cancer is not classically sensitive
to the platinum based therapy usually employed in epithelial ovarian cancers, we documented
activity of bevacizumab in this tumor. Additionally, we documented the potential benefit
of hormonal manipulation with aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen for women in the adjuvant
setting after cytoreductive surgery in lieu of platinum based chemotherapy. I served
as the primary investigator or co-investigator in all of these studies.
- Jernigan AM, Fader AN, Nutter B, Rose P, Tseng J, Escobar PF. Ovarian Carcinosarcoma: Effects of Cytoreductive Status and Platinum-Based Chemotherapy on Survival. Obsetetrics and Gynecology International. 2013 May 27
- Jernigan AM, Mahdi H, Rose P. Epithelial ovarian cancer metastatic to the central nervous system and a family history concerning for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer - a potential relationship. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. September 2015; PMID: 26067864
- Rose PG, Mahdi H, Jernigan AM, Yang B. Activity of Bevacizumab in Patients with Low Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma. International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer. July 2016; PMID: 27258727
- Fader AN, Bergstrom J, Jernigan A, Tanner EJ, Long Roche K, Stone RL, Levinson KL, Ricci S, Wethington S, Temkin SM, Wang TL, Shih LM, Yang B, Zhang G, ArmstrongDK, Gaillard S, Rose PG. Primary Cytoreductive Surgery and Adjuvant Hormonal Monotherapy in Women with Advanced Low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: Reducing Overtreatment without compromising survival? Gynecologic Oncology July 2017 PMID 28768570
- Barriers to access and care are critical to understand ways to improve outcomes of
the largest underserved population in the world, women. Collaborating with psychiatrists,
we surveyed gynecologic cancer survivors and were able to document high levels of
anxiety with low family and social well-being; we also showed that patients with high
levels of depression and anxiety were difficult to engage with a psychiatric provider.
Later, using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, we evaluated the association
between African American race and 30 day postoperative complications and mortality,
finding that African American race was not an independent predictor of poor outcomes
in the short term. However, we did find that African Americans were underrepresented
in quality seeking hospitals, which may explain some healthcare outcomes described
in the general literature. Finally, I conducted a survey study in which I traveled
to domestic violence shelters in Ohio and surveyed women on with a history of intimate
partner violence on barriers to cervical cancer screening. We found that access-related
barriers were more common in women who were not up to date with cervical cancer screening
and suggested self-sampling as a potentially feasible approach in this population.
I served as the co-investigator in all of these studies. More recently I have initiated
a study evaluating rates of guideline adherent genetic testing and counseling in women
with endometrial cancer in Louisiana as the senior author; data collection is ongoing.
- Kimmel MC, Gerardi M, Jernigan AM, Belozer A, Giuntoli RL, Diaz-Montes T. The importance of social support for women with elevated anxiety undergoing care for gynecologic malignancies. International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer. November 24, 2014; 24(9):1700-8; PMID: 25340295
- Mahdi H, Jernigan AM, Kebria MM, Rose PG. Racial disparity in 30-day morbidity and mortality after surgery for ovarian cancer. International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer. November 25, 2014; PMID: 25427238
- Levinson KL, Jernigan, AM, Flocke SA, Tergas AI, Gunderson CC, Huh WK, Wilkinson-Ryan I, Lawson, PJ, Fader AN, Belinson JL. Intimate Partner Violence and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening: A Gynecologic Oncology Fellow Research Network Study. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease.January2016; PMID:26704329
- Most recently, I have become interested in academic research and publishing practices,
particularly as they relate to the trainee. We conducted a survey study of gynecologic
oncology fellows and documented very high rates on noncompliance with ethical and
regulatory research standards. In particular, 53% of respondents reported non-secure
storage of protected health information and 45.5% reported assigning authorship criteria
to someone who failed to meet the standard International Committee of Medical Journal
Editors authorship criteria. I served as the senior and primary investigator in these
studies.
- Moulton LJ, Michener CM, Levinson KL, Cobb L, Tseng J, Jernigan AM. Compliance with Research Standards within Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship: A Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Research Network (GOFRN) Study. Gynecologic Oncology September 2017 PMID 28698010