Extrapelvic Not Rare was created in 2018 by Dr. Wendy Bingham, DPT. It is a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to advance awareness, education, and prompt policy changes that leads to earlier recognition, reduced mis and delayed diagnosis of endometriosis of disease outside of the reproductive system and local area among persons afab. EPNR’s target audience includes healthcare disciplines and general public about endometriosis as a disease with bodywide potential.
Board of directors:
Dr. Wendy Bingham, DPT
Executive Director and Founder; President: Board of Directors
Dr. Wendy Bingham, DPT, with more than 20 years in medicine, has experienced endometriosis for 33 years, 30 of which were gas-lit by conventional medicine.
As a thoracic endometriosis (TE) patient herself, Dr. Bingham is also a leading researcher and founder of Extrapelvicnotrare.org.
Considered “the voice” of the TE community, she established EPNR to reduce the gap between medical professionals’ limited, oft outdated knowledge and perceptions of endometriosis, to that of persons living with the disease in traditionally ‘rare’ locations. Dr. Bingham brings awareness about, education of, and attention to, all extrapelvic endometriosis. She uses a blended language of science, medical research and personal experience for audiences of healthcare professionals and the public to stimulate conversation about endometriosis as a body-wide disease NOT confined to the reproductive system of persons afab.
Dr. Bingham established the first nonprofit and website exclusively dedicated to extrapelvic endometriosis. She recently presented for The Endometriosis Summit’s annual event in Orlando, Florida and to Iceland’s Minister of Health and Members of Parliament by invitation of the Endometriosis Association of Iceland, both in 2022. She has appeared as a panelist and presenter of webinars to the public, support groups, nonprofits and healthcare students. Additional activities include a series of animated short videos, highlighting issues specific to extrapelvic disease; guest interview for podcasts and recently outreach activities, commencing with women’s fairs with projection to include health/wellness and professional association conferences, as pandemic resolution permits.
As a medical practitioner, Dr. Bingham understands the importance of scientific method and its role in medical advances. As such, support and execution of research, translational to patient care, is part of EPNR’s mission. October 2021, EPNR closed its first research project “Survey of a Select Population of Persons with Surgical Diagnosis of Thoracic/Diaphragm Endometriosis and Their Medical Encounters from Symptom Onset Through Surgical Diagnosis”. Data analysis and draft for publication of results are currently underway.
Prior to EPNR, Dr. Bingham participated in the NCD Alliance ‘NCD’s and Me’ campaign; a catalyst to the World Health Organizations recent acknowledgement of Endometriosis as a global disease and need to develop local-to-global policy changes to address social and economic injustices persons with endometriosis encounter (NCD Story). Dr. Bingham obtained a BS in General Science at Oregon State University, Master of Physical Therapy at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (MPT) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Temple University.
Dana Bowling, JD
Dana is a lawyer and pelvic health yoga teacher, as well as an extrapelvic endometriosis patient. Her professional interests currently center around serving small business owners in the equine and wellness industries. She began her legal career in the field of property subrogation, representing national insurance carriers, as well as family law mediation/litigation, where she helped families cope with various challenges and worked to protect the interests of domestic violence survivors.
In order to pursue her interests in wellness and yoga on a larger scale, Dana left the full-time practice of law and opened a yoga studio in her hometown several years ago. As a certified pelvic floor yoga teacher, she helps people cope with the challenges posed by endometriosis and other conditions that affect the pelvic floor through yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Dana also actively volunteers with New Jersey’s 4-H Youth Development program and serves as President of her county’s Horse Advisory Council.
Dana graduated from William & Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2004 after completing her undergraduate studies at Rutgers University’s Douglass College in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 2001. She also is a certified 500RYT yoga teacher with specialized training in pelvic floor yoga and related modalities. Dana currently resides on a farm in southern New Jersey with her family, horses, chickens, cats and dogs.
Perry Salzhauer, JD LLM
Board of Directors: Secretary
Perry is a corporate and environmental attorney (partner/shareholder) with Greenlight Law Group. He represents and advises, both public and private entities to ensure compliance with laws. His professional interests include sustainability and environmental conservation as they pertain to land-use and business development. In addition, Perry works with businesses to streamline business costs and maximize productivity and profit. He began his professional career in Washington DC, later practicing in and maintains licensure in the states of New York and Oregon.
In recent years Perry served as a chairman for the Cannabis Law Committee of the Oregon State Bar.
Perry graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville TN (LD) and received a post-graduate certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law (LLM) from Lewis and Clark Law School, Portland, OR. Perry has witnessed the effects of endometriosis on his spouse’s quality of life and understands the impact it has on the person’s support system. Perry currently resides in Seattle, WA with his wife.
Scientific Advisory Committee:
Nick Fogelson
MD FACOG
Dr. Nicholas Fogelson is a board-certified and fellowship-trained gynecologist and gynecologic surgeon in Portland, OR, and the founder of Northwest Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery.
Dr. Fogelson is committed to providing absolutely world class surgical care to women with complex gynecologic surgical issues including endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, fibroids, pelvic organ prolapse, and incontinence.
Our practice sees patients from Oregon, Washington, Alaska, California, Idaho, Utah, as well as patients from around the country and the world for advanced endometriosis care as well as other gynecologic surgical needs.
Dr. Fogelson focuses on minimally invasive surgical techniques for all surgeries, and is able to complete the vast majority of surgeries via laparoscopy (keyhole surgery), even in cases that might be performed open by many surgeons.
Dr. Fogelson is one of the few surgeons in the country to focus nearly exclusively in the area of endometriosis care, including the management of very complex cases including bowel, urinary tract, and thoracic disease. He is also one of just a handful in the USA to have entered into formal training in the field of neuropelveology, a field dedicated to a deep neurologic understanding of pain and neurosensory dysfunction and new surgical and non-surgical approaches to its management.
Dr. Fogelson is also an in demand speaker and educator on the topic of advanced gynecologic surgery and endometriosis, and gives educational talks and tutors other surgeons both locally and at national and international meetings.
Dr. Fogelson’s career history includes a long history of service in academic medical centers, with previous faculty positions at University of Hawai’i, University of South Carolina, and Emory University, where he was also Chief of Service for Gynecologic Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and the first specialty focused minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon at Emory University. Dr. Fogelson moved to Portland, OR in 2015 to enter private practice as part of Pearl Women’s Center, a practice focused on high quality gynecologic care and surgery. Dr. Fogelson left the practice in 2018 to start Northwest Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery (though we presently still reside in the physical space of Pearl Women’s Center).
Wendy Bingham
DPT
(See bio above)
Bethany Dixon
MSN, RN, CNOR
Bethany Dixon is a registered nurse with over 15 years experience primarily in surgical services, nursing education, and labor and delivery/high-risk OB. Bethany is passionate about healthcare education and uses her years of experience to enhance her work as a Clinical Editor/Medical Writer.
As an endometriosis patient, Bethany suffered with symptoms for many years before finally receiving a diagnosis in March of 2021. As both an endometriosis patient and healthcare provider, Bethany feels strongly about increasing awareness of endometriosis and encouraging those who are or suspect they are suffering from endometrioses to advocate for themselves.
Bethany obtained her AS in Nursing from Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC and her MS in Nursing Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington In Wilmington, NC. She is a Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR). Bethany currently resides in Western North Carolina, and in her free time enjoys spending time with her dog, practicing yoga, rock climbing, and reading.
Joseph S. Raccuia
MD
Robert P Sutcliffe
MA MB BChir MD FRCS
Originally Published: August 8th, 2018
Last Updated: February 6th, 2023