By Stephen D. Riley
AFRO Staff Writer
Dr. Lisa Masterson is one of the medical specialists on the television show The Doctors, and has a thriving practice in Los Angeles, Calif and provides care to patients internationally through her charity Maternal Fetal Care International. (Courtesy Photo)
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(September 17, 2009) - Dr. Lisa M. Masterson is widely known as a medical specialist on the television show The Doctors, but to her female patients in the Los Angeles, Calif. area, she’s a life saver. In addition to her role on the show, Dr. Masterson is a specialist in obstetrics, gynecology, infertility, adolescent gynecology and family planning.
A staff member at the Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA, Masterson is also the founder and medical director of the Ocean Oasis Medical Spa in Santa Monica, Calif. When the directors of the show came calling for her services, both Masterson and the show’s executives figured it’d be a good match.
“They interviewed me and decided I was right for the show,” Masterson said. “Their goals for the show as far as educating people all around the world, giving them health information is something I do with my charity called Maternal Fetal Care International, so instead of doing it one person at a time, being able to have a lot of countries get the medical information that they don’t have privilege to is very exciting.”
As a gynecologist and obstetrician, Masterson knows preventative measures and routine checkups is extremely vital to women. “It’s very important, that’s what our whole show speaks to is that preventative care and preventative medicine is one of the No. 1 things to keeping a person healthy,” says Masterson. “... prevention is the key to just about everything, so living healthy, exercising and going to all your preventative diagnostics tests like mammograms, colonoscopies, bone densities, doing your breast health exams, things like that are very important.”
With breast cancer being such a major issue amongst women, Masterson couldn’t stress the importance of preventative screenings enough when asked about breast health. “We don’t have a cure, so we have things to try and alleviate people from getting reoccurrences or from the disease progressing so the earlier you catch breast cancer the better your chances are of surviving the cancer. Your best chance is for the earliest detection so that’s why you want to go in for your screening test because you ideally want to pick it up in its earliest stages.” Masterson said.
Masterson is no stranger to television audiences. Guest appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Dr. Phil and The Oprah Winfrey Show have made her a household name. As a regular on The Doctors, Masterson has received the type of recognition that comes with being a television star. “Every place I go people ask me about their healthcare questions whether I’m at the airport or the store or anything like that, they feel free to approach me and I think that’s great,” says Masterson.
But Masterson isn’t on the show for recognition. The concept of promoting healthy decisions and potentially saving lives is what drives the doctor. The show’s design was to help and inform people of all kinds. Masterson sees the show as a good venue for making a difference in and educating women abou their health. “I think it will help women be very proactive in their health care,” Masterson says. “I think it will help them feel comfortable with their bodies, promote self image, I hope that it will empower women and give them more information to not only help themselves but their family members, their spouses, their children and help them have longer, happier, quality lives.”