Dr. Mary Claire Haver

No part of this podcast or any related materials are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

One day, I came across a social media post from an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jocelyn Whitstein.

She was explaining the key lifestyle strategy she uses to prevent osteoporosis.

It caught my eye because I'd been receiving a little bit of flex on social media by the weighted vest haters.

Immediately, I shared her post on my page.

I know my followers would want to hear this too.

I was right.

It blew up.

Tens of thousands of women were tagging their friends saying, why has no one ever told us this before?

I quickly learned more about Dr. Wittstein.

She's a practicing orthopedic surgeon, a researcher, and an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University and a mom of five.

She isn't just another expert giving bone health tips.

She's lived this science from every angle, as an athlete, a clinician, and as a woman navigating midlife herself.

I knew I had to invite her to the podcast.

Her research interests are female athlete across the lifespan, post-traumatic arthritis after knee injuries, frozen shoulder, and the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause.

She's the president of the Forum, Women in Sports Medicine.

She's also a core leadership member of the Duke Female Athlete Program and a member of the Milken Institute Women's Health Initiative.

She is the co-author of The Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan.

Dr. Whitstein's work is changing how we think about musculoskeletal health across the female lifespan, from injury prevention to joint health, and how menopause hormones and movement intersect with our long-term independence and quality of life.

Today, she and I will talk about osteoarthritis, how it disproportionately affects women, why frozen shoulder loves midlife, and how hormones influence pain and bone strength, and how hormone therapy fits into the bigger picture of prevention versus treatment.