Kathy Kates is an experienced, AANC board certified bilingual Family Nurse Practitioner and pelvic floor therapist. She created a grant-awarded pelvic floor therapy program at a federally qualified health center to help women, men and transgender patients with pelvic and sexual pain. Kathy has been invited to lecture on pelvic health at the Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) conference, the Partners in Perinatal Health conference and at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Annual Community Health Institute. <br /> <br /> Kathy is a lifelong learner. She is a member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH). She studied myofascial release with John Barnes (PT). She participated in the inaugural “Integral Touch of Birth” workshop in which she learned to integrate the Spinning Babies™ approach to help women bring balance to the pelvis during pregnancy. She has completed coursework through the Barral Institute in visceral manipulation. She also attended the inaugural Herbert Benson MD course in Mind Body Medicine.<br /> <br /> Prior to her medical training, Kathy was a professional musician, playing locally with the Boston Pops and also traveling the world. Her two career paths, while disparate, have each served to foster a lifelong curiosity about the body from a biomechanical perspective. Her passion lies in educating others on how they can function optimally in order to live their healthiest lives. Kathy offers a unique perspective, not only as a medical provider, but also as a patient who has experienced pelvic pain after treatment for breast cancer.