Rugilė Kančaitė, MD

Rugilė Kančaitė is a doctor and a former OB-GYN resident who now works as a freelance health writer, medical advisor, and content reviewer. She is dedicated to empowering individuals assigned female at birth and debunking myths and stigma related to women's health.

Education:

– MD, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
– Obstetrics and Gynaecology residency, Vilnius University (unfinished)

Expertise and professional focus:

The key focus points of Rugilė's work are women’s health, obstetrics and gynecology, and medical writing. She has gained the required knowledge and expertise as a former OB-GYN resident, adding women's health startups as a medical advisor to her arsenal, thus becoming a published health writer in the health industry. She's also a member of the Lithuanian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists where she shares her knowledge with experts in the field.

Professional affiliations and media features:

– Former contributor to the largest Lithuanian news and media website
– Spokeswoman on various shows
– Featured on numerous press releases
– Public speaker and informal educator

Approach to health:

"Knowledge is a human right; and if there’s a gap of awareness about one’s body and health, one cannot make an informed choice on what’s best for them. That’s why I believe that empowering each and every patient by providing comprehensive, evidence-based health information, as well as debunking myths about their bodies, is absolutely crucial to better health outcomes in the long run. This is especially relevant when it comes to people assigned female at birth, when inaccurate information or absence of knowledge in general can be life-altering and lead to tragic consequences."

What Rugilė thinks is the biggest health-related issue today:

"Reproductive rights: the right to family planning and safe pregnancy termination. With numerous countries — including the U.S. — implementing or idealizing ultraconservative policies about women’s bodies, we must protect the right of people assigned female at birth to make autonomous decisions for themselves. This is a human right. Providing accurate information is a lethal weapon for fighting violations of human rights. Here, we are able to deliver objective and evidence-based information based on real science and current medical knowledge – not ideology."