Three years ago, the husband-wife team of doctors Charles C.H. Edwards and Maritza Gattereau-Edwards turned their vision of a ?surgi-center? in Manhattan into a reality. The Acu-Med Surgical/Medical Facility in Greenwich Village is a thriving obstetrics-gynecology and pediatric care center with state-of-the-art surgical suites for the treatment of most gynecologic problems. ?Space is available for other specialists to perform outpatient minor procedures,? says Edwards, who performs gynecologic laser surgery in office and at hospitals.
The Manhattan center complements the couple?s Acu-Med Ambulatory Laser and Surgery Associates facility in Jamaica, Queens.
Edwards is a pioneer in the application of laser technology for the treatment of fibroids. A specialist in OB-GYN for more than 20 years, he is one of New York?s few gynecologic laparoscopic laser surgeons for the treatment of infertility, fibroid tumors, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, condyloma, abnormal bleeding, reconstructive pelvic surgery, bladder problems and uterine prolapse. He now uses ?Lyra? laser technology for cosmetic services, such as the removal of leg veins and the treatment of shaving bumps, and is awaiting FDA approval of the same technology in the treatment of severe acne. Prior to this technology, dark-complexioned and tanned patients were not treated with a laser due to the high absorbency of light in the pigment of the skin, he says.
Edwards is an attending physician at St. Vincent?s Hospital where he trains other New York metropolitan-area physicians. He?s also an assistant clinical professor at SUNY?Health Science Center in Brooklyn and a clinical instructor at New York Medical College. Born in Cura?ao, Netherlands Antilles, he is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Dutch and Papiemento (the indigenous language of Cura?ao).
Gattereau-Edwards, a pediatrician, has a special interest in treating skin disorders, asthma and infectious diseases. She is affiliated with St. Vincent?s Hospital, where she also teaches, and is a member of the Queens Pediatric Society. She serves on the board of directors of St. Vincent?s Services, which establishes guidelines for the allocation of monies for programs affecting abandoned children, adults with developmental disabilities and individuals in need of counseling.
As director of Ambulatory Care Services in Pediatrics at the Metropolitan Hospital Center at New York Medical College, Gattereau-Edwards coordinated a community health fair on asthma and diabetes, gave lectures on the effects of obesity on children and adolescents and teamed with a nutritionist to coordinate a weight management program for children and adolescents. Born in Haiti, she is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
