Gail Greendale, M.D.

Gail Greendale, M.D., received her B.A. degree at Cornell University and M.D. degree at State University of New York at Buffalo. Her internship and residency in General Internal Medicine were completed at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, where she also served as Chief Medical Resident. Dr. Greendale next completed a fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at Harvard Medical School.  

Dr. Greendale has been committed to study of women’s health for 20 years, commencing with her fellowship project in 1987, continuing with unbroken government funding for research from 1989 to present. She is recognized authority in evidence-based menopause clinical practice and has conducted research in a broad array of menopause-related topics. She was a founding member of North American Menopause Society, Served on its Board and remains on the editorial board of the Society journal. 

Since joining the UCLA faculty in 1989, Dr. Greendale has led a dozen scientific studies related to the treatment of menopause. She led the UCLA section of the Post-menopausal Estrogen/Progestins Intervention Trial (PEPI), the first large government-sponsored trial examining cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women. Dr. Greendale subsequently led studies on the effect of hormones on breast tissue density as measured by mammograms; the treatment of menopause symptoms in breast cancer survivors; and osteoporosis.  

Dr. Greendale also has an interest in complementary and alternative therapies. She has received funding to study Yoga for the treatment of spine abnormalities that develop with aging. She is also collaborating with Dr. Dawn Upchuruch from the UCLA School of Public Health to study the use of acupuncture for treatment of menopausal hot flashes. She has just received a multimillion dollar award to study the effect of plant estrogens on multiple health outcomes in women, including hot flashes, cognitive function, and urinary incontinence.