"Dr. Anika Ackerman is a urologist with specialized areas of interest in sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, kidney stone disease, and BPH. Dr. Ackerman has been pursuing education in cosmetic medicine and training since medical school. She feels it is a privilege to be a physician and to help patients improve their health and well-being. She is also a firm believer in the statement, “If you don’t like something about yourself, change it.” Dr. Ackerman strives to remain on the cutting edge of medicine and to practice compassionately as if she were treating her own parent or sibling. She uses her TikTok channel to educate both men and women about sexual dysfunction, hoping to break the taboo about talking about sexual health.

I grew up and went to medical school in New Jersey, before heading to Duke for my residency. Midway through, I transferred to Columbia to finish my urology residency. I then moved back to Morristown, NJ to begin work at a urology practice. That led me to COR Med Spa, a spa that intrigued me because they were building out a sexual wellness program. It’s such a taboo subject for women to discuss their sexual desires, so I saw this as my opportunity to give females the attention they deserve.

It can be daunting when starting a career in sexual dysfunction. You can lack confidence for a number of reasons, and begin to wonder how you can incorporate it into your daily practice. It was hard having those initial conversations with patients, as most are afraid to ask the questions that need to be asked in order to get to the bottom of their issues. There are a lot of patients who don’t realize there’s a correlation between one of their health issues and sexual dysfunction, and correcting the blood pressure or managing diabetes will help to correct the issue. As a urologist specializing in sexual dysfunction, the biggest lesson I learned was that patients wanted to ask these questions, I just needed to get the conversation going.

It’s my goal to use my TikTok channel as a way to make sexual health both fun and educational. Before I had my channel, my reach only went as far as my patients, but with a platform like TikTok, my reach goes much further than the waiting room. I’m able to educate women about treatments they may have never heard of, whether it be for incontinence or sexual dysfunction. I’ve had patients drive more than two hours because they saw my videos, and I’ve been recognized in the ER. This new chapter of education is helping me normalize and bring awareness to sexual health and dysfunction, making it less taboo for both men and women to talk about."

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You can follow me on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.anika.ackerman) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dr.anika.ackerman/?hl=en).