Elizabeth R. Mueller, MD, MSME

Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Professor, Division and Fellowship Director Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr. Elizabeth R. Mueller MD, MSME, is a Professor of Urology and Obstetrics/Gynecology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She is also Division and Fellowship Director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Program.  She was a registered nurse and later completed a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla and a MS in Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. She practiced as an engineer and business manager with Procter and Gamble for 6 years before attending St. Louis University’s School of Medicine. She completed her urology residency and FPMRS fellowship at Loyola University. She is board-certified in both.

Dr. Mueller is an NIH-funded researcher with an interest in minimally invasive (laparoscopic and vaginal) approaches to pelvic organ prolapse. She is a principle investigator and member of the NIDDK funded consortium on the Prevention of Lower Urinary Symptoms (PLUS) in women.   Other areas of research interest include using 3-D ultrasound of the pelvic floor for pelvic floor disorders and management of surgical complications, understanding the urinary microbiome and its relationship to lower urinary tract symptoms. She is a gifted educator and has received numerous awards including Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine’s “Attending of the Year”, the Society of Women in Urology Christina Manthos Mentoring Award and the American Urogynecological Society Raymond Lee Lecture Award given to one person annually who contributed to the development and surgical advancement of urogynecology.  In 2019, she was awarded a American Urological Association Presidential Citation for contributions in founding the field of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and substantial research in this area. She is also the mother to incredible 16-year old twins, Jonathan and Mia Rose.

Pamela Artigas

Executive Director – Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community

Pamela Artigas is a mother by choice of a child with bladder exstrophy. Pamela has a passion for and an understanding of this rare medical condition. In 2009, Pamela adopted her then 4-year-old daughter from China who was born with bladder exstrophy. Since bringing her daughter home, Pamela has dealt with the many hurdles of raising a child with exstrophy including her daughter’s complete primary repair after a late and failed initial closure while in a Chinese orphanage.

Since then, Pamela has made it her life’s mission to develop a global support network with medical credibility. As President and Executive Director of A-BE-C, Pamela’s leadership goals are to forge partnerships with patients, their families, and the medical community to enhance the care and clinical outcomes, provide value and improve the quality of life for children born with this condition. A-BE-C provides often hopeless parents around the world with the information, guidance and resources they need to seek treatment.

Pamela brings to A-BE-C over twenty years of business and nonprofit experience, including significant roles in management, program and organizational development, strategic and business planning and business development. She has been actively involved as a volunteer on a global level, most notably for her ongoing fundraising and advocacy efforts on behalf of children from underserved countries living with bladder exstrophy. Pamela attended the University of Tennessee as a business major and received her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.