Dr. Richard Cockrum

Patient Feedback

Patterns Across Patient Feedback

Endometriosis Focus

Endometriosis Listed First in a Gynecologic Pain Practice

The practice sits inside a division called Gynecological Pain and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Endeavor Health Medical Group, with offices in Skokie, Glenview, and Chicago. This is a subspecialty division rather than a general gynecology practice. Endometriosis is listed first among the nine conditions treated, ahead of fibroids, ovarian cysts, and chronic pelvic pain. The role also includes leading a regional referral program for chronic pelvic pain.

Healthgrades, Sharecare, and WebMD all publish treatment frequency drawn from insurance billing records. All three place endometriosis among the conditions treated far more often than similar providers, alongside chronic pelvic pain and uterine fibroids. That confirms endometriosis makes up a large share of the caseload. It does not show whether the surgery performed was excision or ablation, or the wuality of the surgeries.

Fellowship training was completed in 2021 in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, a general surgical subspecialty rather than an endometriosis specific program. This was the first fellowship class the program ever trained. Eleven years in practice as of 2026, with an academic title of Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

No obstetrics appears anywhere in the practice. No deliveries, prenatal care, or obstetric procedures are listed, and every primary source agrees. WebMD does describe care through pregnancy and delivery, and Vitals lists expertise in childbirth and caesarean section while omitting endometriosis entirely. Both are contradicted by the health system's own records, this could be inaccurate or from earlier in his career. 

Multidisciplinary Approach

Supportive Care at Division Level, No Named Surgical Team

The department where he works says it offers care from pelvic floor physical therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists working alongside the surgeons, plus hormone treatment and medication mixed to order by a pharmacy. Nothing published says whether he personally uses those services for his own patients. The fellowship run by this division describes working with practitioners from urogynecology, physical therapy, colorectal surgery, and gastroenterology.

No standing surgical team for complex endometriosis is published. Endometriosis can grow on the bowel, bladder, ureters, and diaphragm, and removing it from those places usually requires a second surgeon from another specialty operating alongside the gynecologic surgeon. No such arrangement is described, and no capability in those areas is described.

Diagnosis Methods

Imaging Research Background, No Published Diagnostic Approach

The regional referral program for chronic pelvic pain is described as offering personalized diagnostic options, without further detail on what that involves. There is one unusual credential here. This surgeon is first author of a 2024 study that used ultrasound and MRI to measure blood flow and oxygen levels in the uterus during menstrual pain. Hands on research experience with MRI at that level is rare among surgeons. A message sent to Wulf Women describes a pelvic MRI broken down in detail before surgery, with a correct prediction of stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis that was confirmed during the operation.

Educational Presence

A National Research Award, and Almost No Public Endo Presence

A book chapter appears in Management of Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Practical Manual, published by Cambridge University Press in 2021, a volume that includes contributions from several recognized endometriosis surgeons. The specific contribution is Chapter 6, on the pharmacological management of patients with pelvic pain. The endometriosis chapter in that same book was written by a different surgeon. Two conference abstracts were presented at the annual AAGL congress in 2020 and 2022, and a fellowship research lecture was delivered at University of Chicago grand rounds.

Outside of that, the public endometriosis research is sparset. No personal or professional social media account of any kind with endometriosis was found, no podcast appearances, and no video produced by this surgeon. The only existing video is a short introduction produced by the health system. There is no presenter listing at any endometriosis specific meeting, including the World Endometriosis Society, the International Pelvic Pain Society, the Endometriosis Summit, and the Endometriosis Foundation of America symposium. The entire conference record is with AAGL.

Post-Surgical Care

Described Only in Patient Accounts

No public information has been found on how soon the first follow up appointment happens, how long patients continue to be seen after surgery, or what the position is on hormonal treatment or birth control afterward. Nothing published by the practice or the health system addresses post surgical care for endometriosis patients.

Everything known comes from patient accounts. Healthgrades reviews describe questions answered promptly both before and after surgery, and one describes continuing care across a longer period. A message sent to Wulf Women describes thorough follow up four weeks after surgery, including a recorded walkthrough of the surgical photographs. A separate account describes being referred onward to other specialists when pain did not improve after surgery.

Philosophy and Fit

Listening First, and Openness to Surgical or Nonsurgical Treatment

Two published statements describe his approach. The first says the philosophy is to listen to the patient first, that symptoms, experiences, and past responses to treatment often reveal the best next step, and that the role is to guide and support that process. The second says the aim is to provide high quality, complex gynecologic care that honors patients' values and goals, whether that means surgical or nonsurgical treatment.