Resident Research and Alumni Day is an annual event in which residents present their research results within their residency in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We invite our Obstetrics and Gynecology alumni to attend this significant day to support our current residents.
Richard Legro, MD – “Preconception Interventions in Infertile Women: Do They Work?”
Interim Chair and Vice Chair of Research, Penn State Health Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine
Dr. Richard S. Legro is Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA and Co-Director of the Hub Resource Capacity Core at the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
His research and clinical practice are primarily focused on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – diagnosis, treatment, and genetic/environmental causes as well as on improving infertility diagnosis and treatment. He has been continuously funded by the NIH for over twenty years as a principal investigator. He has designed and led multiple multi-center trials in the U.S. and China that have appeared in high impact journals. These trials have broadened the scope of infertility trials from stopping when the patient conceives to follow mothers and fetus up and through live birth and to capture all treatment and pregnancy-related adverse events in mother and infant. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. He has been elected and served as a member of the Executive Board and Chair of the Publications Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the Endocrine Society.
He serves as a subspecialty board oral examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is an Associate Editor for Fertility and Sterility and Human Reproduction Update and the Co-Editor in Chief of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. He has consulted for the NIH, the FDA, the WHO, and been selected for the Thousand Talents Program in China. He has received many awards including as Best and Top Doctor, has been inducted as a Fellow Ad Eundem to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK and received the 2017 Excellence in Clinical Research Award from the FUNDACIÓN IVI in Spain.
Catherine Ferguson, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Kern Institute for Transformation of Medical Education
Director of the Quality and Patient Safety Pathway for MCW Medical Students
Senior Associate Consultant
Chair, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Physiology & Biomedical Engineering
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
His medical degree was from Medical School of University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (1992-1997). He completed his residency Hospital das Clinicas Medical School of University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (1998-2001). Additional training included a Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, AP-HP, Université de Paris V, Paris, France (2001-2003) and Fetal Surgery fellowship at Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-em-Yvelines, France (2003-2004). He concluded his PhD thesis “Evaluation of lung volumes by 3D-ultrasonography in fetuses with diaphragmatic hernia congenital isolation” at Medical School of University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil in 2005.
Dr. Ruano has authored over 170 peer-reviewed articles (PUBMED) and 50 book chapters pertaining to maternal-fetal medicine, prenatal detection of congenital anomalies, 3D/4D fetal ultrasonography, and fetal surgery.
Dr. Ruano focuses his clinical efforts on developing and investigating new minimally invasive fetal therapies such as fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion (FETO) for congenital diaphragmatic hernia, fetal cystoscopy for fetal bladder obstruction and fetoscopic laser ablation for twin-twin transfusion syndrome.
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Academic Affairs
Designated Institutional Official
Professor of Integrated Medical Science, Division of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University
Lee A. Learman, MD, PhD, has been Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Academic Affairs since October 12, 2015 at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He is the Designated Institutional Official who is responsible for all residency and fellowship programs sponsored by the college as well as the recruitment of founding program directors for planned GME programs. The Academic Affairs role will comprise development and execution of College’s faculty development strategy, leadership for medical education scholarship and ongoing accreditation with LCME standards.
Dr. Learman comes to FAU from Indiana University, where he has served as the Clarence E. Ehrlich Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2008. He received his MD and a PhD in Social Psychology at Harvard Medical School in a program supported by the MacArthur Foundation to create a cadre of physician-social scientists in academic medicine. After completing his OBGYN residency at UCLA, Learman spent 14 years on the faculty at the UC San Francisco, where he was a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, OBGYN Residency Program Director, Director of Curricular Affairs for the Office of Graduate Medical Education, and Chair of the Scholarship Committee for the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.
Dr. Learman is engaged in a variety of national service roles. He is an oral examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a former member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a former member of the USMLE Management Committee. He serves as faculty, advisor and Advisory Committee Chair for a national faculty development program in OBGYN – the APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders Program, and is the past Chair of the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is President of the Society of Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Learman is the author of over 70 peer-reviewed publications including several contributions to the AAMC MedEdPORTAL. His scholarly work spans topics in gynecology, obstetrics and medical education including curriculum development and evaluation, learner assessment, and professionalism in the learning environment. He provides peer review service to over 15 journals including Academic Medicine, has served on the editorial board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and is Editor-in-Chief (Gynecology) of the Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey.
Learn more about the E. James Aiman, MD, Endowed Lectureship
Karen J Marcdante, MD
Karen J Marcdante, MD
Professor of Pediatric Critical Care
Director of PCCM Fellowship
Medical College of Wisconsin
Nicholas P. Illsley, D.Phil
Senior Scientist
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Hackensack University Medical Center
Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience
Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School
Dr. Illsley moved to Hackensack University Medical Center in 2012, following positions at the U.K. Medical Research Council’s Clinical Research Centre in London, the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Francisco and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. His research focuses on the human placenta, its mechanisms of maternal to fetal transport, metabolism and role in the regulation of fetal growth. He has studied diabetic pregnancy, fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia and pregnancies subject to chronic hypoxia. He has published more than 80 articles in scientific journals on these topics. He has been awarded multiple research grants, primarily from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with continuous funding since 1988. Dr. Illsley has been instrumental in developing and promoting the NIH Human Placenta Project, a 10-year effort to devise real-time methods for examining placental function.
Dr. Illsley is a leader in his field, helping to found both the Placenta Association of the Americas for which he served as the first President (2001-2011) and the International Federation of Placenta Associations for which he is completing a five-year term as President. He has served on several journal editorial boards and on the Council of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation and Perinatal Research Society. He was a charter member of the NIH Human Embryology and Development Study Section and continues to serve on multiple NIH study sections, reviewing research in perinatal medicine. Dr. Illsley has now put this experience and expertise to use in a new role, leading investigations for the Center for Abnormal Placentation. In collaboration with Dr. Zamudio and Dr. Al-Khan, he is developing new research to investigate the molecular biology that underlies placental invasion into the uterus in both normal and abnormal pregnancies. He is particularly interested in abnormally invasive placenta (placenta accreta) and preeclampsia.
Stephen P. Emery MD, FACOG
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences, Divisions of Ultrasound and Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Director, Center for Innovative Fetal Intervention at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Dr. Emery is the Director of the Center for Innovative Fetal Intervention at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. He is the principal provider of fetal therapy for this geographic region. He is the main instructor on fetal therapy for Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellows, Ob/Gyn residents and medical students. Dr. Emery is the Chair of the Steering Committee of the North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet) and is responsible for its research agenda. He has recently conducted a multinational, multicenter, multidisciplinary study on the treatment of early-stage twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which was published in a major medical journal and presented ant the 36th International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society (IFMSS) meeting in August of 2016. Dr. Emery is leading an international evidence-based reassessment of ventriculoamniotic shunting for fetal severe hydrocephalus through NAFTNet and IFMSS. His clinical, research and education efforts revolve around fetal therapy.
Gregory S. Nelson, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Dr. Gregg Nelson obtained his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and subsequently continued on to complete his sub-specialization in Gynecologic Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. He joined the Section of Gynecologic Oncology at TBCC in July 2010, and was the local Gyn Tumour Team lead and Chair of the Provincial Gynecologic Oncology Tumour Team from 2011-2018. He is currently Chair of Gynecologic Oncology and is Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Oncology at the Cumming School of Medicine.
Dr. Nelson’s principal research interests are the development and study of enhanced recovery protocols in cancer surgery and interventions to improve HPV vaccination in First Nations populations. He holds the position of Surgical Lead, ERAS Alberta and he also leads the international group that published the ERAS® Guidelines for Gynecologic/Oncology Surgery. Recently he has been appointed the Secretary of the ERAS® Society Executive Committee based in Sweden. He leads the EHVINA study – Enhancing HPV Vaccination In First Nations Populations in Alberta – a $1,250,000 project funded by Alberta Innovates/Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund.
Dr. Nelson has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has presented numerous times internationally. He currently serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.
Learn more about the E. James Aiman, MD, Endowed Lectureship
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology invites you to our 2019-2020 Professional Development Series: May 13th
We would like to invite you to a joint session for our graduating chiefs and early physician/faculty on financial planning in the early physician career. 2 financial advisors from the Fortress Planning Group have donated their time to provide a session on financial planning for the early-career physician and will have time to answer questions. I hope you’ll join us! Concomitant educational sessions will be recorded.
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology invites you to our 2019-2020 Professional Development Series: May 20th
Jennifer Apps, PhD
Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Please join us for a session with Dr. Jennifer Apps on portfolio creation and development for promotion. This session will review the current state of the professional portfolio at MCW. Please come prepared to make some notes as we explore existing tools you can utilize to support your own portfolio creation. You will be able to begin outlining your plan for creating and managing your portfolio.
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology invites you to our 2020-2021 Professional Development Series
Natalie Fleury, JD
Ombuds Office
Please join us for a session with Natalie Fleury, JD from the Ombuds office talking to us about Emotionally Intelligent Feedback Conversations.
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology invites you to our 2021-2022 Professional Development Series
Jillian Theobald, MD, PhD
Associate Professor and Medical Toxicology
Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin
Jillian Theobald, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is the Medical Director of the Adult Translational Research Unit in the Clinical & Translational Science Institute and the Associate Medical Director of the Wisconsin Poison Center. She is the scholarship lead for the Women’s Faculty Council in the department of EM.
She is going to introduce you to how the women in the Department of EM have worked together to increase their scholarly activity and academic currency through monthly meetings, small writing work groups and a vital project dashboard.
Please join us as we discuss how groups can successfully navigate collective trauma with the COVID-19 pandemic as a model. It is how we cultivate resilience as a group, foster communication and individually and collectively recover and grow that determines whether an initial trauma will cause additional fall out. We propose to review some best practices for how to collectively navigate “pandexit” or recovery from any traumatic or stressful situation that affects a large group of people. In this session, we will discuss individual and group tools for resilience, go over acute and chronic reactions to trauma and discuss how leadership can steer groups of people into recovery.
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology invites you to our 2021-2022 Professional Development Series
Martin Muntz, MD, FACP
Professor of Medicine, Curriculum Pillar Director – Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education, Vice-Chair for Faculty Development – Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Muntz oversees several avenues of Kern Institute work relating to “what and how” students learn in medical school, including topics like interprofessional education, communication skills, clinical reasoning, and leadership skills, as well as tools such as learning communities, reflection, and narrative writing. He also is dedicated to increasing transparency and facilitating culture change in the clinical learning environment, as well as exploring innovative curricular models and schedules.
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Please join us for a presentation by Babbette LaMarca, PhD, University of Mississippi Medical Center – “The Importance of T and B Lymphocytes in Causing Pathophysiology of Preeclampsia”
Dr. LaMarca is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pharmacology / Toxicology.
Babbette’s laboratory is interested in identifying immune mechanisms that cause hypertension during pregnancy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”34047″ style=”vc_box_border_circle_2″ qode_css_animation=””][vc_column_text]
Babbette LaMarca, PhD
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Specifically, her research focuses on the interactions between lymphocytes and autoantibodies in the pathophysiology of hypertension in response to placental ischemia. Over the years, they have developed models designed to identify how immune cells or their products cause changes in blood pressure during pregnancy. Moreover, they have developed an autoantibody specific clinically relevant inhibitory peptide to block hypertension and endothelial dysfunction which could have potential clinical use in the future.
They have a strong translational research component with their tight collaborations with the Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) Division in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Dr. LaMarca has served as MFM Thesis Director since 2006. Through this collaboration, they obtain human tissues to study alterations in genes and/or proteins in response to low oxygen environment or placental ischemia. Furthermore, they examine how novel therapeutics may provide an avenue for treatment in preeclamptic women by modulating specific immunopharmacological pathways that play a role in causing hypertension during pregnancy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column]Register Now[/vc_column][/vc_row]
Editor in Chief
F&S Reviews – an ASRM journal that publishes both systematic and comprehensive, authoritative review articles spanning reproductive medicine or science.
Dr. Steiner is nationally recognized as an infertility specialist and reproductive epidemiologist. She received her MPH from the University of North Carolina (UNC), in 2003. Her MD degree was awarded magna cum laude from Emory University School of Medicine in 1998. She then completed both her internship and residency in OBGYN at UNC and fellowship in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (REI) at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She joined UNC as a Women’s Reproductive Health Scholar in 2006 and has remained continually funded by the NIH since (R21, R01, U10 grants). Dr. Steiner was then appointed as the new Chief of the Division of REI at Duke University School of Medicine in 2018.
Her research focuses on reproductive aging, antimüllerian hormone (AMH), and predictors of fertility and infertility and fecundity. She completed Time to Conceive, a prospective, time-to-pregnancy cohort study, which enrolled over 750 women ages 30-44. The results of this study, published last year in JAMA and featured in the New York Times and Forbes, and on NPR and CNN, demonstrated that biomarkers of ovarian reserve are not predictors of reproductive potential in the general population, debunking anti-mullerian hormone as a “female fertility test.” Dr. Steiner also serves as the Editor-in-Chief for F&S Reviews, an ASRM journal that publishes both systematic and comprehensive, authoritative review articles spanning reproductive medicine or science.
Chief of Education and Academic Affairs for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
Dr. Connolly obtained her MD from Tufts University. After completing her residency in OBGYN at the University of North Carolina (UNC), she worked as a specialist in private practice for 2 years. She then returned to UNC and completed a fellowship in Urogynecology/Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. Dr. Connolly continued her career at UNC where she was named the Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD ’36 Distinguished Professor, served as the Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship director for 7 years, Residency Program Director for 11 years, the Fellowship Program Director for the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship for 4 years and was also the Vice Chair for Education in the department of OBGYN. She is now the chief of education and academic affairs of ACOG.
While her clinical experience focused on urogynecology, her primary academic interests include medical education and the effect of childbirth on the pelvic floor. She has published original research on educational and clinical programming and tool development.
Her commitment to clinical practice and medical education has been recognized by the UNC School of Medicine. This includes her Directorship of the UNC Teaching Scholars Program for the past 13 years. Dr. Connolly has been honored for her educational efforts with multiple awards throughout her career at UNC. She is nationally recognized for her leadership in medical education.
Learn more about the E. James Aiman, MD, Endowed Lectureship
“Not Just SIM-antics: Maximizing Simulation for Surgical Skills”
Dr. Green completed her Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at John Hopkins University and fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Georgetown University-MedStar. She serves as the Associate Program Director for the OB/GYN residency program at Mayo Clinic and directs a transition to residency course in the Mayo Medical School. She is also the Fellowship Director for Minimally Invasive Gynecology and a consultant of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and Gynecology at Mayo Clinic.
Her practice interests are in office hysteroscopy and also the management of abnormal uterine bleeding, cervical dysplasia and chronic pelvic pain. Since residency she has been engaged in undergraduate and graduate medical education, with a focus in surgical education. In 2017 she completed a Masters of Education in the Health Professions from Johns Hopkins University.
Learn more about the E. James Aiman, MD, Endowed Lectureship