July 2023 | Volume 2 Issue 11 |
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From Dr. Catherine Spong: |
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I want to express my sincere gratitude to each of you as we embark on a new academic year. Navigating new roles can be challenging, and your support is invaluable. Each and every one of you are appreciated.
Here are some important updates:
We are wrapping up budget season, and as you know, it's been a tight year across the university. Even with this I have full confidence in our ability to adapt and make the most of our resources. Our finance team is developing divisional dashboards to provide an overview for each division. This will give us better insights for strategic decision-making.
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Speaking of our finance team, get to know all members of our academic staff by checking out a new department resource. See our Staff Roster here.
Over the next several months, department leadership is collaborating with Suzanne Farmer and her team to enhance trust and psychological safety. We will then have the opportunity to roll these programs out to the divisions.
We are also addressing the challenge of losing Generalist faculty in our university-based practice, which affects our prenatal care and delivery at Clements University Hospital. Department and university leadership are actively working on plans to ensure safe and effective care for our patients. Your input and support are appreciated in this time of transition.
The planning process for the FY25 incentive plan is underway! All aspects of the incentive plan will be considered - including the groupings, group and individual metrics, and RVU based incentives. We are gathering examples from other departments at UT Southwestern and Ob/Gyn departments at other universities. Your input is crucial to our success and we look forward to your input.
Lastly, "Coffee with the Chair" has begun. I look forward to seeing and spending time with each of you!
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Welcome our new team members! Make sure you say hello and introduce yourself. |
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Academic Faculty and Staff |
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Jacqueline Catchings
Project Manager
PCORI Grant
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Dr. Rachel Schell
Assistant Professor
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
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PACT cards honor UT Southwestern employees and faculty who demonstrate superior organizational values through quality customer service. Recognition can come from managers, co-workers, internal or external customers, faculty, patients, or visitors. |
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The PACT program has three pin award levels: Blue (four PACT cards), Silver (eight PACT cards), and Gold (16 PACT cards). Submit a recognition online for UTSW members each time great service is noticed.
Congratulations to all our recipients!
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Recent PACT Pin Recipients: |
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Dr. David Cook
Professor - Gynecology
Blue Pin
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Sandra Escalante
Clinical Staff Assistant II
Blue Pin
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Charlotte Washington
Medical Office Assistant
Blue Pin
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Tiffany Williams
Ultrasound Technologist
Silver Pin
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Recent PACT Card Recipients: |
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Lucy Berry, Education Coordinator
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Abigail Carranza, CSA III
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Dr. Stephanie Chang, Assistant Professor - Gynecology
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Dr. Melissa Crochet, Assistant Professor - Gynecology
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Mary Ellen Culbreth, Sr. Administrative Assistant
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Christina Dowden, GME Program Coordinator II
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Natalia Escalante, CSA I
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Rehab Hassanein, CMOA
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Meredith Hobin, AMB RN
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Bennie Hull, CSA I
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Nina Facundo, Administrative Associate
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Xavier Jones, GME Program Coordinator I
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Amy Leng, Clinical Operations Program Coordinator
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Susana Lopez, CMOA
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Bettina Long, Administrative Associate
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Teresa Mastrangelo, Program Coordinator
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Latrice McMullen, Sr. Administrative Assistant I
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Ungelica Moses, Advanced Practice RN
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Sabrina Parker, Credentialing Specialist
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Tracey Peacock, GME Program Coordinator I
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Justine Petros, Supervisor - Education Programs
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Jasminee Valencia, CSA I
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Dawn Wilson, Administrative Associate
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Marla Wilson, AMB RN
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Kelly Yanes, Ultrasound Technologist
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Celebrating our Fellowship Graduates |
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Ruchi Amin, M.D., Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Program
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Joseph Fixler, M.D., Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program
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Emily Lin, M.D., Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program
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Erryn Tappy, M.D., Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Program
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Rachel Schell, M.D., Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program
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Alexandra Spirtos, M.D., Gynecologic Oncology Program
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And kudos to Christina Dowden, Xavier Jones, Justine Petros, and Tracey Peacock for successfully coordinating our five fellowship program graduations. |
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July 1 Marked the Start of a New Academic Year! |
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Our new fellows got to meet each other over lunch on their first day on campus.
Pictured, left to right:
Dr. Risha Sinha, Gynecologic Oncology
Dr. Gayathri Vadlamudi, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Dr. Allison Gurney-McMaster, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Dr. Evelyn Pan, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Dr. Natalie Cohen, our new Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery fellow, starts August 1.
Thank you to Xavier Jones and Christina Dowden for organizing the New Fellow Onboarding Week!
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If you would like a printed copy of the residency and/or fellowship composites, stop by the Education Offices at G6.202 or G6.206. |
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Dr. Seth Hawkins Receives APGO Award |
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Dr. Seth Hawkins has received the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Award.
This historic award recognizes excellence in medical student education and is given annually to one Ob/Gyn faculty who is a member of APGO at each University. APGO has been awarding this recognition since 1992.
Congrats, Dr. Hawkins!
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Dr. Mala Mahendroo Recognized by Admissions Committee |
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Dr. Mala Mahendroo has received recognition for her time of service on the UT Southwestern Medical School Admissions Committee.
As stated by Dr. Craig Rubin, Chair of Admissions Committee and Division Chief of Geriatric Medicine, "Serving on the Medical School Admissions Committee is a very significant time commitment, and we greatly appreciate Dr. Mahendroo's willingness to serve. We simply couldnβt run admissions effectively without faculty like Dr. Mahendroo!"
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News release: Early diagnosis of pelvic floor disorders key for health |
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Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), which occur when womenβs pelvic floor muscles are weakened or injured, significantly affect quality of life and require surgery for hundreds of thousands in the U.S. each year. Now a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found a noninvasive test that could identify women at risk for these conditions and improve treatment.
The study, published in Aging Medicine, discovered that proteins associated with cellular senescence, or cell aging, can be measured in vaginal secretions using a swab test. |
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The research also found that these proteins were elevated in postmenopausal women with prolapse, which confirms the role of cellular aging in the formation of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
βOne of the main risk factors for prolapse is vaginal childbirth, but we know that most women donβt have prolapse right away,β said lead author Dr. Maria Florian-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTSW. βThey develop it 15-20 years later. Itβs very hard to follow one subject for that amount of time. The fact that we are able to swab and look at these proteins means that we might be able to identify women at risk early on.β
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News release: Pregnant people should be careful with caffeine consumption |
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Millions of people drink coffee, soda, and/or tea daily, making caffeinated beverages the most commonly consumed stimulants in the world.
Highly caffeinated energy drinks also have been a hugely popular pick-me-up for more than two decades, especially among younger adults and teens.
But pregnant individuals should be careful regarding energy drinks and their overall intake of caffeine, according to an expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
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βEnergy drinks contain varying amounts of caffeine, so check nutrition labels to understand how much caffeine and other ingredients they contain,β said Dr. David B. Nelson, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
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Recent Published Research |
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Dr. Christina Herrera, Dr. David Owen, and Dr. Catherine Spong: "Longitudinal placental perfusion in normal and hypertensive pregnancies using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeled MRI" in the European Radiology.
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If you have questions about funding opportunities or would like to discuss your research interests and goals, please email Nicole Beckley or Jessica Hook. |
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Academic Administrative Staff Roster |
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Get to know our department's academic administrative, education, and finance team staff by checking out of our new Staff Roster.
The roster includes names, photos, titles, desk locations, in-office days, and abbreviated job roles and responsibilities.
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Dr. Jaya Lea Appointed to ABOG Board of Directors |
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Dr. Jaya Lea was appointed to represent the subspecialty division of Gynecologic Oncology. Congratulations, Dr. Lea!
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The department would like to think Dr. Yetunde Awosemusi for her service as our representative on the UT Southwestern Faculty Senate.
Her commitment to the department reports from the Faculty Senate Meetings to our faculty are greatly appreciated.
Dr. David Owen will begin in this role after the September Faculty Senate meeting.
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Schedule Your UT Southwestern Headshot |
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All department faculty, staff, and trainees:
The department is working on a number of projects for which having updated headshots of the members of our team will be integral. These projects include staff and faculty listings on our websites and faculty academic and clinical provider profiles.
Pictured: Dr. Thomas Hyslop, Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Upcoming Employee Engagement Events |
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- Wednesday, August 23rd: End of Summer Potluck
- Friday, September 15th: BBQ Tailgate Luncheon
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Our faculty and their work are often referenced by journalists regarding a range of topics. See some examples of recent features below: |
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Our faculty have been busy writing excellent patient-centered information for the MedBlog on UT Southwestern's patient-facing website. Check out our recent blogs below: |
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Do you find the content of this newsletter to be helpful?
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Morgan Phillips
Marketing and Communications Specialist
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