Dear OBGYN Family,
June is such a bittersweet month. We celebrate Pride Month and Juneteenth as we embrace our community. Graduation marks an important milestone for our amazing residents and fellows. We have great joy in their growth and accomplishments and seeing them move on to the next phases of their careers.
This year we also say goodbye to several dear friends and long-time faculty, Dr. Van de Ven, Dr. Punch, Dr. Domino, and Dr. Tremper. So, if you are having mixed emotions, you are not alone! Time marches on and I am reminded to cherish each of you and make the most of every day.
Best,
Dee E. Fenner, MD
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New Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | | |
We are pleased to announce Courtney Townsel, MD, MSc, as the new Obstetrics and Gynecology Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We are honored that she will be leading our department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy and initiatives. It is clear that her strong vision for this work will result in meaningful action and education for our department, Birth Center, and the greater community.
A very big thank you to Okeoma Mmeje, MD, MPH, for her service and leadership as the prior Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Together we have accomplished so much. With her hard work and guidance, our department has made great progress towards our goals of creating an equitable and inclusive climate, recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse community, and supporting innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching. We are thrilled to support Dr. Mmeje in her new role as Associate Chief Clinical Officer for Health Equity.
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Drs. Crissman and Moniz on Costs Associated with Childbirth | | |
Are childbirth costs covered? Supreme Court says yes, but parents paying bills disagree. | Sabrina Tedder is working with a credit bureau to settle bills associated with the birth of her son. She pays $25 every month or two weeks. "They want me to pay more. I don't have it," said Tedder, 27, of Jackson, a single mother who manages a child activity center and gave birth naturally, without major issues, at an Ann Arbor hospital. | | | | |
Dr. Admon in Contemporary OB/GYN | | |
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Lindsay Admon, MD, MSc, recently spoke with Contemporary OB/GYN about the need for maintaining obstetric care in rural communities. | | |
Dr. As-Sanie on Fibroids in Huffington Post | | |
Uterine Fibroids Are Very Common. Here's How To Tell If You Have Them. | Tanika Gray Valbrun started experiencing extremely heavy periods early in her teen years. "I was that girl who always had to carry pads with her, felt like I was always on my period, had to wear two panties and biker shorts, always had an extra bag with me," she told HuffPost. | | | | |
New Article by Drs. Rominski, Muzik & Moyer | | |
In a new Journal of Pregnancy study, Sarah Rominski, PhD, MPH, Maria Muzik, MD, MSc, Cheryl A. Moyer, PhD, MPH, and their team sought to determine the impact COVID-19 had on women's birth plans. | | |
Dr. Mmeje Featured on Michigan Health Blog | | |
What to know about sexually transmitted infections. | With rates of some STIs on the rise, it's never been more important to understand the risks, symptoms and treatments. | | | | |
Michigan Informs National Recommendations for Prenatal Care | | |
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Michigan's local guidelines (MiPATH) have directly informed new national prenatal care recommendations. Alex Friedman Peahl, MD, MSC, recently shared Michigan Medicine’s real-world implementation of innovative prenatal care - bringing new national recommendations to life - to the Illinois Maternal Health Task Force. | | |
Dr. Moniz in Harvard Business Review | | |
How U.S. Employers Can Support Women's Health. | By several measures, there is a women's health crisis in the United States. While the federal government is doing more, employers can play an instrumental role in combating it. They can do three things: offer better health insurance that, among other things, provides access to safe abortions; provide paid parental leave; and redesign the workplace to support women. | | | | |
Congratulations Class of 2022! | | |
On Friday, June 24th, we gathered as a community to celebrate our learners and excellence in education. Best of luck to our graduates in their next steps, and thank you to our faculty educators for all the work you do to train and inspire the next generation of leaders in women's health. | | |
Fellow Graduates:
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Alison Lutz, MD (Family Planning) - Physician, ObGyn, West End Women's Medical Group
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Mary Duarte Thibault, MD (FPMRS) - Faculty, ObGyn, Baylor College of Medicine
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Aimee Rolston, MD, MS (GynOnc) - Faculty, ObGyn, Michigan Medicine
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Caitlin Clifford, MD (MFM), Faculty, ObGyn, Michigan Medicine
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Gabrielle Whitmore, MD (MIS) Faculty, ObGyn, University of Colorado
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Olivia Winfrey, MD, MPH (PAG) Faculty, ObGyn, Baylor College of Medicine
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Chelsea Fortin, MD (REI) Faculty, ObGyn, Michigan Medicine
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Shubham Kalwani, DO (WH) Faculty, Family Medicine, Michigan Medicine
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Resident Graduates:
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Luke Burns, MD - Faculty, Women's Health Division, Michigan Medicine
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Cindy Lee, MD - Faculty, Women's Health Division, Michigan Medicine
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Ann Lozier, MD - Generalist, OBGYN Associates of Marquette
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Daniel Miranian, MD - Fellow, Reproductive Endocrinology, and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania
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Katie O'Brien, MD - Fellow, Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology, Michigan Medicine
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Faculty Teaching Awards:
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Carrie Bell, MD - SASGOG Faculty Award, for her dedication and commitment to the ideals of being an academic generalist
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Beth Campbell, MD - APGO Excellence in Teaching Award, given to the top medical student educator in our department
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Chelsea Bayer, MD - Silver Speculum Award, given to the top medical student educator at Michigan Medicine
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Congratulations, Dr. Moravek! | | |
We are thrilled to announce that as of July 1, 2022, Molly Moravek, MD, will be the new REI Fellowship Program Director. Dr. Moravek has longstanding ties to this department and to the University broadly, having attended UM for undergraduate and medical school, and completing her residency here. She joined the UM OBGYN faculty in 2015 and has had a stellar career with more than 50 publications, high teaching evaluation scores, and an NIH R01 along with acceptance into the NIH Loan Repayment Program. We are incredibly excited to have Dr. Moravek’s energy and vision leading the REI Fellowship and know that she will take the fellowship to new heights.
Dr. Moravek will be replacing John Randolph, MD, who has served as the REI Fellowship Director since 1993. There aren’t enough words to acknowledge Dr. Randolph and his service to the Division, the REI Fellowship, and the department as a whole. We thank him for his 20 years leading the fellowship program and we look forward to his continued wisdom, expertise, and partnership for years to come.
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Dr. Marsh & Team Receive $1.8M for COVID-19 Research | | |
The Michigan CEAL (MICEAL) team will continue its partnership with many community-based organizations and leverage long-term relationships in the community and the university to understand and address factors that contribute to the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy along with reduced vaccine uptake among the communities. | | |
Dr. Randolph Invited to Present at NIH/NHLBI Conference | | |
John Randolph, MD, was invited to present at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) workshop, hosted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), bringing together basic, pre-clinical, translational, clinical, and population scientists to review the state of the science in sex/gender differences in COVID-19 outcomes relevant to heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders.
Dr. Randolph presentation, “Gender affirming hormone therapy and susceptibility to COVID -19," was part of a larger session on Pregnancy and Other Conditions Affecting Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.
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Department of ObGyn at AUGS | | |
Our department was well-represented at the 2022 joint meeting of the American Urogynecological Society and International Urogynecologic Society, held during Pelvic Floor Disorders Week in Austin Texas. This year's meeting was the largest to date with 1,400 attendees representing over 30 countries.
Megan Schimpf, MD, was the Vice-Chair of what was a very successful meeting, and the Michigan Medicine Urogynecology team had an outstanding showing with:
• Ten presentations of original scientific work by fellows, faculty, and residents.
• Workshops on Advanced Imaging, Pelvic floor Ultrasonography, and Maternal Recovery
• Panel presentation on the personalized treatment of stress incontinence
• State of the Art Lecture on vulvar disease
• Surgical Tutorial on Vulvar Disease
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John O. DeLancey Society Reception | | |
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During the meeting, we also gathered for the annual John O.L. DeLancey Urogynecology Society reception, honoring Dr. DeLancey, his work, and all the previous UofM alumni and collaborators.
The Society was founded by the Michigan Medicine Department of ObGyn in 2008, and its members include leaders in the specialty spanning the globe from Germany to Canada.
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Olivia Jeong, Temp. Admin Assistant, Gynecology Division
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Karen Nguyen, Temp. Admin Assistant, Gynecology Division
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Yang Liu, PhD, Statistician Senior
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Shannon Krolikowski, Clinical Information Analyst Senior, OBI
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ObGyn Virtual Writing Accountability Workgroup | | |
To support faculty and trainees’ research productivity and scholarly output and based on recommendations of members of the RAdC, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will be piloting a Virtual Writing Accountability Group (V-WAG).
We plan to meet every Tuesday & Friday 6am-10am. If you are interested in joining the V-WAG please email Julie Tumbarello.
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2022 ObGyn Department Picnic! | | |
Please save the date for this year's Department Picnic:
Date: August 6, 2022
Time: TBD
Location: Gallup Park, Fast Shelter
Additional details to follow. We are looking for volunteers to help with set up, clean up, and activities. If you are interested, please contact Kelly Berch.
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2022 Norman F. Miller Society Meeting
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A variety of presentations and group discussions regarding current challenges and opportunities encountered by women’s health care providers and patients will be planned. The classes of 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 will be honored.
Alumni are also welcome to join the Department of ObGyn for a tailgate prior to the UM v Penn State football game on Saturday, October 15th. Additional information and registration materials will be sent in July. We hope to see you there!
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The 10th Annual Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome Day was held on May 21st, organized by the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology team and the Beautiful You MRKH Foundation team, sponsored by the OB/GYN department. The goal of the event, which is open to patients of all ages with MRKH and their parents and significant others, is to provide a day of support, education, and connection.
The conference began with a presentation with MRKH specialist Elisabeth Quint, MD, and a Q&A session by Melina Dendrinos, MD, followed by breakout sessions led by Maneesha Finkle, MSW, LMSW, Samantha Schon, MD, and support group members. It was wonderful to connect with both new and familiar faces after a 2-year hold due to COVID. A special thank you to Tammy Moorey, who did a fabulous job organizing the day!
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Diversity Equity & Inclusion Updates | | |
COMPASS Peer Support Network
Michigan Medicine now offers a COMPASS Peer Support Network for faculty, staff, and house officers who have experienced difficult events. As part of this program, faculty and staff from our department have recently been trained to offer peer support related to stress, burnout, pandemic challenges, or any other work-related concerns. Peer supporters can also talk with you about experiences with patient care, including unexpected outcomes, medical errors, or malpractice allegations.
The network is specifically designed to offer confidential emotional support by connecting you with a trusted colleague who has been through a similar experience. The peer supporter will offer opportunities to meet for conversation, support, and referrals to additional resources, as needed. We welcome your outreach.
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Faculty Peer Supporters:
- Lauren Owens
- Anita Malone
- Daphna Stroumsa
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Staff Peer Supporters:
- Kamilah Davis-Wilson
- Becky Hovatter
- Emily Rivkin
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Implicit Bias Training
The OBGYN department will be offering the first hour of the comprehensive Implicit Bias training that meets the newly adopted guidelines set forth by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).
We are looking forward to hosting the first hour of LARA training during Grand Rounds on July 14, 7:30-8:30 am. Please note this is an extended session of Grand Rounds. The training will be on Zoom.
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To receive your completion certification, you will need to complete the following requirements:
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Before the session: complete the pre-training evaluation (will be sent by OHEI)
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During the session: fill out the sign-in form
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After the session: complete the post-training evaluation (will be sent by OHEI)
If you have already completed this course, or plan to take a different session, you do not need to take any actions – you will be automatically unenrolled from the 7/14 Grand Rounds session. We look forward to seeing everyone on Zoom for this training. Please reach out to Emily Rivkin with any questions!
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