During this hiatus, announcements can be submitted for distribution to the Chair's Office.

Ob/Gyn Research Symposium. Our 3rd annual Department Research Symposium was Wednesday, April 10. It was a fantastic day for our trainees, their mentors, team members, and all faculty and staff to see the breadth and depth of ongoing discoveries in the department. It was also fantastic to see everyone in person. Special appreciation to Dr. Jessica Grubman, Dr. Maria Florian-Rodriguez, and the Education Team for their continued leadership and for making the event run so smoothly. More information and photos from the Symposium are below in the Education Highlights.

Follow Up: Question Submitted to Department Survey Box. We have an anonymous Topics/Question survey box below for you to send in comments or questions. We hope this form allows you to raise issues, concerns, and compliments if you are not comfortable communicating them directly. We received a comment that extra shift/extra service reimbursement should apply to placenta accreta spectrum case coverage, especially the unscheduled urgent/emergent cases. Thank you for raising this concept. We have discussed it and appreciate the thought. These cases are certainly challenging, and as emergencies are covered similar to other emergencies with the on-call provider. We will continue to monitor these cases and work with our gynecologic oncology team to ensure safe and effective coverage.

UT Southwestern Time-Off Benefits Program. UT Southwestern is refining the time off benefits program to address concerns raised by faculty and staff. Leadership has held discussions across campus to hear perspectives and review considerations for the plan. The goals include more flexibility, enhanced access for new employees, and a parental leave program. It is anticipated that the new time-off program will start in the next fiscal year. More information will be forthcoming from UT Southwestern leadership.

POB2 Renovation. The planned renovation of our clinic space in POB2 is nearing. This renovation will increase the amount of clinical space available to increase access for patients and will move Urogynecology to join our generalist and MFM teams. In addition, the Women’s Center will have additional space to increase patient access. As a result, we will transition office space that was located in POB2 to South campus. We recognize renovations and changes are difficult and want to ensure you have all the information to facilitate these transitions. We will begin a regular communication on the renovation to ensure you are kept up to date in a timely fashion.

Provost Visit. The Provost leadership team, to include Dean Lee and Mr. Slocum, will visit our Department on October 8th. If you have questions or items you would like them to address, please submit them here. This form is anonymous.

Budget. We are nearing the end of the budget season. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the final details and requests. There are also a number of audits ongoing - we appreciate your help. The finance team has been working nonstop to provide the needed information on behalf of the department. Thank you!

CUH Maternal Levels of Care Survey. Our team at Clements University Hospital will undergo their MLOC survey on May 20-21, 2024. Let me thank the team for all of the preparation ongoing for this visit. We look forward to a great survey.

Eclipse. The eclipse on April 8 was a remarkable event and I am delighted to hear so many of you were able to step outside and participate in the experience. With the heavy clinical volume we care for, I appreciate that some were not able to see it given clinical responsibilities. UT Southwestern has shared photos of the event and a timelapse video for those who were not able to enjoy it firsthand.  

We are open to your ideas and have created an anonymous Topics/Question Survey so that you all can provide feedback. Please feel free to share your ideas and thoughts. It is recommended to bookmark this link for convenience, but it will also appear in all following editions of The Monthly moving forward.

Welcome our new team members! Make sure you say hello and introduce yourself.

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.

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!

For their exceptional service in the most recent calendar year, UT Southwestern team members who received Gold and Platinum PACT pins were invited to a special get-together that included an ice cream social, photo booth, and a pin presentation.

Seven of our team members were honored this year. Congratulations, all!

Pictured, left to right: Kimberly Loggins, Toshia Lee, Joanie Riley, Bettina Long, and LoAn Pittman. Not pictured: Sharon Edwards and Justine Petros.

Pictured left, left to right: Dr. Robert Stewart and Dr. Ashley Zink

Pictured right, left to right: (back row) Vladimir Lemaire, Sumalaxmi Janapti, Shahnila Chagani, Angela Martinez (middle row) Amanda Sellars, Stephanie West, Christy Thomas, Nicolette Solomon (front row) Dr. Robert Stewart, Dr. Ashley Zink, Shelby Meehan, Jennifer Matthews-Lotten, Kimberly Conley

234 of colleagues representing a wide spectrum of UT Southwestern departments have been named Meritorious Service Award winners for 2024.

The annual awards recognize Health System employees who consistently demonstrate the PACT service standards and go beyond the scope of their typical work duties to deliver – or support the delivery of – the highest level of care for our patients.

Winners are nominated by their clinical or departmental leadership.

Heather Fisher, Genetic Counselor within our Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, recently received a Diana and Richard C. Strauss Service Excellence Award.

Once each quarter, six team members throughout the UTSW Health System are nominated by their peers for exemplifying excellence and professionalism on the job. While they each have a different role, there are three common traits that define Strauss Award recipients:

The 29th Annual Texas Forum for Reproductive Sciences will be April 18-19, 2024, hosted by the

UT Southwestern Medical Center Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology clinicians are invited to submit abstracts and attend.

Visit the website for more information, including schedule, plenary speakers, and registration.

The Society of Gynecologic Surgeon's 50th Annual Scientific Meeting was in Orlando, FL from March 24-27, 2024. Two of our fellows received research awards at the conference.

Pictured, left to right (back row): Dr. Christina Herrera, Dr. Steven Holloway, Dr. Isabelle Mulder, Dr. Nicole Seyfried, Dr. Alesha White, Dr. Melanie Evans, Dr. Riley Young, Dr. Carson Edwards, Dr. William Vintzileos (front row): Dr. Jessica Grubman, Dr. Kristen Warncke, Dr. Eugenia Kakadiaris, Dr. Lydia Makepeace, Dr. Natalie Cohen, Dr. Maria Florian-Rodriguez, Dr. Andrew Claffey, Dr. Nick Burns.

Pictured, left to right: Dr. Elysia Moschos, Dr. Ellery Cohn and Dr. Robert Martin at the conference.

Exciting news! UT Southwestern's Marketing Team chose to feature Dr. Jaya Lea and Bettina Long from our Gynecologic Oncology team on two of the institution's billboards.

These billboards can be seen in the below locations:

The University of Texas System is excited to announce the Inaugural UT System AI Symposium in Healthcare, which will showcase the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) across research, education, and clinical care from UT system investigators.

The symposium will serve as a platform to foster strategic collaboration among institutions within the UT System and provide valuable networking opportunities for AI researchers.

Join your colleagues in learning about the latest cutting-edge advancements in AI, foster collaborations and facilitate networking opportunities. More information to come!

If you have not taken an official UTSW headshot since 2019, please sign up for your free headshot session.

Pictured: Dr. Evelyn Pan, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellow