After a national search, we are pleased to announce that David Eisenberg, MD, MPH, FACOG, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been appointed as Chief of the Division of Complex Family Planning, effective March 1, 2024. He stepped into the position of Interim Chief in December 2022 and is well-positioned to take on the permanent role based on his [...]

Dr. Kathy Bligard spoke with KSDK on birth defects. She mentioned some of the most common are heart defects, how to catch them early, and the importance of the twenty-week anatomy scan.

Dr. Sara Wood speaks with Houston Fox 26 about the benefits of bladder botox, insurance coverage, what an office visit looks like, and more.

Matthew Powell, MD, a renowned high-volume surgeon and leader in clinical research, has been named the Ira C. and Judith Gall Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This position was held by Dr. David Mutch, the inaugural holder of this endowed professorship.

Diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 28, Mindy faced the emotional turmoil not just of surviving her diagnosis but also of how treatment could affect her plans for making a family. In this episode, she sits down with her Washington University Physicians, gynecologic oncologist Lindsay Kuroki, MD, MSCI and reproductive endocrinologist Kenan Omurtag, MD, to [...]

"The FDA has approved the first daily contraceptive pill for over-the-counter sale, enhancing access to pregnancy prevention options. Dr. David Eisenberg, Chief Division of Complex Family Planning at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, talks about new developments in over-the-counter birth control. Dr. Eisenberg says that the pill, containing an ingredient used in birth control since [...]

While cancer can be a scary and overwhelming subject, 'This is Cancer' aims to leave listeners feeling empowered and supported. The podcast is for anyone who has been touched by cancer. By having honest, raw, and informative conversations about cancer on this podcast, they hope to bring listeners hope, resources about prevention and wellness, and [...]

The Black Family Wellness Expo is at the intersection of community and connection, bridging medical professionals with those who need it.

Congratulations to the latest recipients of the Department of OB/GYN's Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey (L.A.B.) Award named in honor of Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey-the enslaved women whose sacrifice, without consent, nearly 200 years ago allows surgical repair for women with vesicovaginal fistulas today.

Diane Frances Merritt, MD obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from New York University School of Medicine in 1975 and post-doctoral training in both General Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Barnes Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine from 1975-1980. She joined the Faculty of Washington University in 1980 and rose to the rank [...]

The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences recently hosted its first Game Table Tournament! Thanks to the Wellness Champion Fund from HR, the CRepHS breakroom received a combination game table complete with ping pong, foosball, and air hockey. We then pitted lab-mates and faculty against one another in an epic event!

The following information was curated by: Dr. Rachel Furuya (bio), DEIA Committee The DEIA committee is proud to present our third annual Black History Month programming, which will feature two of the first Black female surgeon pioneers of their time. Patricia E. Bath, MD (1942-2019) Dr. Patricia Bath was an ophthalmologist, research scientist, and advocate [...]

The following information was curated by: Dr. Bridget Huysman (bio), DEIA Committee. From February 28 to March 1 we recognize the Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Days of Recognition. Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey were three enslaved women who underwent multiple experimental surgical procedures without anesthesia under the care of James Marion Sims. Take a moment during these [...]

The following information was curated by: Dr. Halley Staples (bio), DEIA Committee. Alexa Irene Canady, MD (1950 - present) Alexa Irene Canady was born in Michigan in 1950, where she ultimately attended University of Michigan and received a B.S. in zoology. Prior to her graduation, Canady nearly dropped out due to lack of self-confidence, however, [...]

FamiliesROC Registration is Open! Today, May 8th, is World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day. A day to raise awareness of the disease, support survivors, and honor those lost too soon. Today registration for the 18th annual Families Run for Ovarian Cancer ROC Star 5k & 1-Mile Run/ Walk opens as well.

WashU ObGyn went to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine 2024 Pregnancy meeting. Faculty, fellows, residents Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI was awarded Best Oral Plenary for "The effect of supplemental oxygen for Category II fetal resuscitation on oxidative stress: a randomized controlled trial."

How does our understanding of relative energy deficiency in sports (REDs) apply to our jobs in academic medicine? Intense training and complex schedules can have true physiologic consequences. It's well studied in athletes-Chronic low energy availability leads to performance implications. Turns out rest and recovery are essential for top performance, even for Type A doctors.

April 11-17, 2024 - Updates from the DEIA Committee This week provided an opportunity for us to raise awareness and take action to improve the health and well-being of Black mothers and birthing people. As part of our commitment to supporting maternal health, we have organized a series of events aimed at educating, empowering, and [...]

St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness (SLOCA) held their annual Living Out Loud Gala. What a great event with great physicians!

The CDC says the Black maternal health crisis is a state of emergency. Black mothers in Missouri are three times as likely to die within a year of giving birth compared to white mothers, according to the state's Department of Health & Senior Services. Host Carol Daniel discusses the issue and what can be done [...]

Our Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Gynecology division was able to celebrate young girls in the St. Louis area with the 5k they have all been training for with Girls on the Run. It was an excellent event with thousands of participants. They were so excited to interact with the community they get to work [...]

SGO/FWC Service Award "I am truly honored to receive the SGO Service Award. It has been my pleasure to serve the SGO and its mission. I hope to continue to support the SGO and its efforts to prevent andcare for women's cancers. Thank you for this honor."

The Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (Immunology 2024) was held in Chicago, Illinois! From our team, Dr. Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Dustyn Levenson, and Valeria Garcia-Flores!

Awards Galore! PhD student Kaci Martin from the Frolova lab received two awards from the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences last week - the Student Group Member of the Year Award and the Excellence in Research Award. If that wasn't enough, Kaci's PI, Assistant Professor Antonina Frolova, MD, PhD received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor.

On the weekly Science Podcast, producer Kevin McLean talks with researcher Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and pathology and immunology in the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Yong Wang, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Electrical and System Engineering, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering, in collaboration with Valerie Ratts, MD, Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, is making strides in discovery related to his project titled "Understanding Uterine Function and How it Relates to Reproductive Health."

Maggie Mullen, MD, MSCI awarded the Foundation for Women's Cancer Move4Her Research Grant! "It is an absolute honor to be supported by the Move4Her participants and the Foundation for Women's Cancer. Thanks to this award we will be able to pursue groundbreaking research that has the potential to improve the lives of women with ovarian [...]

MD/PhD student Dustyn Lenvenson in the Gomez-Lopez Lab was selected to present her work in a Block Symposium at "Immunology2024," the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), and will receive a 2024 AAI Trainee Abstract Award. We are incredibly proud of her hard work! Congratulations, Dustyn! #AAI2024

The Center for Reproductive Health Sciences (CRepHS) welcomed visiting speaker Alexa Sassin, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, on Jan. 5th as part of the CRepHS Seminar Series. Dr. Sassin's impactful presentation on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) research was well-received by seminar attendees over Zoom and in person at BJC-IH.

An atlas revealing the activity of individual placental cells during childbirth offers insight on what happens at the maternal-fetal interface during term labor, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The atlas provides a single-cell analysis of the human placenta and its surrounding membranes and is the first to use [...]

Dr. Matthew Powell has received a 2024 Dean's Impact Award! The 2024 Dean's Impact Awards recognize faculty who have demonstrated enduring commitment to advancing the careers of others through exceptional mentorship and sponsorship. The time and commitment of mentors and sponsors are too often underrecognized, but without leaders like them, we could not achieve our potential as a School of Medicine.

Dr. Whitney Grither received an ORCA Mentored Investigator Grant! The Mentored Investigator Grant provides funding for trainees (post-doctoral fellows or clinical fellows) who are working under the supervision of a mentor who is a recognized leader in the field of ovarian cancer research. Applicants must have an MD or a PhD degree.

Congrats to all the recent BJC Excellence in Nursing Awardees! Our very own Sarah Smith, RN, BSN, CLC, was selected as a finalist for the category of women's health. Sarah works as a Nurse Coordinator in our fetal care center, providing compassionate care to families from day one and throughout their experience.

The annual Distinguished Service Teaching Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Congratulations to Julia Burd, MD, and Bridget Huysman, MD, MPH, Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellows in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, who are both recipients of grants from the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Burd's project is titled "Mode of cervical assessment in preterm prelabor rupture of membranes," and Dr. Huysman's is titled "Racism and discrimination on L&D: Birth [...]

Dr. Aileen Portugal was selected as an ASRM/Diversity Fellowship Research Award recipient from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Research Institute. Dr. Portugal was awarded $15,000 to support her project. The project is titled, "Language Matters: Exploring the Impact of Language Concordance on Fertility Treatment Progression."

PhD student Kaci Martin from the Frolova lab received the Rosalind Kornfeld Student Leadership Award from the Academic Women's Network last week. This award is given to a graduate or medical student that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in service to, or advancement of women within the community.

Women's HERstory Month started in 1980 when a consortium of women's groups and historians (National Women's History Project, now National Women's History Alliance, advocated for a week long celebration, which President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation for. It wasn't until 1987 that Congress passed Public Law 100-9, officially designating March as "Women's History Month".

Dr. Amanda Zofkie was named Clinical Educator of the Year (ObGyn) for 2023-2024. Congrats Dr. Zofkie!

Our ultrasound clinic received the five-star PRC excellence award from the Barnes Patient Satisfaction Experience Team! To receive this award, we scored in the top 10% nationally for "Likelihood to recommend" on our Barnes PRC patient surveys. Congrats to the whole team!

Debbie Frank joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as the Scientific Editor in 2012 and was promoted to Senior Scientific Editor in 2021. In this role, she helps faculty members, medical fellows, residents, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students prepare research manuscripts, grant proposals, and fellowship applications.

Physicians honored for outstanding contributions to biomedical research

Congrats to Dr. Andrea Hagemann who was named the faculty awardee for the Gold Humanism Honor Society!

The Nelson Society hosted their second annual Resident Career Day on February 21, 2024. This dedicated event provided residents with valuable insights and guidance regarding their future careers. The day consisted of a special grand rounds guest speaker, Dr. William Leininger, Naval Medical Center, San Diego.

The Michael D. Nelson Society Board is delighted to announce Dr. Shannon Beermann and Dr. James Doss, as awardees of the David G. Mutch Residency Research Scholarship Award. This honor is given to ...

✨ We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this new intern class of 2028! ✨ India Claflin - Creighton University SOM Symphony Davis - Morehouse SOM Andy Habib - Georgetown University SOM Anna Jones - U of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E.

Phase 2 medical students stuffing 1000 period kits for non-profit Dignity Period. Dignity Period's mission: "To impact period poverty around the globe by improving access to accurate menstrual information and distributing high quality washable/reusable menstrual hygiene products. We are motivated by the belief that those who menstruate should do so with comfort and in dignity."

Congratulations to graduating CFP fellow, Jayme Trevino, MD, MPH, who will assume the Darney/Landy Fellowship position with ACOG after graduation. The Darney/Landy Fellow position is a one-year, post- Complex Family Planning Fellowship placement for obstetrician-gynecologists that honors the clinical excellence of Phil Darney, MD, and the collaborative advocacy of Uta Landy, PhD.

This week, the Advanced Clinical Research Retreat kicked off for fellows, grad students, and post-docs!

Incoming intern, April Lewis, MD, was honored by her medical school for her work in the community.

Medical students at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently honored faculty and residents with Distinguished Service and Teaching Awards (DSTAs) for the 2023-24 academic year. From our department, four mentors were honored. Read the full article here

Interns teamed up with our research team for a day dedicated to research and fellowship!

A look into the STL OBGYN society meeting! Residents and fellows presented (Dr. Brittani Steinberg, Dr. Halley Staples, Dr. Courtney Murphy, Dr. Mark Valentine). Dr. Steinberg won first place and Dr. Staples won second place! Congrats to all!

Our annual Rothman Research Day is a day each year where residents and fellows gather to present their research for the day. With the strong tradition of biomedical research at Washington University, we integrate research training throughout the residency help our residents master basic concepts of research.

The Education team got together on the WUSM campus to meet medical students and educate them on what WashU ObGyn is all about! The team included coordinators Kim Coombs & Rayna Mittler, Dr. Tammy Sonn, and Education Manager, Elizabeth Wanken.