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September 2024 | Volume 4 Issue 1

Faculty Promotions: Please join me in congratulating our newly promoted faculty members who have earned this significant milestone in their careers. We are delighted to celebrate this major accomplishment.

Dr. Evelina Alcalen

Division of General Ob/Gyn

Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Farnaz Jahangiri

Division of General Ob/Gyn

Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Kristie Wilburn-Wren

Division of General Ob/Gyn

Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor

Faculty Development Programs: Two University programs are now open for all faculty.

• LEAD Program: The Leadership Emerging in Academic Departments (LEAD) Program is for junior faculty who aspire to develop their leadership skills.
• SUCCESS Program: The Starting University Clinical Careers Effectively, Scholarly, and Successfully (SUCCESS) Program is for all clinical faculty members interested in training in the four domains of excellence required for academic promotion: Clinicians, Educators, Scholars, Institutional Citizens. 

New Faculty: Welcome our new faculty starting across all divisions! See their names and faces below and please share with them your tips and tricks as faculty in our department.

Department Visit: The provosts and senior leadership will visit with us on Tuesday, October 8th from 3-5pm in the Gooch Auditorium. We will send a calendar invite to your calendars with the hope you will be able to attend.

POB Renovation: Renovations to increase clinical space at the POB is ongoing. We have meetings scheduled with the POB team to listen, hear concerns, and find solutions for any issues experienced. Thank you to all involved for your help as we navigate this change. Change is difficult, but through hard work and with your commitment, we have built back a strong group that remains today.

Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards: I want to close by sharing that 11 of our faculty were nominated for UT Southwestern Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards this year. This is nearly 10% of our faculty! What an incredible acknowledgement of your talent and dedication. Congratulations to all who were nominated - we are eagerly waiting the announcement of the winners later this month.

Naomi Castillo

CMOA

Las Colinas

Dr. Pamela De La Cruz Riviera

Clinical Assistant Professor

General Ob/Gyn – Ob/Gyn and MFM at POB2

Gabrielle Garcia

Sonographer

Ob/Gyn and MFM at POB2

Danna Hightower

Asst. Director, Dept. Operations

Natalee Hilliard

AMB. RN

Las Colinas

Dr. Steven Holloway

Assistant Professor

Gyn Onc - CCOB

Mandy Horne

Adv. Prac. RN

Women's Center

Dr. Diane Huynh

Clinical Assistant Professor

General Ob/Gyn - Ob/Gyn and MFM at POB2

Dr. Rajyalakshmi Kakarla

Assistant Instructor

General Ob/Gyn - Parkland

Maria Jimenez

CMOA

Las Colinas

Dr. Devin Jones

Assistant Professor

Gyn Onc – CCOB

Kristin Keys

Adv. Prac. RN

Women's Center

Kaream Khatibi

Sonographer

Ob/Gyn and MFM at POB2

Dr. Angelica Knickerbocker Assistant Professor

General Ob/Gyn - Park Cities

Dr. Nicole Lardner

Clinical Assistant Professor

General Ob/Gyn – CUH Hospitalist

Fatima Lunares

CSA I

Las Colinas

Dr. Wesley Nilsson

Assistant Professor

Gynecology - Parkland

Elizabeth Payne

Research Technician II

Mahendroo Lab

Scarleth Perez

CSA

Las Colinas

Rickye Scott

Sr. Administrative Assistant II General Ob/Gyn

Brenda Sifuentes

Sr. Administrative Assistant II FPMRS

Dr. George Wendel, Jr.

Professor

MFM - Parkland

Dr. James Wilder

Clinical Assistant Professor

Gyn Onc - Moncrief

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.

Andrea Brooks

CSA III

Silver Pin

Abigail Carranza

CSA III

Blue Pin

Brittney Hicks

CMOA

Blue Pin

Dr. Tommy Hyslop

Clinical Associate Professor

Blue Pin

Nancy Johnson

Amb. RN

Blue Pin

Stephanie Mason

Ultrasound Technologist

Blue Pin

Marta Mejia De Cate

CMOA

Blue Pin

LoAn Pittman

Sr. Program Coordinator

Gold Pin

Trapti Puranik

Asst. Director, Dept. Finance

Blue Pin

Dr. Elizabeth Stock

Assistant Professor

Blue Pin

Sydney Wiggins

CSA I

Blue Pin

• Jenna Alvarez, Physician Assistant
• Cindy Arbaiza, Sr. Administrative Assistant II
• Annette Bacon, Manager, Clinical Practice, Ob/Gyn
• Doug Binnion, Sr. Grants & Contracts Specialist
• Dr. Ashley Birmingham, Assistant Professor
• Andrea Brooks, CSA III
• Kortney Campbell, Sr. Administrative Assistant II
• Erika Chairez, CMOA
• Dr. Lesley Conrad, Associate Professor
• Dr. Diana Divanji, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Sharon Edwards, GME Program Coordinator I
• Nina Facundo, Administrative Associate
• Ximena Flores, CSA III
• Dr. Maria Florian-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor
• Melissa Garcia, CMOA 
• Swan Guillory-Carpenter, Sr. Administrative Assistant II
• Stephanie Harris, GME Program Coordinator I
• Lisa Hernandez, Administrative Associate
• Brittney Hicks, CMOA
• Christy Hicks, Adv. Prac. RN
• Dr. Steven Holloway, Assistant Professor
• Mandy Horne, Adv. Prac. RN
• Bennie Hull, CSA I
• Emena Humphrey, CSA I
• Ginny Ives, Reg Dietitian - Diabetes EDU
• Dr. Farnaz Jahangiri, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Kristin Keys, Adv. Prac. RN
• Dr. Anton Kharoufeh, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Chelsea King, Surg. Scheduler
• Dr. Kimberly Kho, Professor
• Dr. Jayanthi Lea, Professor
• Toshia Lee, Education Programs Manager
• Amy Leng, Clinical Operations Program Coordinator Ob/Gyn
• Kimberly Loggins, Education Coordinator
• Bettina Long, Administrative Associate
• Dr. Ann Lutich, Clinical Associate Professor
• Paulina Martinez, CSA II
• Laurie Marroquin, Supv. Amb. RN
• Star Mason, Education Coordinator
• Stephanie Mason, Ultrasound Technologist
• Teresa Mastrangelo, Program Coordinator
• Yesenia Meza, Supv. Clinical Staff
• Dr. David Miller, Professor
• Yalonda Mitchell, Faculty Coordinator
• Dr. David Owen, Assistant Professor
• Sabrina Parker, Credentialing Specialist
• Whitney Paulus, Supv. Amb. RN
• Celia Perez, CMOA
• Justine Petros, Education Programs Supervisor
• Sheldon Powell, Administrative Associate
• Carolyn Ramirez, CMOA
• Pamela Rodriguez, Amb. RN
• Dr. Joseph Schaffer, Professor
• Dr. Risha Sinha, Fellow
• Dr. Sowmya Sunkara, Assistant Professor
• Renee Toscano, GME Program Coordinator II
• Dr. William Vintzileos, Fellow
• Dr. Christopher Walker, Fellow
• Charlotte Washington, MOA
• Fan Xia, Accountant II

Dr. Seth Hawkins

Maternal Fetal Medicine

Assistant Professor

Dr. Mary Jane Pearson

General Ob/Gyn

Professor

Dr. Robin Rosen

General Ob/Gyn

Clinical Associate Professor

From Dr. Angela Mihalic, Dean of Medical Students and Associate Dean

Dear all,

Words cannot describe how grateful that we are for your time and dedication to ensuring that all of our new, eager first year medical students received the important skills needed to scrub, gown, and glove in the operating rooms on campus. This will allow for early exploration of surgical careers, research opportunities, and active engagement in shadowing and career exploration during the pre-clerkship period. 

A special thanks to all who joined this effort this year. The process was incredibly smooth!!!

Thank you so much for your time and dedication to the educational mission. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The students LOVED their experience with you in the Sim Center.

Earlier this year, over 30,000 U.S. physicians participated in a survey to nominate residency programs that offered the best clinical training across 28 different specialties, including Obstetrics & Gynecology. Our program ranked 11 in the nation and 2nd in the South (full survey viewable by M.D./D.O.s with Doximity proifiles).

Congratulations to our Residency Team! 

Medical School Committees Election Announcement

From Dr. Sherry Huang, Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Education

All Faculty, 

Thank you for taking the time to vote for new members for three of our most important committees. I am writing to let you know that you have selected the following faculty to serve on these committees. 

Admissions Committee: 

• Stephanie Brinker, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
• Patricia Santiago-Munoz, M.D., Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Jennifer Schopp, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Radiology
• Thomas Zellers, M.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics *Dean-Appointed Member
• Andrew Zhang, M.D., Professor, Departments of Plastic Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery *Dean-Appointed Member

Student Promotions Committee: 

• Hilda Loria, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
• Samira Syed, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

Medical Education & Curriculum Committee: 

• Bret Evers, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Departments of Pathology and Ophthalmology
• Jennifer Kargel, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery

Graduate Medical Professionals' Day: August 16

Friday August 16th was GME Professionals Day! This day recognizes and celebrates all the hardworking GME Professionals. To recognize these professionals, please send an email or submit a PACT card to let them know their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Graduate Medical Education Programs (Residency and Fellowships) Team

Sharon Edwards

GME Program Coordinator I

Sharon has about 17 years of experience in education. All of those years have been with our department. Sharon is a program coordinator for our Ob/Gyn Residency Program.

Stephanie Harris

GME Program Coordinator I

Stephanie has close to 2 years' experience working in fellowship programs. She started in the Neurology program. Stephanie is the program coordinator for our Gynecologic Oncology fellowship. 

Toshia Lee

Education Programs Manager

Toshia has over 21 years of experience in education. She started out in public school education. Toshia is the manager for the operations of all of our education programs.

Star Mason

Education Coordinator

Star started in education this year. She is the education coordinator for our Ob/Gyn Residency Program.

Tracey Peacock

GME Program Coordinator I

Tracey has over 4 years of experience working in fellowship programs. She started out in the Neurocritical Care program. Tracey is the program coordinator for our Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship.

Justine Petros

Education Programs Supervisor

Justine has over 4 years of experience working in fellowship programs. She started out in a Pediatric Pulmonary program. Justine is the supervisor for the operations of our fellowship programs.

Renee Toscano

GME Program Coordinator II

Renee has over 8 years of experience in education. Before joining our team, she worked in Dermatology and Radiation Oncology. Renee is a program coordinator for our Ob/Gyn Residency Program 

Alexa Washington

GME Program Coordinator I

Alexa started in education this year. She is the program coordinator for the Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery fellowship programs. 

Undergraduate Medical Education Programs (Clerkships) and Administrative Team

Lisa Gray

Administrative Associate

Lisa has been in the Ob/Gyn education office for almost 2 years, supporting our Vice Chair of Education and Faculty Development, Dr. Vanessa Rogers.

Kimberly Loggins

Education Coordinator

Kimberly has over 16 years of experience working in Undergraduate Medical Education (UME), with over 3 of those years working in GME. She assists with our clerkship program, student testing, and PA students.

Regina Williams

Education Coordinator

Regina has over 5 years of experience working in UME. She assists with observation requests, the post-clerkship program, student electives, and visiting student rotations.

The Education Team celebrated GME Professionals' Day by participating in fun team-building games, the Olympics way!

News release: Postpartum urinary incontinence linked to mental health

A UT Southwestern Medical Center study* of hundreds of underserved women showed that depression and anxiety, in addition to physical factors such as a higher body mass index and previous births, are associated with lingering postpartum urinary incontinence.

The findings, published in Urogynecology, shine a spotlight on these conditions that can carry stigmas but are largely treatable, researchers say.

“Our study draws a bridge between two vital components of health care that are often overlooked and neglected: postpartum care and mental health,” said Dr. Sonia Bhandari Randhawa, a second-year Urogynecology fellow at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Bhandari Randhawa co-led the study with Dr. David Rahn, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTSW.

The connection between urinary incontinence and mental health is a “chicken and egg problem” not addressed in the study, Dr. Rahn said. However, previous studies have shown a link between the stigma of urinary incontinence and worse mental health. “If you have bad enough incontinence, you might feel isolated and embarrassed and have difficulty connecting socially. It’s not hard to imagine how urinary incontinence might lead to mental health struggles,” he said.

Other UTSW researchers who contributed to this study include Dr. Catherine Spong, Chair and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. David Nelson, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Dr. Elaine Duryea, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of Obstetrics at Parkland Health; Dr. Jessica Pruszynski, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Dr. Andrea Rizkallah, postdoctoral researcher.

Read the full news release here.

*This study received the 2024 Media Impact Award from Urogynecology.

National Society of Genetic Counselors Grant

Congratulations to Heather and Dana!

Dr. Christina Herrera: NIH Presentation

Congratulations to Dr. Christina Herrera on her presentation to the NIH on placenta accreta spectrum.

Clinical Research Accelerator Upcoming Didactic Sessions

• September 24 – Putting Together a Biorepository (Noon to 1PM)

BERD Quarterly Seminar Series with Dr. Dandan Liu

“Statistical Challenges of Implementing an Automated HER-based Prediction Model in Real Time

• When: September 6th at Noon
• Where: Virtual on Teams
• Speaker: Dr. Dandan Liu, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Executive director Vanderbilt Biostatistics Data Coordinating Center (VBDCC), Director Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) Methods Program

Join Our Successfully Earning a K (SEAK) Workshop

Write sections of your grant application for review at each session, turning in a completed grant at the conclusion of the workshop, and taking part in a mock study section.

The program is designed for early career faculty submitting a K01, K08, or K23 application in October.

Participants will need to be prepared to write the grant application at the beginning of the workshop.

• Application Deadline: October 11, 2024
• Workshop Dates: November 4 - January 20
• Pre-requisites: Applications should have a K award under development with a mentor in place or a K award that is being revised for re-submission.

If you have questions about any of the CTSA opportunities or information, email the CTSA Program.

Dr. David Cook

Gynecology

Professor

20 years of service

Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer

Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Professor

30 years of service

Congratulations to four of our faculty members on their new roles and responsibilities!

• Dr. Nick Burns: Assistant Program Director, Ob/Gyn Residency
• Dr. Ingy Khattaby: MS4 Clerkship Director
• Dr. Emily Lin: Assistant Program Director, Ob/Gyn Residency
• Dr. Julie Lo: Schedule Liaison

Read the full department announcement.

The E. Grey Dimond, M.D., Take Wing Award is the School of Medicine’s annual honor given to a graduate who has demonstrated excellence in his or her chosen field and exceeded the expectations of peers in the practice of medicine, academic medicine or research.

Personal achievements and community or public service are also considered for the award, which is presented during graduation week.

Congratulations, Dr. Spong!

BRGs, which are open to the UTSW community, help cultivate an inclusive environment and foster a sense of community and support on campus. The yearly event honors members who show exceptional leadership and dedication to advancing the mission and vision of their respective BRGs.

LoAn Pittman, Sr. Program Coordinator, was awarded for the Asian-Pacific Islander Alliance BRG.

Congratulations, LoAn!

A faculty lounge at Parkland was recently dedicated to Dr. David Hemsell, professor emeritus of our department.

Dr. Hemsell specialized in gynecology and pelvic inflammatory disease/infections. He completed our Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship and served as faculty from December 1, 1977 to January 31, 2016.

Please stop by and visit the Hemsell Lounge when you are at Parkland.

From Dr. Daniel Podolsky, president of UTSW

Dear Fellow Members of the National Academies,

Earlier this year, I commissioned an installation of portraits of all UT Southwestern members of the National Academies of Science and Medicine, and I’m pleased to report the installation is complete.

Some of you may have seen the display already; for those of you who have not, I encourage you to visit the second floor of the Florence building (“E”), across from the portraits of the UTSW Nobel Prize laureates, to enjoy this new feature, which not only honors you but I hope will also serve as inspiration to the next generation of UT Southwestern faculty, trainees and students.

We are so proud of Dr. Catherine Spong for her induction into the National Academy of Medicine and are thrilled to see this achievement honored with the portrait wall.

All department faculty, staff, and trainees:



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

The department is working on a number of projects for which having updated headshots of the members of our team will be integral.

Pictured: Jennifer Capps, Administrative Associate, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Our faculty and their work are often referenced by journalists regarding a range of topics. See some examples of recent features below:

• UTSW Partners on Study That Could Lead to Earlier Detection of Ovarian Cancer in Dallas Innovates

• Dr. David Rahn and Dr. Sonia Bhandari Randhawa in Mega Doctor News: Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Linked to Mental Health

• Dr. David Rahn and Dr. Sonia Bhandari Randhawa in U.S. News and World Report: Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Takes Physical, Mental Toll

• Dr. David Rahn and Dr. Sonia Bhandari Randhawa in NBC News KNDU (Washington): Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Takes Physical, Mental Toll

Pictured (left to right): Dr. Ann Lutich and Dr. Meredith McClure

• Dr. David Rahn and Dr. Sonia Bhandari Randhawa in WFMZ-TV News (Pennsylvania): Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Takes Physical, Mental Toll

• Dr. David Miller in OncLive: Miller Discusses the Use of Selinexor in TP53 Wild-Type Advanced Endometrial Cancer

• Dr. Ann Lutich and Dr. Meredith McClure in NewsWise: Menopause is having a moment: Debunking common myths 

• Dr. David Nelson in the Dallas Morning News: Why extreme heat is dangerous for pregnancies and how to protect yourself



• Dr. David Miller in OncLive: Long-term Follow-up of Selinexor Maintenance for Patients With TP53wt Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer: A Prespecified Subgroup Analysis From the Phase 3 ENGOT-EN5/GOG-3055/SIENDO Study

Our faculty have been writing excellent patient-centered information for the MedBlog on

UT Southwestern's patient-facing website.

• Dr. Rachel Schell: Are wearable breast pumps worth the hype?

• Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer: Surprise ‘Ozempic babies’ underscore links between obesity and fertility

• Dr. Kimberly Kho: Full-body deodorant: Why you don't need it – and how it could be harmful



• Dr. Ann Lutich and Dr. Meredith McClure: Menopause is having a moment: Debunking common myths

Pictured: Dr. Rachel Schell

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