Hello!

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving as we enter the holiday season.

Despite the rising COVID-19 cases both in the hospital and our communities, our team continues to pull together to care for our patients and each other. I could not be prouder of the amazing work happening in the department and highlighted in this month’s newsletter. As we anxiously await the arrival of a vaccine, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and 2021 is just around the corner!

Stay Well,

Dee E. Fenner, MD

Drs. Vanessa Dalton, MPH, Lindsay Admon, MSc, and Michelle Moniz, MSc, find that the elimination of cost-sharing for contraception was associated with an increase in contraception prescription use & a sharper decrease in births, especially among low-income women.

1 out of 4 women over the age of 20 suffer with some form of pelvic floor disorders. These disorders – whether they be pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, or bowel leakage – can be difficult to talk about and difficult to manage. In this livestream, Michigan Medicine urogynecologists Dr. Pamela Fairchild, and Dr. Carolyn Swenson, along with physical therapist, Carol Buis, DPT, discuss the following:

Dr. Maya Hammoud, MBA, was featured by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for her role as a Representative on their Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS). CFAS identifies critical issues facing medical school faculty and academic societies and serves as a voice for both constituencies within AAMC’s leadership and governance structures.

View the feature to learn more about Dr. Hammoud's research, her curricular innovations, and the ways in which the University of Michigan Medical School is leading in the field of medical education.

A new study by Drs. Daphna Stroumsa, MPH, Halley Crissman, MPH, Vanessa Dalton, MPH, and coauthors on barriers to insurance coverage for gender-affirming hormones & patterns of hormone use among transgender adults has been featured by national news outlets, including CNN and NBC.

The Michigan Medicine Department of OBGYN is proud to announce that two members of our community and Michigan-Ghanaian partnership have received their board certifications in gynecologic oncology from the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons!

On the right is Dr. Tom Konne, the first graduate of the gynecology oncology fellowship in Ghana. In the middle are Dr. Adu Appiah-Kubi and Dr. Kwabena Amo-Antwi, the two new graduates of the gynecology oncology fellowship.

All have been mentored and taught by former Department of OBGYN faculty member, Dr. Carolyn Johnston, have spent time at Michigan Medicine to expand their training, and have mentored University of Michigan OBGYN residents in surgical and research electives in Ghana.

Drs. Appiah-Kubi and Amo-Antwi will continue to transform care for women with gynecology cancer in Ghana.

In their new article - Trainees' Perceptions of the Transition From Medical School to Residency - Drs. Sarah Bell, Helen Morgan, and their coauthors demonstrate the value of residency preparation courses.

New research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women’s anxiety by department of OBGYN Faculty, Sarah Compton, PhD, MPH, and Cheryl Moyer, PhD, MPH, was recently highlighted in Medicine at Michigan.

Members of the OBGYN Department provide key leadership roles in the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) “Right Resident, Right Program, Ready Day One” grant project. Dr. Maya Hammoud, MBA, serves as the Primary Investigator, and Drs. Helen Morgan and David Marzano are Co-Investigators of this 5-year, $1.7 million AMA Reimaging Residency Initiative focused on improving the medical school to residency transition for future obstetrics and gynecology residents. The grant team has had three recent publications in the Journal of Surgical Education:

Dr. Rosalyn Maben-Feaster, MPH, was recently featured by the Michigan Medical School. Read the profile to learn more about her journey as a physician and her role as the Director of the Health Systems Science curriculum at the Medical School.

The Department of OBGYN is proud to announce that Drs. Helen Morgan and Samantha Kempner have been selected for induction into Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society by the senior medical student members of AOA. This is indeed an honor and a true attestation to the dedication, teaching excellence, and mentoring that both of these outstanding OBGYN faculty demonstrate and model every day. They are the only faculty to be selected this year.

Dr. Alex Peahl, MSc, was nominated as a March of Dimes Healthcare Hero by Michigan Medicine leadership for her work adapting traditional obstetric care strategies to deliver safe prenatal care for pregnant patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her adaptation model reduced the number of in-person visits to 5, without compromising the quality of prenatal care. Thank you, Dr. Peahl, for your dedication to moms and babies!

Please congratulate our dear friend and colleague, Diana Richards, on celebrating her 55th year at Michigan Medicine. Diana started her tenure at U-M as a nursing student and has been working for the University since 1965. She was the sole Michigan Medicine employee celebrating a very special 55 years of service this year.

In her time as a nurse practitioner with our department, Diana has been a vital member of our team, caring for thousands of patients and training many of our faculty and learners. Watch the video above to learn more about Diana's journey, her commitment to Michigan Medicine, and her plans for the future. Thank you Diana for your years of service!

Faculty and staff are encouraged to use the recognition platform to share kudos, congratulations and kind words of support. Send an ecard to congratulate Diana on this special milestone!

Every year the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) elects a number of scientists and engineers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications". This year the AAAS elected 489 newly elected fellows. Eight University of Michigan faculty members have been elected, including one of our own: Carol Elias, PhD, co-director of Reproductive Sciences Program. Carol has been elected for her distinguished contributions to the field of reproductive and metabolic physiology, particularly for elucidating the mechanisms that couple metabolism to the neuroendocrine control of reproduction.

The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) Learning Environment Task Force is a student group dedicated to fostering a positive learning environment. Congratulations to Dr. Diana Curran on being identified by UMMS students as an exemplar in cultivating and upholding a positive learning environment.

In acknowledging her dedication, a student shared the following:

“Dr. Curran is a truly excellent instructor and academic physician. Although we only had a short time together, she is one of the best attending physicians I have ever worked with. Although I don't plan on going into OB/GYN, I hope to emulate much of what Dr. Curran does in my future profession. She was kind, approachable, and enthusiastic throughout our time working together. I felt like I could easily come to her with any questions I had or topics I wanted to discuss. She is incredibly knowledgeable, humble, and shows an enthusiasm and dedication to life long learning (which is key in academic medicine). A great example of this: after she had to promptly respond to a NT code the day before, and despite her success with the resuscitation and her many years of experience, she realized she had some opportunities for improved learning, sought out a teaching session for herself and the rest of the team by someone in that area of focus. She is also an excellent role model for patient care, making it clear that she cares for her patients, respects them, and puts great thought into her clinical decisions. She actively involves students in patient care and makes them feel like valued members of the care team, which dramatically improves the learning environment.”

Dr. Emma Lawrence and her team have been invited to give three oral presentations at the upcoming International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Africa Regional Kigali Congress.

Dr. Lawrence's research was done in collaboration with her OBGYN partners in Ghana and her Fogarty Fellowship-funded mentee, with statistical support from Emily Kobernik, MPH, MS. The work was partially funded by the Women's Health Innovation Fund and the Rudi Ansbacher Award.

Dr. Alex Peahl, MSc, has been named an Individual Finalist (Children's, Women's, and Psychiatry Services) for the 2020 Evan Newport HOPE Award! This nomination celebrates her work improving the patient and family experience at Michigan Medicine.

Winners will be announced at the virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, December 9 (2-3pm). Register for the Zoom ceremony here.

The myTIPreport app was designed to facilitate real-time, on-site feedback between teachers and learners. Learners can view feedback and track progress on ACGME milestones and procedural skills via phone apps or web browser. The app is easy to use and provides meaningful information for the residents, the PD and APD, and the Clinical Competency Committee. 

This quarter, Dr. Diana Curran completed the most MyTIP evaluations for our residents. She was closely followed behind by Drs. Pamela Fairchild and Charisse Loder. Dr. Colin Russel received the highest number of evaluations, and he was closely followed behind by Drs. Cindy Lee and Jasmine Ebott.

The Departments of Family Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology are excited to offer faculty an opportunity to earn live CME credits related to the care of women, presented by experts at Michigan Medicine. Since the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled our annual Primary Health Care of Women conference, there will be a virtual conference on the afternoon of Thursday, December 3, 2020 from 2-6 PM.

Join to review the 2019 ASCCP guideline for cervical cancer screening, learn how to screen women with dense breasts, manage urinary incontinence, and develop strategies to care for homeless women!

Mark your calendars for the 2021 Annual Norman F. Miller University of Michigan Alumni Society Meeting. Next year's meeting will be held on Friday, September 24, 2021. Stay tuned for more details!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the November DE&I Lunch and Learn (November 16-18). The film viewing of I Am Not Your Negro and facilitated discussions with the Office For Health Equity & Inclusion (OHEI) were engaging, meaningful, and an important opportunity for us to connect and grow as individuals and as a department. We look forward to seeing you at the next DE&I event!

The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology is now accepting applications for the annual Edward Dunster Fellowship Research Award and the annual Dr. Krapohl Resident Research Education Award.

As a result of a generous gift from the family in memory of Dr. Dunster, up to $8000 will be awarded to the top fellow research project application. Applications are due by December 22, 2020 at 11:59pm through Qualtrics.

As a result of a generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. Krapohl, up to $2,000 will be given to the top resident research project application. Applications are due by December 22, 2020 at 11:59pm through Qualtrics.

Please contact Emily Kobernik, kobernik@med.umich.edu, should you have questions about your submission.

The Department of OBGYN has collected 260 pounds of high-impact, donated, OBGYN supplies. The supplies include items needed for a variety of OBGYN procedures, including:

Dr. Emma Lawrence will be sending most of the supplies to Tamale, Ghana, to fill a request list from the OBGYN department there. Surgical instruments for TAH, D&C, cervical biopsies, as well as a full Bookwalter, will be heading to Adu Appiah-Kubi to start gynecology oncology care in Ho, Ghana.