Hello OBGYN Family,

Summer is moving along quickly! Our interns are diving in and we have several new faculty starting in the coming weeks.

I hope to see everyone at the department picnic next Saturday, August 7th from 12-4 pm. We are expecting over 100 adults with an additional 40 kids!

I cannot wait!

Dee E. Fenner, MD

Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals for gynecology care by U.S. News & World Report.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Katherine Moxley will be joining the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology leadership team as the new Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology this fall!

Dr. Moxley is an exceptional leader, researcher, surgeon, clinician, and educator. Despite being born in Michigan, she has spent her entire career to date at the University of Oklahoma where she completed medical school, ObGyn residency, and her Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship. Since 2011, she has been a faculty member and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2018. She currently serves as the Mai Eager Anderson Chair in Cancer Clinical Trials in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Moxley has been actively involved in medical student, house officer, and fellowship educational programs and serves as a research mentor for numerous undergraduate and graduate students. She is the recipient of many medical student teaching awards including the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education.

Nationally, Dr. Moxley is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Wellness Task Force, an NRG Representative of the Cervical Task Force of the National Cancer Institute Gynecologic Steering Committee, and Co-Chair of the Gynecologic Oncology Group/NRG and GOG-Partners Cervical Cancer Publications Committee.

Dr. Moxley brings a wealth of experience and success in leading clinical trials as well as being a basic science investigator. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanism of drug resistance. Her research has led to over 40 peer-reviewed articles, numerous invited national lectures, and collaborations with diverse teams of investigators. She currently is the PI or Co-I on five grants from the National Cancer Institute and DOD. In addition, she is Site-PI for four clinical trial agreements at the Stephenson Cancer Center.

A special thank you to Dr. Suzie As-Sanie and the Search Committee for leading this national recruitment. We truly looked far and wide to find the next leader for the Oncology Division. As we look to Dr. Reynolds' retirement in December, there will be much more to come as we thank him and celebrate his significant contributions and outstanding career.

In his new study, Dr. Shitanshu Uppal, MBBS, seeks to demonstrate discrepancies between operative times in the ACS NSQIP (American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project) and self-reported operative time from the American Medical Association's Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) and their effect on relative value units (RVU) determination.

The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology is pleased to announce that the Annual Dr. Rudi Ansbacher Resident and Fellow Education and Research Award is now accepting applications for consideration (due August 31st).

This fund was established in 2001 in recognition of Dr. Ansbacher’s contributions to resident and fellow education, and to provide a future source of funding for resident and fellow education and research. As a result of a generous gift from Dr. Rudi Ansbacher and others, up to $5,000 will be given to the top research project application. For details, please contact Emily Kobernik.

A new article from Alli M.Straubhar, MD, Liam Dalton, Aimee Rolston, MD, MS, Kevin McCool, MD, PhD, Olivia De Bear, PA-C, Cynthia Stroup, PA-C, Kevin Reynolds, MD, Karen McLean, MD, PhD, Jean H.Siedel, DO, and Shitanshu Uppal, MBBS, finds that younger patients and those with risk factors for opioid misuse need a tailored approach to prescribing opioids to balance the need for adequate pain control with the risk of misuse.

Conducting research? LaTeesa James, MLIS, Taubman Health Sciences Informationist for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, can help connect ObGyn faculty, residents, and fellows to the variety of health information resources available at the University of Michigan.

In addition to her expertise in Taubman's many specialized databases, thousands of electronic journals, mobile resources, and information management tools, Lateesa can offer a range of training opportunities, including online and in-person consultations. Be sure to reach out to LaTeesa for your research and health services information needs!

A new JAMA article by Erica Marsh, MD, MSCI, & team examines whether current guidelines that direct the use of transvaginal ultrasonography as a gateway to endometrial biopsy among women with postmenopausal bleeding perform differently by patient race.

The findings of this study suggest that adherence to current clinical guidelines results in systematic underdiagnosis in Black women with endometrial cancer owing to measurement thresholds that fail to account for uterine fibroids and non endometrioid histologic type.

Maria Menke, MD, was awarded funding by the Patient Education Award Committee (PEAC) to develop improved educational materials for our patients going through IVF treatment cycles.

Infertility patients starting IVF treatment are often overwhelmed with the volume of information they receive during patient care visits. Many of these patients express interest in take-home content that they can read before or after visits in order to digest the information at their own discretion.

Dr. Menke's work will help educate patients undergoing IVF in order to reduce delay in care due to incomplete knowledge regarding steps to follow, reduce medication errors due to complex medication treatment, and to better inform patients regarding what to anticipate in the complex process.

Helen Morgan, MD, and Lauren Owens, MD, MPH, were recently selected to join The Michigan Medicine Wellness Office as a Faculty Associate. The Wellness Office team includes faculty, staff, and learners who are passionate about improving workplace well-being for all members of the Michigan Medicine community.

The University of Michigan Clinical Simulation Center Steering Committee recently selected Payton Schmidt, MD, our 2018-2021 Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow, as the UMCSC Scholar of the Year. This award recognizes individuals for significant contributions advancing the field of simulation-based health professions education through publications and/or presentations.

In the summer of 2018, Dr. Schmidt came to her mentors with a vision to develop a simulation-based vaginal skills educational system. Since then, Payton has propelled the associated research to include development and validation of the task trainer, development and validation of the curriculum and associated assessment rubric, and establishment of assessment performance standards.

Dr. Schmidt’s dedication to this work was recognized by a CSC Research grant (2018; $15K), a GME Innovations grant (2021; $69K), and resulted in robust scholarship, including two presentations, two manuscripts, and one UM Office of tech transfer disclosure.

Our Department was well represented by faculty and learners at this month's 2021 Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Meeting.

Courtney Townsel, MD, MSc, shared her clinical expertise & perspective on stigma in a July 8th virtual forum “Stigma, Maternal Health, and the Opioid Crisis," hosted by Michigan Opioid Prescribing Education Network (OPEN) in partnership with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization working to transform addiction treatment and end stigma.

Yesterday, Erica Marsh, MD, MSCI, joined an expert panel hosted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to talk about fibroids.

The Facebook Live event focused on symptoms, treatment, trustworthy resources to share, and promising scientific research. Dr. Candace Tingen, Program Officer for Uterine Fibroids at NICHD, moderated the discussion between Dr. Marsh, Tanika Gray Valbrun (The White Dress Project Founder and Patient Advocate), and Sateria Venable (Fibroid Foundation Founder and Patient Advocate), who shared facts, provided patient perspectives, and answered common questions.

Hosted by the University of Michigan Human Resources Department, this session is designed to provide an opportunity for individuals across the university to come together and reflect on the past year as we anticipate transitioning to a changed, hybrid workplace. This discussion will help us to discover what can be celebrated, lessons learned over the past year, as well as hopes and concerns for the future of work at U-M.

Date: August 5th, 2021

Time: 1:00 - 2:00pm

Location: Zoom

Open to all U-M faculty or staff who would like to transition smoothly to a new hybrid workplace.

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

Please save the date for a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the Morton R. Lazar Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynecology Innovation, and the installation of Molly J. Stout, MD.

Date: September 29, 2021

Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT Ceremony, Reception to follow.

Location: TBD

The MARTS (Michigan Alliance for Reproductive Technologies and Sciences) Conference aims to accelerate the growth of Reproductive Sciences in Michigan by enhancing collaboration and communication among educators and researchers in the basic, translational and clinical arenas.

Date: October 8th, 2021

Location: Rogel Ballroom, Michigan Union

Congratulations to Frank Anderson, MD, MPH, who retired from the University of Michigan this month and is embarking on a new journey as the Chair of the Humanities, Health and Society Department at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami!

The 1997 graduates of the University of Michigan ObGyn Residency program recently gathered to celebrate their 24-year reunion.

Did you know? The 1997 graduates were the first class of all female residents!

Ashly Chimner, ObGyn Clinical Research Coordinator, and family welcomed Baby Ashton on St. Patty's day, weighing 8lbs12.2 oz! Please welcome Ashly back from maternity leave if you see her!

Levi Odin Schmidt was born on April 27, 2021, weighing 6lb14oz to Payton Schmidt, MD, our 2018-2021 Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow! Everyone is happy and healthy!

Congratulations to Versha Pleasant, MD, our 2020–2021 Cancer Genetics and Breast Health Advanced Trainee, who gave birth to a baby girl, Zara Trinity Pleasant!

The Department of Communications video team is open again and accepting appointments! Video profiles will be filmed in the North Campus Administrative Complex (NCAC) boardroom.