Dear OBGYN Family,

We had a fabulous Miller Alumni Day Friday, Sept. 24th with a tailgate on the 25th (thank you, Jason Bell). It was so great to see former residents and their families. Jane Juckno and Julie Tumbarello did an amazing job coordinating the event. More than 80 people attended in person and on Zoom.

A highlight to the exceptional day of speakers was the John Randolph Lecture by Dr. Michael Thomas, the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati and incoming President of ASRM. His words of wisdom and leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Reproductive Medicine outlined a blueprint and way forward for all of us in women’s health. Please mark your calendars for next year’s meeting on October 7th!

Best,

Dee E. Fenner, MD

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan Medicine created Well Aware, an informational series to connect experts with our patients, donors, and friends. This is an opportunity to engage with a panel of speakers — anchored by Michigan Medicine leadership — who bring research, experience, and recommendations on today’s topics relevant to improving the health of people here and around the globe.

This month, our experts, including Dee Fenner, MD, Samantha Schon, MD, and Jourdie Triebwasser, MD, answered questions about women’s health needs when they are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and beyond. This session also featured a special introduction by award-winning journalist and documentarian Soledad O’Brien, the CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a multi-platform media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues.

Learn More About the Well Aware series here, and watch other webinars, including the panel on telehealth and patient experience featuring Michelle Moniz, MD, MSc.

The annual retreat of the Women’s Health Division took place on September 20, 2021, at the Michigan League. Following the keynote address, “Establishing psychological safety in the workplace: Key Driver of Patient Safety and Clinician Wellbeing,” by Dr. Jo Shapiro from Harvard Medical School, the group spent the rest of the day discussing research growth, quality improvement, and faculty engagement and wellness. Thanks to all those who made it possible for the entire division to spend the day together. A lot was accomplished. Go Blue!

Alli Straubhar, MD, our second-year Gynecologic Oncology fellow, is the first author of a recently published article entitled, "Pelvic exenteration for recurrent or persistent gynecologic malignancies: Clinical and histopathologic factors predicting recurrence and survival in a modern cohort."

Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA, is an editor of a recently released book, "Value-Added Roles for Medical Students," the second volume in the American Medical Association’s MedEd Innovation Series. The text is a first-of-its-kind, instructor-focused field book that inspires educators to transform the relationship between medical schools and health systems with authentic workplace roles for medical students, adding relevance to medical education and patient care.

In addition to editing the book, Dr. Hammoud co-authored a chapter, "Launching and Sustaining Value-Added Roles," with Rosalyn Maben-Feaster, MD, MPH.

Rosalyn Maben-Feaster, MD, MPH, has been selected as a faculty for the American Medical Association (AMA) Health Systems Science Scholars Program. Presented by the American Medical Association in collaboration with the AMA Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, the AMA Health Systems Science Scholars Program is the flagship program for the AMA Health Systems Science Academy and it focuses on the implementation of health systems science curricula in undergraduate and graduate medical education.

The program enrolls 40 scholars every year and will be welcoming its fourth cohort of scholars in December 2021. Congratulations Dr. Maben-Feaster!

Dee Fenner, MD, was named the 41st president of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS) at its virtual annual meeting on Saturday, Sept. 11.

AGOS advances the health of women by providing dedicated leadership and promoting excellence in research, education, and medical practice.

The Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance has awarded a $50,000 Geri Fournier Ovarian Cancer Research Grant for a collaborative project between Mats Ljungman, PhD, from Radiation Oncology, and Karen McLean, MD, PhD.

Dr. Ljunmgan is the principal investigator and Dr. McLean is a co-investigator on the project entitled, "Precision Targeting of Ovarian Cancer with CRISPR.”

PGY-3 resident Monica Janke, MD, was recently awarded Best Clinical Paper Presentation at the Heartland Association of Gynecologic Oncologists (HAGO). Her paper titled, "Can Ovarian Cancer Surveillance be Performed Virtually?" was judged by the panel as the most timely and impactful clinical research at the HAGO meeting.

Dr. Janke was mentored by Shitanshu Uppal, MBBS, and supported by fellow learners, Alli Straubhar, MD, and Sarah Santiago, MD, who helped Dr. Janke review patient charts, collect data, and many other aspects of this research paper.

Courtney Townsel, MD, MSc, was selected as the inaugural Perinatal Research Society (PRS) Diversity and Inclusion Council Member at the 2021 Annual PRS Meeting.

In this new role, Dr. Townsel is will promote and foster a diverse pipeline of perinatal researchers. Congratulations, Dr. Townsel!

Jim Dupree, MD, MPH, recently received funding from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to support his 5-year RO1, "Quantifying the Impact of Insurance Coverage for IVF on Maternal and Infant Health."

Dr. Dupree and co-investigators Erica Marsh, MD, MSCI, and Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPH, seek to quantify the impact of insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) on women with infertility and their infants. The research will address unanswered questions about the impact of insurance coverage for IVF on the health of women and infants, and results from this study will provide patients, employers, and policymakers with actionable knowledge that will help them make evidence-based decisions about insurance coverage for IVF.

Mara D'Amico, Senior QI Engagement Director of MiWHI, has been selected to join the Michigan Medicine Anti-Racism Oversight Committee (AROC), to serve on the Advocacy and Professional Development subcommittee.

In this two-year position, Mara will help further the subcommittee's goal to integrate anti-racism values into our everyday work as a sustainable element of our medical community and culture and direct the inclusion of dedicated time and resources to faculty, staff, and learners for leadership/professional development and advocacy.​

Sarah Compton, PhD, MPH, and Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPH, recently received an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support their project, “New Title X Regulations: Assessing the Impact on Reproductive Health.”

This research seeks to characterize the impact of Title X policy change on racial and geographic disparities in access to health services and health outcomes. Their findings will provide crucial information about the impact of the Title X regulatory changes on racial and geographic health disparities in Michigan specifically, but with clear implications for similar areas of the country.

For over 40 years, the University of Michigan-Dearborn has celebrated the achievements and impact that graduates have made.

The selection of Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA, as this year's College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Alumnus of the Year award recipient identified her as a significant contributor to her profession, community, and UM-Dearborn through volunteer efforts.

Join us October 6 and 7, 2021 for MHealthy’s all-virtual Be Well Your Way event!

There’s something for everyone – choose from a variety of special presentations and demonstrations focusing on self-care, connection, and expert advice you can use right now. Join in the fun no matter where you’re currently working – on-site, at home, or somewhere in between. All you need is 40 minutes to participate – join us for one topic or stay for several!

Date: October 6-7th, 2021

Location: Virtual

Free to all University of Michigan faculty and staff!

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

Join the Ovarian Cancer Initiative (OCI) for a virtual Mini-Meeting on Health Services Research in Gynecologic Oncology!

Date: October 13th, 2021

Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm

To register, please contact Jacob Maxwell (jacmaxwe@med.umich.edu).

Join us for an exciting CME opportunity to hear the latest updates in women’s health care from leading experts in the field.

Date: December 2nd, 2021

Location: Doubletree by Hilton, 3600 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI.

We’ll cover the long-term effects of COVID, microscopic hematuria, refractory GERD, healthcare for immigrants, effects of prolonged screen time, and more!

The 2021 meeting of the Norman F. Miller University of Michigan Alumni Society was a great success with over 80 members participating either in person or virtually! The speakers were all outstanding and our Alumni could be heard complimenting the ongoing work within our Department throughout the day. Stay tuned for a recording of the meeting, available on the department website soon!

Save the date for the 2022 Norman F. Miller University of Michigan Alumni Society Annual Meeting – October 7th, 2022! Alumni are also welcome to join the Department of ObGyn for a tailgate prior to the UM v Penn State football game on Saturday, October 8th. Additional details to follow. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to Halley Crissman, MD, MPH, and family on the birth of Baby Crissman DeOrio!

Halley, Drew, and sister Nellie are thrilled to have welcomed Bonnie Louise Crissman DeOrio into the family on 8/10/2021. The family is happy and healthy and so incredibly grateful for the wonderful support and care provided by the OBGYN family.

The DE&I Birth Center/Maternal Care workgroup is available to offer feedback for all inpatient and outpatient OB-related programs, projects, and activities. This truly multidisciplinary workgroup is engaged and committed to our DE&I work and we welcome all opportunities to provide input.

To engage this group, please email Courtney Townsel, Chelsea Bayer, or Emily Rivkin.

Please join the Department of ObGyn Active U team - the Gyno-Mites for this free, 8-week activity challenge!

The ActiveU Autumn challenge is designed for every fitness and activity level and is open to all UM faculty, staff, and students. To join, register by October 4, 2021!

Keep moving and tracking your activity over eight weeks (through November 14) to achieve your personal weekly exercise minutes goal. Every Tuesday, look for an email full of health and exercise tips and motivation to help keep you moving!

Questions? Reach out to our ObGyn team captains, Sarah Block and Tammy Moorey!

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.