U-M Health Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital was named Michigan’s #1 OB-GYN program, and #21 in the nation, by U.S. News & World Report. Our patients are the inspiration that drives our relentless focus on safe, world-class care. And our faculty and staff make it possible. Thank you for making us one of the best OB-GYN programs in the country!

Schedule of Visits & Televisits for Routine Antenatal Care: A Systematic Review.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine plan a new evidence-based joint consensus statement to address the preferred visit schedule and the use of televisits for routine antenatal care. A systematic review by Alex Friedman Peahl, MD, MSc, & team will support the consensus statement.

ACOG & U-M Develop New Prenatal Care Recommendations

Shitanshu Uppal, MBBS, MD, and U-M learners, Alli Straubhar, MD, Sarah Santiago, MD, and Monica Janke, MD, were published in the International Journal of Gynecologic Oncology last month. The team sought to investigate the utility of symptom review, CA125, and physical examination in the detection of ovarian cancer recurrence to determine the role of virtual surveillance care in the COVID-19 era.

They also won the award for best poster presentation for this project at the 2022 Annual Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) meeting.

Kayte Spector-Bagdady, JD, MBioethics, and her co-author, Prof. Michelle Mello from Stanford Law School, recently published an article in JAMA Health Forum on protecting the privacy of reproductive health information after the fall of Roe v Wade.

In a recently published article, Timothy Johnson, MD, and a multidisciplinary team examined the incidence of, barriers to, and institutional responses to formal reporting of experiences of identity-based harassment at an academic medical center. Their findings suggest a need to reshape institutional harassment prevention and response systems in academic medicine.

From the Big House to the Mackinac Bridge, the impact of University of Michigan research, faculty, staff, alumni, and students spans far beyond the borders of our three campuses. Watch this video to learn more about U-M’s Up North Impact!

Tune in around 2 min. 15 sec. to see some familiar faces and learn about the care our maternal-fetal medicine specialists provide in the Upper Peninsula!

Erica Marsh, MD, MSCI, FACOG, is one of six faculty members from the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus named 2022 University Diversity and Social Transformation Professors. 

The professorship recognizes and rewards senior faculty members for their outstanding contributions to excellence through their commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion with their scholarship, teaching, service, and engagement. Dr. Marsh's work combines her expertise in reproductive endocrinology and infertility with her commitment to fair and equitable health care to raise awareness to address health care disparities, inequities, and biases in medicine and beyond.

Congratulations to Kayte Spector-Bagdady, JD, MBioethics, on receiving funding for her R01, "Hospitals Sharing Patient Data and Biospecimens with Commercial Entities: Evidence-Based Translation to Improved Practice."

The goal of her work, sponsored by NIH/NCATS, is to identify areas for compromise between patients and hospitals to improve data-sharing practices with industry in ways that are respectful of individual patient autonomy and equitable in impact across diverse communities. Professor Spector's co-investigators are Brian Zikmund-Fisher, Jodyn Platt, Reshma Jags, Melissa Creary, and Sachin Kheterpal.

Melissa Schon, Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist, recently passed the exam to become a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). A CRA designation demonstrates a broad knowledge of all aspects of research administration including, but not limited to, project development and administration, legal requirements and sponsor interface, financial management, and general management.

The exam is a 4-hour, 250-question test for which Melissa spent at least 70 hours outside of work studying. Please congratulate Melissa on this amazing accomplishment!

The UM COVID-19 Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (FRCS) program provides support for research supplements to clinical and translational scientists at the time of a caregiving crisis to 1) advance clinical and translational research in an inclusive way, 2) enable recipients to repurpose their time so their research can continue, and 3) validate rather than reinforce stigma around caregiving in clinical and translational research.

Hope Haefner, MD, received the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) Meritorious Service Award at their biennial meeting in Dublin, Ireland. This award recognizes outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the society.

The Region 9 Collaborative received the funding from Michigan Health Endowment Fund. This project, led by Lisa Kane-Low, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPH,  and Helen Joa, aims to expand the doula workforce to include more diverse representation to promote accessible, welcoming, and culturally and racially aligned labor support to address health disparities and improve birth outcomes across Region 9 (which includes Livingston, Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Monroe counties).

Residency Class of 2026

• Jessica Haefner, University of Michigan Medical School
• Jennie DeBlanc, University of Michigan Medical School
• Michaela Pesce, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• Alison Schmidt, Indiana University School of Medicine
• Evan Keil, University of Minnesota Medical School
• Shira Fishbach, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

We hope to see you and your families at our upcoming Department Picnic!

Date: August 6, 2022

Time: 12:00 - 4:00 pm

Food will be provided by Ray's Red Hots, Satchel's BBQ, and the Kona Ice truck. Per tradition, we will be collecting new items for Safe House. 

This workshop is designed to be practical and allow faculty to learn about the ongoing development of their CV in the required Medical School format. This is especially helpful to those who plan to go up for promotion in the future.

Date: August 15, 2022

Time: 9:00 - 10:30 am

Location: Zoom

Following an overview of Elements, the new software system, the facilitator will review the components of how to enter items in a CV, how to modify the data that was imported from the previously used M-CV software system, and discuss the changes and updates that have been made to improve this new tool.

Attendees should have their CVs available to participate in the hands-on portion of this workshop. Training for staff will be available and announced at a later date.

Dr. Margaret Punch

After 30 + years Margaret Punch, MD, celebrated her last day of clinic! We thank her for her leadership, mentorship, teaching, and unsurpassed patient care.

We will miss you!

Dr. Cos Van de Ven

This summer, we also bid farewell to Cos Van de Ven, MD, after 29 years of service. For those who might have missed it, the department, colleagues, and alumni made this video to celebrate Dr. Cos Van de Ven’s amazing career.

 The U-M Library's newly published Abortion Research and Policy Guide provides information on abortion in the context of sexual and reproductive health, women’s and gender studies, and state and national health data. It provides links to reliable news sources, public policy, polling data, case law, and ways to track legislation.

DEI Grand Rounds:

Thank you to everyone who joined us on July 21 and July 28 for our DE&I Grand Rounds! If you were unable to join, please check out the recordings for both sessions - DE&I Progress Report and Our Future Direction (July 21) and Avoiding Bias in Recommendation Letters (July 28). 

Helpful Resources:

Please check out two DE&I resources, available on our OBGYN DE&I webpage:

• Inclusive Criteria Guide (revised): Our team has developed this guide, adapted from Brown University, that highlights considerations for the development of educational materials to promote DE&I and bias-free instruction. We hope this document guides you in creating a more inclusive and diverse environment.

• NEW – Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative, and Concepts: In 2021, the AMA and the AAMC Center for Health Justice produced a resource, “Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts(link is external).” Our department created an abridged version, highlighting key points to encourage our community to engage in this content and apply this knowledge to our work every day.

• August Cooking Classes: MHealthy’s virtual cooking classes are now free! Learn to make delicious, healthier foods for you and your family. Each 45-minute class includes interacting live with expert chefs and dietitians.

• M Farmers Markets: MHealthy farmers markets return this summer! Fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and more will be available. Purchases can be made with cash or credit/debit cards. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags.

• Shaping Workplace Well-Being: The August 2022 Early Career Leaders Community of Practice session will focus on well-being in the workplace. Any leaders who are emerging, early career, or seasoned are welcome to join us!

• Setting Healthy Boundaries: This 30-minute virtual workshop will provide guidance, resources, and tools around setting work-related and personal boundaries.