Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Training Program
A Maternal-Fetal Medicine Subspecialist is defined as an Obstetrician Gynecologist who specifically cares for and/or provides consultation to women with complicated pregnancies and to the physicians who care for them. Fellowship training requires:
- Advanced knowledge of the obstetrical, medical and surgical complications of pregnancy and their effect on both the mother and the fetus.
- Expertise in state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment modalities for women with complicated pregnancies.
- Advanced knowledge of newborn physiology and pathophysiology.
At the University of Utah Health Sciences Center (UUHSC), the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Training Program is designed to fulfill the aforementioned requirements and more. Our mission also includes:
- Training of clinicians-investigators
- Grooming future leaders of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Training Program at the UUHSC is one of a few programs capable of offering its trainees a rich mix of both hands-on clinical experience and quality investigative exposure.
Research Opportunities
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah is known as a center of research excellence, ranking 5th amongst 79 NIH-funded departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine is one of the ten participating centers in the NIH-sponsored Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit Network. In addition, the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine was the leading contributor to the recently completed NIH-sponsored FASTER trial, one designed to determine the utility of early non-invasive approaches to the diagnosis of Downs-Syndrome.
One of the top priorities of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Training Programs is to recruit and train Fellow candidates in the latest research methodologies, basic and/or clinical, thereby forging competent investigators in the discipline of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. More than 50% (and up to 2/3) of the fellowship-training period is spent in academic pursuits in areas such as recurrent pregnancy loss, autoimmune disease during pregnancy, molecular genetics, hypertension-preeclampsia, preterm labor, premature rupture of the gestational membranes, prenatal diagnosis, and ultrasound imaging. The securing of independent grant support is encouraged but not required. Any and all research activities will be carried out under the supervision of established funded investigators.
Special emphasis is placed on the mastering of contemporary laboratory techniques and on understanding their scientific basis. Fellows are expected to make use of this newly acquired knowledge in the design and execution of laboratory-based experiments designed to answer clinically relevant questions/hypotheses. To this end, fellows receive detailed instruction in:
- Setting up a research laboratory
- Critically evaluating the literature and the methodology employed
- Making presentations at local and national meetings
- Writing scientific manuscripts
- Achieving competence in the writing of grant proposals with an eye towards applying for the funding of future research.
Clinical Opportunities
The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Training Program at the UUHSC operates, for the most part, within two tertiary medical centers, the UUHSC and the LDS Medical Center. Both institutions are nationally recognized for excellence in patient care, research, and education. The UUHSC and the LDS Medical Center constitute referral centers for five western states, while managing in excess of 8,000 deliveries annually. Both institutions boast busy Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units handling large inpatient and outpatient volumes assisted by state-of-the-art fetal diagnostic centers.
Fellows in training can expect direct participation in the management of pregnancies complicated by a wide array of common and uncommon medical and obstetrical conditions. In addition, fellows can expect to receive hands-on training in ultrasound imaging and invasive fetal diagnosis, and therapy. Clinical experience is obtained under the direct supervision of internationally recognized experts in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, who are dedicated to Fellow and Resident education.
