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University of Chicago
The Fellowship in Family Planning at the University of Chicago (U of C) is located within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Division of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research. The primary objective of the Fellowship in Family Planning at U of C is to provide physicians with the opportunity to gain high-level research experience and clinical skills in abortion and family planning. Fellows work with a team of dedicated faculty members whose extensive training in abortion, contraception and research contributes to a rich learning environment. In addition to the Fellowship, our Division is comprised of three other interconnected components: The Ryan Center, The Comprehensive Contraceptive Research Program and The Reproductive Health Policy Program, and another component is imminent with members of the Division traveling to Ghana in the Spring of 2007 to initiate an ongoing medical mission. The interdisciplinary nature of our Division provides fellows with a unique opportunity to gain advanced knowledge in all fields related to abortion and contraception.
Clinical care is provided within The Ryan Center, one of the national Ryan Residency Training Program clinics. This comprehensive, five-day outpatient clinic is fully integrated into the University of Chicago’s obstetrics and gynecology practice located within the medically underserved South Side of Chicago. The clinical care component of the fellowship includes all methods of pregnancy termination, family planning, and sterilization; all diagnostic methods to confirm uterine and tubal pregnancy; anesthesia and pain control; treatment of complications and gynecologic surgery. First trimester abortion services are supervised by Dr. Antonia Nicosia and second trimester abortion services are supervised primarily by Dr. Sabrina Holmquist, both of whom are former family planning fellows. The Ryan Center gives fellows ample opportunity both to develop their own skills and to instruct residents and medical students. The fellows also perform abortions in free-standing clinics. Fellows have opportunities for gynecologic surgery, but do not participate in in-house call. The University of Chicago provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary study. Fellows may choose from a number of programs to suit their individual skills, needs, and interests. The majority of fellows undertake the Master of Science in Health Studies which provides a rigorous training in health studies, statistical analysis and study design. This program originally served as the basis of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program and invites fellows from throughout the university to participate. The epidemiologist who directs this program serves as the Family Planning fellow’s thesis advisor assisting in study design and statistical analysis. Other options include a Master’s from the Harris School of Public Policy, and an individualized degree from the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences. Fellows may also complement their studies with courses from the School of Social Service Administration and the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics fellowship program. Potential fellows who are interested in a joint Ethics-Family Planning fellowship should contact the fellowship director in advance to discuss this track. Through coursework and the development of a structured clinical research project, fellows learn study design, grant writing, and statistical analysis. Fellows work closely with a research mentor and receive additional assistance from the Division’s research director, administrator and biostatistician. Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in our Division’s ongoing program of clinical and community-based research. Areas of particular interest include: understanding adolescent contraceptive decision making; exploring contraceptive practices of low income African American and Latino populations; repeat pregnancy; postpartum contraception; emergency contraception; and women with substance abuse or mental health issues. The Division also has a strong clinical trials program focused on studying new methods of contraception. Our researchers are skilled in qualitative and quantitative methods including systematic reviews, database analyses and meta-analysis. Depending on their individual interests, fellows can conduct clinical, basic science and/or social science research. During the course of their fellowship, fellows present at grand rounds as well as national conferences. Interdisciplinary collaboration is one of the hallmarks of the University of Chicago. Through Centers such as the Center for Health and the Social Sciences (Chess), The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture and The McClean Center for Medical Ethics, investigators and thought leaders from across campus collaborate on research, policy and advocacy initiatives. The Division has ongoing collaboration on studies and clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and industry. These studies range from basic science research to multi-center clinical trials. Similarly, we work closely with a number of local policy, legal and advocacy groups offering the fellows a rich array of reproductive health advocacy opportunities. Fellows are primarily mentored by Dr. Melissa Gilliam who directs the fellowship in family planning and Dr. Antonia Nicosia, the assistant fellowship director. Mentoring consists of weekly didactic sessions based on a structured reproductive health curriculum. In addition, the Director holds regular meetings to evaluate fellows’ progress in research projects, training and professional development. Fellows also have access to a number of other experienced and influential faculty members within the Division of Family Planning and the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Health Studies. Opportunity for international travel is a key component of the fellowship. Graduated fellows have worked in such diverse locales as the Ukraine, Vietnam, and Kenya. The Division of Family Planning is currently in the process of establishing a medical mission in Ghana that will be available as a site for international work in addition to its goal of providing healthcare to hundreds of underserved Ghanaians.
Melissa Gilliam, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago and Chief of the Division of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at U of C in addition to her role as Director of the Fellowship in Family Planning. With degrees in English literature, philosophy and politics, Dr. Gilliam’s research takes a broad approach to the study of family planning. She employs social science, qualitative and quantitative techniques to explore contraceptive behaviors. Dr. Gilliam has initiated several clinical trials examining contraceptive behaviors; she also possesses a strong interest in community-based research focusing on contraceptive use and attitudes toward pregnancy among low-income African-American and Latino/a adolescents and postpartum contraceptive use. She has received funding from private foundations, The National Institute of Health, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Gilliam’s clinical interest is in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also serves on the Boards of The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and The Society for Family Planning and in the Fall of 2007 will begin service as the Board Chairperson of the Guttmacher Institute. Antonia Nicosia, MD is Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago, where she also serves as director of the Ryan Residency Training Program and Assistant Director of the Fellowship in Family Planning. She received her undergraduate degree in Foreign Languages and Linguistics from Georgetown University and her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. She completed her residency at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, CA and the Fellowship in Family Planning at the University of Southern California. Dr. Nicosia possesses a strong commitment to education and lectures to medical students, residents and health professionals on the topics of family planning and abortion methods. She holds a particular interest in the development of contraceptive technologies, international health and hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Nicosia’s extensive international experience provides a backdrop to fellows’ opportunities for international work. She is the driving force behind the Division’s initiative in Ghana. Dr. Nicosia is fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish with additional knowledge of German, Hebrew, Somali, and Thai.
Research and Clinical Interests of the Directors
Current Faculty Research Projects
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