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Oregon Health & Science University
The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Family Planning Fellowship started in July of 2001. OHSU is the only academic medical center in Oregon. The hospital and associated clinics are expanding rapidly but the main campus is located near downtown Portland with a beautiful view of Mt. Hood and the Willamette River. We pride ourselves on having a fellowship program with a mix of clinical and public health training and research. In addition to advanced family planning clinical and surgical training, fellows also participate in the generalist faculty practice by serving as attending physicians in both obstetrics and gynecology. Fellows have the opportunity to be involved in either clinical and/or basic science research. Mentorship is provided by the family planning fellowship group that includes Fellowship Director Mark Nichols MD, Assistant Director Alison Edelman MD, MPH, Jeff Jensen MD, MPH, and Paula Bednarek, MD.
The focal point of the fellowship is the excellent clinical training in first and second trimester medical and surgical abortion, contraception for medically complicated patients, and female sterilization including post-partum and interval tubal ligation by laparoscopy and transcervical techniques. We expose our fellows to a very active Planned Parenthood affiliate with opportunities to consult with Nurse Practitioners, and to develop their skills as consultants. Fellows serve as generalist faculty in the Ob/Gyn department, including taking call (approximately 7 times per quarter), serving as the attending for the gynecology inservice (1-3 times per year), and if desired, a ½ day per week faculty generalist clinic. Fellows can choose to enroll in a Master’s Degree in Public Health at OHSU with emphasis on maternal and child health, epidemiology, management, or international health, or a Master’s Degree in Public Health in the Extended Degree Program at University of Washington, Seattle (a partial distance learning program that helps professionals obtain their MPH while continuing their career). Fellows are expected to design and complete a research project of their choice during fellowship. Optimally, this project can also count towards the Fellow’s MPH thesis. Our research has been focused primarily on clinical issues (i.e. continuous hormonal contraception, reduction of pain with surgical abortion, contraceptive efficacy in obese women, and post abortion IUD placement) but basic science projects are options as well. OHSU is home to the internationally renowned Oregon National Primate Research Center that conducts basic science and translational research. Fellows will also act as co-investigators for multiple industry and NIH-sponsored contraceptive studies. The OHSU Women’s Health Research Unit assists fellows with the coordination of their projects. There is a collegial relationship with all Ob/Gyn divisions (Urogyn, Gyn Onc, MFM, and REI) within the Ob/Gyn department. We enjoy a good working relationship with other departments at OHSU, the Oregon School of Public Health, Portland State University Economics Department, and Oregon State University Research Program on Women’s Health. Mentorship is provided by the family planning fellowship group that includes Fellowship Director Mark Nichols MD, Assistant Director Alison Edelman MD, MPH, Jeff Jensen MD, MPH, and Paula Bednarek, MD. We meet as a team ½ day per week to review ongoing research, recent literature in family planning, and development of new research projects. Although fellows achieve autonomy in the provision of clinical and surgical care, a member of the family planning group is always readily available for support, questions, and teaching. Additional mentoring is provided by the group to facilitate and support fellow research projects during development, recruitment, statistical analysis, and publication preparation. The family planning group also sponsors a well-attended journal club every other month. Diverse international contacts implemented by several OHSU Ob/Gyn faculty offer a broad range of international experiences in training, program evaluation or research. The OHSU Fellowship program expects fellows to participate in an international rotation and, with the Fellowship’s national staff, gives guidance and assistance in arranging such experiences.
Mark Nichols, MD received his medical degree from University of California, Davis. He completed his residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in 1983 and worked as a research fellow at the Margaret Pyke Center in London, England in 1990. Dr. Nichols is a Professor, and the Chief of the Division of General Gynecology and Obstetrics and the the Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette consisting of 7 clinics across the state, serving 89,000 patient visits in 2005-06. Alison Edelman, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). She completed her medical degree, OB/GYN residency, and Fellowship in Family Planning at OHSU. Dr. Edelmanreceived her Masters in Public Health at the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a NICHD K12 grant recipient and her research is focused on obesity and how it affects contraception. In addition, she holds leadership positions in ACOG and Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. Jeffrey Jensen, MD, MPH is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health and Preventive Medicine at OHSU and Medical Director of the OHSU Women’s Health Research Unit. He is a Co-Investigator with the NIH Contraceptive Clinical Trials Network and Principal Investigator of two R01 grants for the development of non-hormonal contraceptive options. Dr. Jensen plays a key role in research mentorship and acts as the family planning group’s liaison between both the school of public health and the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Paula Bednarek, MD is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at OHSU. She received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School, completed her OB/GYN residency Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and recently graduated from the OHSU Fellowship in Family Planning. Dr. Bednarek is responsible for establishing and running the Ryan Clinic sponsored by the Ryan Residency Training Program at OHSU.
Reseasrch and Clinical Interests of the Directors
Current Faculty Research Projects
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