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Stanford University
The Fellowship in Family Planning at Stanford University maximizes the resources of one the world’s premier universities. The program blends clinical training, with public health education, and offers opportunities for experience in international settings, policymaking, advocacy and clinical or basic science research. In addition to focused training in abortion and family planning, fellows are also members of the Division of Gynecologic Specialties at Stanford and serve as Attending Physicians in The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The concomitant existence of a Ryan Training Program offers the fellow potential for a significant teaching and supervisory role between Family Planning Fellows and Ob/Gyn Residents. Mentorship is provided by a collaborative group of generalists and specialists in family planning including Fellowship Director Paul D Blumenthal, MD, MPH, Paula Hillard, MD, Kay Daniels, MD and Mary Jacobson, MD at Stanford and Drs. Dorothy Furgerson, Richard Fischer and Jesse Joplin at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
The fellowship provides training in first and second trimester abortions, both medical and surgical. First trimester procedures are offered both in an outpatient hospital setting at Stanford and at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which is one of the largest Planned Parenthood Affiliates in the country. Additional clinical opportunities are available if necessary or desired through a collaboration with UCSF and other local or regional providers. As the program at Stanford matures, more opportunities for varied clinical experiences will develop. First year fellows are expected to obtain either a Masters Degree in Epidemiology (MSc) at Stanford, or a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the University of California at Berkeley. These intensive, programs serve as the introductions to the research and public health components of both the Fellowship and the career to follow. Fellows are encouraged to concentrate in Epidemiology or Biostatistics, although other concentrations are possible. Alternative educational opportunities may be available to fellows who have already obtained the MPH. Fellows are expected to design, execute and complete a research project of their choice during fellowship. In many cases, this project can also be applied toward requirements for the MPH or MSc degree. While clinical research is likely the focus of a fellow’s project, basic science projects are also possible, and projects can be designed around a fellow’s specific interests. Research project design can include randomized clinical trials, case-control studies, operations research, or survey research. They should focus on areas such a abortion, family planning programs, contraceptive safety, acceptability and effectiveness or an internationally-oriented aspect of one of these areas. A distinct aspect of Stanford is relationship between Stanford University and Stanford School of Medicine. Fellows will feel integrated into the larger University community. This allows for involvement in such programs as the Women’s Health concentration for Human Biology undergraduates at Stanford as well as the Women’s Health concentration in the Medical School. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a collegial one and fellowship faculty collaborate not only with faculty in other departmental divisions but also with the Division of Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and the Stanford Prevention Research Center. The Department also hosts a Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) program. A close collaboration with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte is a core component of the fellowship. Mentorship is provided by a core group of faculty led by Fellowship Director Paul D Blumenthal, MD, MPH and includes Drs. Paula Hillard, Kay Daniels, Mary Jacobson, Judy Lacy and others. Half-day research and general consultation meetings take place on a regular basis. Competency-based training is emphasized and a faculty member mentors fellow-performed abortion procedures. Additional mentoring is provided by the core faculty as needed to facilitate and support fellow research and/or enhanced training. The Stanford fellow can expect to have a range of international experiences in training, program evaluation or research from which to choose. Such experiences are often a highlight of the program and Fellowship staff provide assistance in arranging such experiences. They are usually arranged during the second year of the fellowship, and are characteristically a mentored experience in a programmatic setting.
Paul D. Blumenthal, MD, MPH is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is on staff at Stanford Hospital and Clinics and the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. He is the Director of Ambulatory Care for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Directs the Section of Family Planning Services and Research. He received his medical degree from The University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in 1977 and, after an internship in Internal Medicine, completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology both at the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center. He then undertook a Fellowship in Family Planning and Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of California at Los Angeles (the first of its kind in the country). Dr. Blumenthal has been a consultant to several international programs administered by such agencies as JHPIEGO Corporation (an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University), IPAS, Family Health International, Gynuity Health Projects, and the World Health Organization in Africa, the former Soviet Union, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Blumenthal has been a member of the National Medical Committee of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (1996-2002). He has also served as a special advisor to the World Health Organization on the development of technical guidelines for program managers in abortion care (2000), cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings (2005), and HPV vaccine introduction (2006). Dr Blumenthal directed the Fellowship in Family Planning at Johns Hopkins University from 1997 to 2006. Dr. Blumenthal recently served as the special Advisor to Minister of Health and Family Planning of the Republic of Madagascar. He joined the faculty at Stanford in January 2007. Dr. Blumenthal is currently involved in studies community based distribution of injectable contraceptives, implant contraceptive methods and “single visit” approaches to the detection and prevention of cervical cancer. He has over 100 scholarly publications and is the editor of several books focusing on reproductive health.
Research and Clinical Interests of the Directors
Current Faculty Research Projects
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