 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Washington University
The Family Planning Fellowship Program at the Washington University in St. Louis is directed by Jeffrey Peipert, MD, MPH and Tessa Madden, MD, MPH. The fellowship is a collaborative effort between Washington University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Planned Parenthood – St. Louis Region. Washington University’s program provides experience with medical abortion, first and second trimester uterine evacuation procedures, labor induction procedures, sterilization, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, and clinical epidemiology. Fellows will complete either an MPH at St. Louis University School of Public Health or a Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) at Washington University School of Medicine . Fellows may have an opportunity to participate in NIH-funded multidisciplinary research mentoring programs including the BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health) or the new K12 Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program. There are extensive research opportunities at Washington University. Potential research projects for Fellows include ongoing research or new investigator-initiated projects. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is dedicated to both basic science and clinical research, and has a new 10,000 square-foot space and affiliated staff dedicated to the Division of Clinical Research. The Division of Clinical Research manages multiple clinical trials in Obstetrics and Gynecology, including the contraceptive CHOICE Project, a prospective cohort study of 10,000 women investigating contraceptive satisfaction and continuation rates. Fellows will also participate in the new Kenneth Ryan Residency Training Program, teaching residents and medical students contraceptive counseling, first and second trimester ultrasound, and abortion techniques for first and second trimester procedures.
Clinical training for fellows emphasizes use of, and becoming expert in, all methods of contraception and hysteroscopic and laparoscopic sterilization, as well as becoming expert in all methods of first and second trimester abortion. The majority of abortion care will take place at Planned Parenthood of St. Louis Region, Reproductive Health Services. This facility has more than 6,000 procedures annually, with more than 1,000 medical abortions. Here, fellows will learn (and ultimately teach and supervise residents), first and second trimester surgical abortion and medical abortion. An abortion service is being developed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for medically high-risk patients and patients with fetal anomalies. Fellows have two options for their Masters Degree: Washington University of St. Louis: Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation The Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation requires the Core Curriculum in Clinical Investigation, independent research under the tutelage of a mentorship committee, attendance at an ongoing seminar series to present and discuss research as a work-in-progress, and a final project - typically a submitted manuscript or grant application. There is also an option to earn a Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation. St. Louis Univiersity School of Public Health The Department of Community Health offers the Master of Public Health in five concentration areas: Behavioral Science and Health Education, Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology and Health Policy. Joint concentrations include a combination of Epidemiology with Behavioral Science and Health Education, Biostatistics or Environmental and Occupational Health. A Professional Option Program also is offered: the Practice Option for students with substantial and relevant work experience in a health-related field, and the Analytical Option for students holding an advanced degree. Also available are dual degree programs with the School of Medicine, the School of Law, the School of Social Service, the School of Nursing and the Department of Dietetics in the School of Allied Health. All degree programs require the passing of an oral comprehensive exam and an internship. A significant strength of the MPH program is that students often are able to work as research assistants on a variety of exciting research, intervention, and training projects.
Extensive research opportunities exist with the Family Planning Fellowship at Washington University. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is devoted to both basic science and clinical research. The Department is strongly supportive of patient-centered clinical research, and recently started a Division of Clinical Research. This division contains research nurses, research assistants, a data manager, an epidemiologist, a statistician, and additional research support staff. The Division of Clinical Research manages multiple clinical trials, ranging from fellowship-designed clinical studies to industry-sponsored trials, and includes a large (10,000 patient), multi-center cohort study evaluating contraceptive choice, acceptability, satisfaction and continuation (the CHOICE Project). The Department also has active basic sciences investigations in reproductive endocrinology and immunology. Fellows have ample opportunity to participate in ongoing research or to develop new investigator-initiated projects. In conjunction with a Masters program didactic curriculum, all aspects of developing and completing research will be taught and supported. This includes opportunities in development of research design, grant writing, publication and presentations at national meetings.
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine is collaborating with Planned Parenthood – St. Louis Region (PPSLR) and St. Louis University to accomplish the goals of the Family Planning Fellowship. Most contraception/abortion experience will be at PPSLR, but new in-patient abortion services are being developed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Research mentors include Drs. Jenifer Allsworth, (PhD, epidemiology), George Macones, Tessa Madden, , Jeffrey Peipert, Gina Secura, (PhD, epidemiology), David Stamilio, and additional faculty in clinical investigation and epidemiology at Washington University (e.g. Drs. Brad Evanoff, Victoria Fraser, Brian Gage, Mario Schootman, etc.) Dr. Lewis Wall in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Anthropology, has an active exchange program with two medical schools in Ghana. In addition to approved international opportunities offered by the Family Planning Fellowship, fellows will have an opportunity to arrange an international experience in Ghana.
About the Directors and Faculty Jeffrey Peipert, MD, MPH is director of the Family Planning Fellowship Program at Washington University. He is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is the Vice Chair of Clinical Research. Dr. Peipert also is the new medical director of Planned Parenthood – St. Louis Region. Dr. Peipert’s research interests include contraception and the intersection of family planning and sexually transmitted disease prevention. Dr. Peipert serves as a Consultant Editor for the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, and is the co-editor of the text Primary Care in Women’s Health. He has served as a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and is on a number of NIH review panels and committees. Tessa Madden MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor at Washington University School of Medicine and Assistant Director of the Family Planning Fellowship at Washington University. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at Columbia University in New York City and a Family Planning Fellowship and Masters of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests include bacterial vaginosis, abortion-related infections, factors affecting uptake and compliance with contraception, and long-term contraception methods. She received the 2007 ACOG/Bayer Research Award in Contraception to study transdermal estradiol for the prevention of intermenstrual bleeding in new users of the levonorgestrel IUD. Additionally, she has a strong interest in policy and advocacy and participated in the Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health Leadership Training Initiative Program. Dr. Robert Crist is a key faculty member in the Washington University Family Planning Fellowship Program. Dr. Crist has been an abortion provider for over 35 years, and is a major provider of first and second trimester surgical abortions at Planned Parenthood. Dr. Crist did his medical school and residency training at the University of Kansas, and completed a PhD in Biochemistry at Kansas University. Dr. Crist worked for two years as the Assistant Chief at Walter Reed, and spent 11 years on the faculty of Kansas University as a tenured Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Diane F. Merritt is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University Medical School and Director of the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Dr. Merritt is a founding member of the North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Merritt has pioneered the Program in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at Washington University Medical Center. The Program is now an established major referral center in the Midwest, and is a site for training of students, residents and post-graduate fellows in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. A nationally and internationally recognized expert in pediatric and adolescent gynecology and women's health, Dr. Merritt is known for her clinical work in adolescent sexuality and pregnancy prevention, the diagnosis and treatment of genital injuries, as well as the diagnosis and repair of congenital anomalies of the reproductive tract which present in infancy or at puberty, and the management of hormonal disorders of puberty, perimenopause and menopause. George Macones, MD, MSCE , is the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor and Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Macones has been/is Principal Investigator for a number of NIH grants, and is the recipient of an ongoing K24 grant from NICHD (Midcareer Award in Patient Oriented Research), which supports Dr. Macones’ mentoring activities. Dr. Macones has served as an ad hoc reviewer for a variety of NIH/NICHD study sections, including and Epidemiology and Disease Control Subcommittee I (EDC-1). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Macones was recently named to the Food and Drug Administration’s Advisory Committee on Reproductive Drugs. As the new Chair of the Department, Dr. Macones has clearly stated his commitment to Family Planning Training.
Research and Clinical Interests of the Directors The Division brings together researchers from many areas of medicine who are interested in conducting women’s health research. The Division supports ongoing studies on many topics, including:
Current Faculty Research Projects
|