Emma Barber, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Northwestern University, the Interim Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology, and Director of Robotic Surgery for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a gynecologic oncologist, clinical trialist, and health services researcher. Her research focuses on improving the quality of life and survival of patients with gynecologic cancers by mitigating the toxicity of cancer treatments. Dr. Barber received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University, graduating cum laude with honors. She completed her residency at Northwestern University, where she was inducted into the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed both a clinical fellowship and a National Institutes of Health research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and five book chapters. Her work has been funded by the NICHD, NIA and the NCI. Her research has been featured in prominent peer review publications, such as
The New England Journal of Medicine,
Obstetrics & Gynecology, and
Gynecologic Oncology. Her research has won awards from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the journal
Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Bala Bhagavath, MBBS, is Professor and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He completed his medical education in India, was admitted to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK, worked at the National University Hospital in Singapore, before completing his residency at Medical College of Georgia and fellowship training at UT Southwestern in Dallas. He is board-certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility as well as in Obstetrics and Gynecology. His clinical practice focuses on infertility and surgical management of reproductive disorders. Dr. Bhagavath is a specialty board examiner for the American Board of obstetrics and Gynecology. He has published widely from genetics to clinical and surgical management of reproductive disorders. Dr. Bhagavath is a past president of Society of Reproductive Surgeons. He has served, and continues to serve, on many committees of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. He has won numerous awards, many of them for teaching including the National CREOG Award for Excellence in Resident Education.
Jill E. Brown, MD, MPH, MHS, is the Vice Chair for the Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. She obtained a BA in Biologic Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania and a combined MD and Master of Public Health degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed obstetrics and gynecology residency training at the National Capital Consortium in Bethesda, MD, and is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Brown served as an active-duty physician in the U.S. Navy and Public Health Service. While in the Public Health Service, Dr. Brown served as a medical officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She obtained a Masters of Health Sciences in Clinical Research from Duke University while at the NIH. Dr. Brown is actively involved in clinical research related to reproductive health, particularly in military populations, with several ongoing research grants.
 Mary Ashley Cain, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, where she is part of a busy academic practice overseeing fellows, residents, and medical students. She received her medical training at the Medical College of Georgia. She then completed her OBGYN residency followed by a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship both at the University of South Florida. She serves as the Program Director for the Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship program. Her clinical and research interests include education, maternal cardiac disease, pregnancy as a window to future health and sleep in pregnancy.
 Yasser Y. El-Sayed, MD, is the Charles B. and Ann L. Johnson Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University. Dr. El-Sayed has been part of the Stanford community since his internship. He serves as the Vice Chair and Division Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, and is the Obstetrician-in-Chief and Co-Director of the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Valerie A. French, MD, MAS, has dedicated her career to improving family planning access for women in the Midwest. She attended medical school at the University of Missouri, Columbia and completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Nebraska. Dr. French then completed a family planning fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned a masters in advanced science to gain additional research training. Dr. French is interested in integrating quality contraceptive counseling into the care of women with complex medical conditions. She enjoys teaching medical students and residents, particularly with hands-on workshops. She has expanded family planning care at the University of Kansas, including office management of miscarriage and dedicated complex contraception services. Her proudest professional accomplishment has been the implementation of formal, nationally recognized family planning training at the University of Kansas. As a native Midwesterner, she is delighted to serve the women of the Kansas City area and truly feels at home in the heart of the Midwest.
Karen J. Gibbins, MD, MSCI, is an Assistant Professor and Outpatient Clinic Director in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Gibbins completed medical school at Case Western Reserve University followed by OB/GYN residency at Women & Infants Hospital/Brown University, and then Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah. During her fellowship, she also obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation. She is currently an NICHD Women’s Reproductive Health Research Scholar pursuing research in biomarker discovery and predictive modeling of adverse obstetric outcomes due to placental insufficiency. She is a valued educator and clinician, with a focus on stillbirth, placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction, perinatal trauma, and shared decision making.
Cara L. Grimes, MD, MAS, is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vice Chair of Research and Faculty Development at Albany Medical College. She completed her undergraduate education at Johns Hopkins majoring in Neuroscience. She then spent two years as a high school teacher with Teach for America in Oakland, California. She completed her medical degree at Weill Cornell Medical College and her OB GYN training at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Johns Hopkins Hospital. She then completed a Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at University of California San Diego while also obtaining a Masters in Advanced Studies of Clinical Research. She serves on the Board of the Society for Gynecologic Surgeons as Research Chair where she oversees the fellows research network (FPRN), young faculty research network (CoRPS) and the systematic review group (SRG). She is an advocate for team-based collaborative research and enjoys teaching research methodology and mentoring our future investigators. Her research has been recognized with the International Urogynecological Association Oscar Contreras Ortiz Award for author(s) of the most impactful International Journal of Urogynecology article from 2021, the New York Medical College Dean’s Award for Research Excellence in 2021, and the New York Medical College Faculty Award for Paper with highest number of citations by a NYMC First author in 2021.
 Victoria L. Handa MD, MHS, is a Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and she is the Deputy Director (vice chair) for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. She also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Handa is co-director of the Johns Hopkins Women’s Center for Pelvic Health, a clinical program that combines expertise in Urogynecology, Urology, Colorectal Surgery, and Physical Therapy. She is a co-editor of the
Te Linde’s Operative Gynecology. Her research, supported by several NIH grants, has focused on the epidemiology of pelvic floor disorders, with a focus on the link between childbirth and the development of incontinence and prolapse. Dr. Handa has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Her research has been recognized with numerous awards, including a 2011 Pitkin Prize from Obsterics & Gynecology, the 2007 President’s Award from SGS, the 2015 American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Impact Award, and several awards from the American Urogynecologic Society.
Laura J. Havrilesky, MD, MHSc, is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University and a gynecologic oncologist with an interest in health outcomes and patient preferences. Dr. Havrilesky’s group has performed several prospective studies of patient preferences regarding the side effects of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy treatments for ovarian and cervical cancer and have developed a number of health outcomes models to inform decisions related to gynecologic cancers, including screening, diagnostic testing, and treatment decisions for endometrial, cervical, and ovarian cancer. She currently serves on NRG Oncology’s Patient Centered Outcomes Research Committee and am co-chair of the Comparative Effectiveness Subcommittee for the NRG.
Brenna L. Hughes, MD, MSc, is Professor with tenure, Chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Vice Chair for Quality and Obstetrics at Duke School of Medicine. She first joined the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Duke in 2016 from Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, RI, where she was Associate Professor, Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship, and Director of Women’s Infectious Diseases consultation. In addition to training in obstetrics and gynecology, Hughes completed dual fellowships at Magee-Womens Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh in maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive infectious diseases. She also earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research at that time. She was a scholar for the Brown NICHD K12 Career Development award in Women’s Reproductive Health Research. She then obtained funding from the NICHD in the form of an individual K23 award, which focused on examining the effects of pregnancy on the risk of HIV acquisition, and she was awarded a Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Excellence in Research award for this work. She previously served as an alternate Principal Investigator (PI) and is currently the Duke Center PI for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Clinical Trials Network, participating in all clinical trials run by the Network. She was the PI for two major randomized clinical trials aimed at prevention of congenital cytomegalovirus infection with funding from the NICHD and CDC, respectively. She is currently a co-PI and site PI for numerous clinical trials and observational studies. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles. She has served on the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Publications Committee, as well as the Practice Bulletin Committee for Obstetrics for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and is currently a member of the SMFM Board of Directors. She has served on numerous study sections for NIH and CDC. She is Co-chair for the ACOG COVID task force, Chair of the SMFM COVID task force, and is the only obstetrician serving on the NIH COVID treatment guidelines panel. She has been named a regional Castle Connolly Best Doctors in America and been recognized by multiple major journals in the field of obstetrics for providing high-quality reviews.
Emily M. Ko, MD, MSCR, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College, medical degree from University of Massachusetts, and residency training at the Harvard-integrated program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital. She subsequently completed fellowship in gynecologic oncology at University of North Carolina, and a Master of Clinical Research in population sciences at the UNC Gillings School of Public Health. As a clinician–researcher, she provides comprehensive gynecologic cancer care, and dedicates research efforts towards improving access, disparities, practice, and policies in gynecologic cancer care. Her primary areas of interest include endometrial and cervical cancer, with a heavy emphasis in health services and populations-sciences research. Dr. Ko has received research funding from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology Group, American Cancer Society, NIH, industry, and foundations. She serves as the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Health Policy and Socioeconomic Committee Chair and is a member of the NRG Uterine Corpus Committee. She is a University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics Senior Scholar, she serves on the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation Faculty, and she is Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Population Science Research Group.
Heather S. Lipkind, MD, MS, is the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Weill Cornell and is an Adjunct Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine with clinical and research expertise in perinatal epidemiology. She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. Dr. Lipkind has collaborated on multiple studies focusing on maternal and fetal birth outcomes, including vaccine safety studies with multiple CDC awards examining receipt of vaccines and maternal and infant outcomes. Previously, she worked for several years in collaboration with the New York City Department of Health as a perinatal consultant. Dr. Lipkind created and ran the Yale Hearts Moms program to extend the cardiology preventative health program of digital hypertension monitoring to include postpartum women. Dr. Lipkind currently serves as a dual PI for a multicentered PCORI trial investigating a community-based, family-centered, trauma-informed approach to timely detection and management of early postpartum hypertension and mental health in response to the PCORI PFA Improving Postpartum Maternal Outcomes for Populations Experiencing Disparities. Her interests include vaccine safety, hypertension and maternal cardiovascular and mental health, and health disparities.
Pedro Morales, MD, is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the current Residency Program Director at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He grew up in Nicaragua where he obtained his medical degree, and moved to Kansas City in 2009 to start his residency training at UMKC. As a PGY4, he became actively involved in resident and medical student education and by the end of that year, he was offered to stay at UMKC as faculty member and Associate Program Director. Since graduating from residency, Dr. Morales has been also involved in initiatives to support underrepresented minority (URM) students, residents, and faculty at UMKC. He was a member of the “SMART” (Students in Medicine, Academia, Research and Training) cluster mentoring program, which promotes collaboration among UMKC URM members. He is also a panelist for the URM Faculty Fellows and Scholar Program and has served as a member of the Graduate Medical Education Committee and more recently, the Faculty Development Committee at UMKC. Dr. Morales has received multiple teaching awards including the National CREOG award for Excellence in Resident Education and the Association of Professors and Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Excellence Teaching Award. His interests include cognitive overload and multimedia learning theory in the design of academic presentations, habit formation and cognitive bias in clinical decision making.
Luis Pacheco, MD, is the Division Chief of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine as well as Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Surgical Critical Care, at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Pacheco has been a member of the faculty of UTMB since 2008 and serves as the Director of Obstetrical Critical Care and Director of the Residency Education Program for the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He is the Departmental Director of the Obstetrical Patient Safety Committee and Chair of the Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Clinical Competency Committee. Dr. Pacheco completed medical school and his first residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Costa Rica. He then completed a second residency in obstetrics and gynecology and two fellowships, one in maternal-fetal medicine and the other in anesthesiology critical care, all at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He is triple board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Pacheco’s work in both maternal-fetal medicine and critical care medicine is unique. His publications have contributed significantly to the education of maternal-fetal medicine doctors and general obstetricians regarding medical complications during pregnancy. He has written a textbook addressing medical diseases in pregnancy and has directed courses around the United States in similar topics. Dr. Pacheco has written expert opinion papers for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in topics such as amniotic fluid embolism. His research interest is in critical care obstetrics.
Carl H. Rose, MD, is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester Minnesota. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the Department of Surgery. A fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, he completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and fellowship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. To date he has published 72 peer-reviewed manuscripts, with a particular clinical interest in maternal cardiac conditions in pregnancy.
Moeun Son, MD, MSCI, is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed her medical training and Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and obtained her master’s degree in clinical Investigation at Northwestern University. She is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She served as the associate program director of the MFM fellowship program at Yale. She has served on the SMFM Communications Committee (2015-2018) and SMFM Fellowship Affairs Committee (2017-2020). She is actively involved in resident and fellow training and has received several teaching and research awards throughout her career. Her research interests including clinical trials, labor and childbirth, safe prevention of cesarean, and preterm birth risk-reduction.
Elizabeth A. (Ebbie) Stewart, MD, completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She provides care for patients with benign gynecologic and reproductive conditions and helps build families of all kinds, including single individuals, the LGBTQ community, and couples suffering from infertility or pregnancy loss. She is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Her clinical expertise includes evaluation and management of infertility and diagnosis and treatment of uterine leiomyomas and adenomyosis (with or without infertility). In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Stewart is active in research and education, training residents and fellows. She serves as Fellowship Director for the Reproductive Endocrinology program. Her research focuses on alternatives to hysterectomy, innovative treatment options for endometriosis and uterine leiomyomas, and long-term consequences of hysterectomy. She is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with joint appointments in Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Department of Surgery. She has authored over 190 peer-reviewed articles, two books, multiple book chapters, and research presentations.
Akila Subramaniam, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Subramaniam completed her bachelor’s degree in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shen then went on to complete her medical degree and a master’s in public health at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. She completed her residency in OBGYN as well as a dual fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Medical Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016. Dr. Subramaniam is currently the Director of the UAB OBGYN Diagnostic and Research laboratory and the Program Director of the MFM Fellowship. She is also the PI of two multi-center childhood follow up studies of the landmark Cesarean Section and Optimal Antibiotic Prophylaxis (C/SOAP) trial. Given dual certification in MFM and genetics, Dr. Subramaniam’s clinical interest include fetal ultrasound, prenatal genetic diagnosis, and complicated twin pregnancies. Her research interests include perinatal infections and preterm birth.
Courtney Townsel, MD, MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her medical training at the University of South Florida and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University. She went on to complete a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship and a Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Townsel serves as an ACOG District V FASD Champion and the ACOG Michigan Section Secretary. She is a member of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Research Committee. Dr. Townsel is the 2021-2024 SMFM/AAOGF Scholarship recipient for her project entitled, “Placental Epigenetic Regulation of Fetal Opioid Exposure.” At the University of Michigan Dr. Townsel served as the Physician Lead for the Program for Substance Use in Pregnancy and serves as Co-Lead of the University of Michigan’s Birth Center Diversity, Equity & Inclusion workgroup. Dr. Townsel is actively involved in clinical and translational research. Her interests include substance use disorders in pregnancy, health disparities, and teaching learners of all levels.
Methodius G. Tuuli, MD, is the Chace-Joukowsky Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital. Board certified in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, his research is focused on the prediction and prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes. His work is supported by the NIH and Gates Foundation. He has published over 200 original research, reviews, and book chapters including in the NEJM, JAMA and JAMA Pediatrics. Dr. Tuuli earned his Medical Degree from the University of Ghana Medical School in 2001. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, earning a Master of Public Health degree in 2003 with concentration in maternal and child health. He completed residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Emory University in 2008, and fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Washington University in 2011. Dr. Tuuli completed the Business of Medicine Physician MBA program at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 2020.
Kartik K. Venkatesh, MD PhD, is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and PhD epidemiologist. At The Ohio State University (OSU), Dr. Venkatesh is an Associate Professor with tenure, and holds dual faculty appointments in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Epidemiology. At the OSU Wexner Medical Center, he is the Director of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program, one of the oldest and largest integrated diabetes and prenatal care programs in the United States that provides care to over 800 pregnant people each year with diabetes. He sees pregnant patients with diabetes every week. In the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, he leads the Perinatal Epidemiology Program focused on addressing the effects of social determinants on cardiometabolic health in pregnancy. Dr. Venkatesh is the Principal Investigator of three federally funded studies: 1) NIH’s ECHO Ohio prospective longitudinal cohort, examining the effects of maternal cardiometabolic health on long-term child neurodevelopment (UG3); 2) AHRQ’s ACHIEVE RCT, studying the effects of continuous glucose monitoring, mobile applications, and addressing social needs on glycemic control for Medicaid-insured pregnant individuals with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (R01); 3) PCORI’s DECIDE, a comparative effectiveness, patient-centered RCT, defining whether metformin is not inferior to insulin for prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes and safe through 2 years postpartum among over 1,500 individuals with gestational diabetes and their exposed infants at 20 U.S. centers (large grant). Dr. Venkatesh has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles focused on diabetes in pregnancy, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and perinatal infectious diseases. He has methodological expertise in clinical trials, prospective cohorts, and clinical prediction models. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Venkatesh’s overarching goal is to improve pregnancy outcomes for all individuals living with diabetes using innovative approaches that integrate clinical trials, perinatal epidemiology, and precision medicine.
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