Author: Allison

Dr. Sonn in “Encouraging workforce diversity-supporting medical students with mobility and sensory disabilities”

Medical schools have the responsibility to train a diverse physician workforce including those with disabilities. Medical educators increasingly encounter students with disabilities and are responsible for meeting requirements. “In 2019, 5% of medical students reported a physical, learning, or psychological disability, compared with 3% in 2016, representing a 69% increase in the proportion of students […]

Meet Jessica Zomphier

Jessica Zomphier (she/her) is a Medical Assistant III on COH 7. She has been with us for two years! My favorite part about my job is working with the patients and getting an opportunity to learn form an amazing group of providers. Jessica Zomphier What’s something that most people don’t know about you? Most people […]

Meet Emily Irvine

Emily Irvine (she/her) is the Director of Finance and Administration for our Business Office. She has been with us for two years! What is the best advice you ever received and who was it from? Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. This is a quote from American film director […]

Dr. Carter was recognized by the “In and For St. Louis” award!

Dr. Carter was recognized with her co-primary investigator, Dr. Shannon Lenze, by Washington University in St. Louis! They received the “In and For St. Louis” award for their work with community-academic partnership with the EleVATE Collaborative.

L.A.B Award Winners – Spring 2023

Congratulations to the latest recipients of the Department of OB/GYN’s Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey (L.A.B.) Award named in honor of Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey—the enslaved women whose sacrifice, without consent, nearly 200 years ago allows surgical repair for women with vesicovaginal fistulas today. Julia Burd, MDClinical Fellow, Maternal-Fetal MedicineMentor: Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCITitle: Method of Cervical Assessment in Patients with Preterm […]

Faculty and Staff at SLOCA Living Out Loud, Gala & Auction

A great evening for a great cause.  We (nurses and docs) started this in 1993.  It’s grown into a great grassroots organization. We have given over $1 million for research to Wash U and FWC.  We have many other outreach initiatives.

Podcast: Maternal mortality rates are spiking. How can the trend be reversed?

Ebony B. Carter, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says the groups most likely to be affected by these rising numbers are poor. Many tend to live far away from medical care, and many are members of minority groups. The maternal death rate among Black Americans […]

Meet Robin Bystrom

Robin Bystrom (she/her) is a Practice Operations Manager for Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology Oncology. She has been with us for a short few months! Life is short so make the best of it. Between now and dead, don’t do things you do not find pleasure in, and always treat others with respect. That is so […]

CRepHS was awarded at the 70th SRI Meeting

Members of CRepHS recently voyaged to Brisbane, Australia to present at and attend the 70th Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI). Sicheng Wang and Yiqi Lin (Wang Lab) both won the SRI President’s Presenter’s Award, Patricia Strutz, MD, MSCI (England Lab) and Zhexian Sun (Wang Lab) both won the Poster Award, and […]

Dr. Wang cited in “New, non-invasive imaging tool maps uterine contractions during labor”

“The study team, led by Yong Wang, Ph.D., and Alan Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., at Washington University in St. Louis, and Alison Cahill, M.D., at the University of Texas at Austin, initially developed EMMI using a sheep model and reported their findings in Science Translational Medicine. In the new study, the team tailored EMMI for human clinical use […]

Promising new researcher obtains prestigious fellowship award

Juan Ferreira, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in the Santi Lab, recently earned a fellowship award from the Lalor Foundation for his research on a new assay to evaluate sperm fertilization capacity in infertile patients. “I would like to express thanks to Drs. England, Blanco, Lishko and Frank for their support of this project,” Ferreira states, “and […]

Black Family Wellness Expo

We loved seeing the faces who joined us for the Black Family Wellness Expo! The event was held at Christian Hospital on Saturday, March 25!

Paper awarded 2023 Impact Award from SGS/AJOG

“D-mannose vs other agents for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis” co-written by our own Dr. Jerry Lowder, was awarded the 2023 Impact Award from SGS/AJOG!

Meet Tammy Odom

Tammy Odom (she/her) is a Senior Department Accounting Assistant. She has been with us for 16 1/2 years! What is the best part about your job? Helping my co-workers to find the best answers and solutions to process things in a timely manner. What’s something that most people don’t know about you? Not sure. There […]

Match Day 2023

✨ We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this new intern class of 2027! ✨ Emma Altieri Katherine Brow Catherine Burns Katherine Carbonell Sarah Cohen Laura Granger-Howard Alexandra Houston-Ludlum Ngantu Le Allison Whorton Congrats to the WashU Med students who matched into ObGyn! Thank you to all our advisors, letter writers, and teachers who inspired these […]

Associate Professor of ObGyn, Yong Wang, on developing new imaging technology

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed new imaging technology that can produce 3D maps showing the magnitude and distribution of uterine contractions in real time and across the entire surface of the uterus during labor.  “Imaging tech produces real-time 3D maps of uterine contractions during labor” by Jacquelyn Kauffman […]

Meet Carrie Gower

Carrie Gower (she/her) is the Practice Manager for MFM and Fetal Care! She has worked in the department for 5 years. You can often find her buzzing around COH 10! Never stop trying to learn or to grow yourself. Don’t settle, always strive for the best. Best piece of advice she has ever received! What […]

Meet Emily Constantini

Emily Constantini (she/her) is a Patient Billing/Services Representative I for COH 7! She has been with us for right around 3 months. We are lucky to have her! When asked about the best piece of advice she was ever given, she mentioned this from her best friend: No one has power over you, unless you […]

Dr. Khabele is tackling disparities impacting people of color

WashU ObGyn Department Chair, Dr. Dineo Khabele, is the first Black Chair at the institution. She has firsthand seen the disparities in care and is set to be proactive in mending the problem. “Sometimes it feels hopeless, and sometimes people feel sort of dejected or like they can’t do anything. I want to let people […]

Residency DEIA Committee Hosts Live Broadcast

Last night, residents, students, and attendings gathered to view Michelle Alexander speak in regard to her book, The New Jim Crow, and race in America today. Delicious Ethiopian food catered by Meskerem was enjoyed! When asked about what keeps her hopeful, Alexander admitted that it’s hard to always be hopeful. But she has witnessed small […]

Celebrate Black History Month

“It must be acknowledged that these advancements were made through the exploitation of enslaved women’s bodies…” Dr. Marion Sims, historically known as the Father of Gynecology, had surgical instruments named after him and monuments erected after he developed gynecologic surgical techniques, specifically vesicovaginal fistula repair. However, his surgical techniques and instruments were developed on the […]

WashU Named in Top 10 in Blue Ridge Ranking

WashU’s Department of OBGYN has once again achieved a US TOP 10 RANKING! Funds awarded to our department by the National Institutes of Health totaled $6.4M in 2022, as reported by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research #BRIMR. Congrats to our amazing & dedicated research teams!

Amber Richardson

Amber Richardson (she/her) is Supervisor/Medical Assistant for OBGYN-COH 710. She has been with the department for 7 years! [My favorite part of my job is] The team I work with. They make the workplace enjoyable. I love being a part of the day-to-day office life with the team we have. Amber Richardson What’s something that […]

Chris Higginbotham

Chris Higginbotham (she/her) is a Financial Analyst for the Business Office. She has been with the department for 2 years. We are so happy to have someone like her greeting everyone on COH 10! [Most people don’t know] I got married in Heidelberg, Germany, and I have my motorcycle certification! Chris Higginbotham What do you […]

DINEO KHABELE ASKS: HOW CAN WE DO BETTER (Links to an external site)

Dineo Khabele, MD, FACOG, FACS, a specialist in gynecologic oncology, is head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine. She made history when she assumed that role in 2020, becoming the first Black department head at the medical school. She points out, however, that many such schools in the U.S. have […]

Dr. Santi in “Fast-Acting Nonhormonal Male Birth Control Prevents Pregnancy in Mice” (Links to an external site)

Hormonal birth control methods are highly effective, but for many people who take them, they have undesirable side effects. But these could someday be avoided with the advent of fast-acting nonhormonal contraceptives. In a study published February 14 in Nature Communications, a group of Weill Cornell Medicine pharmacologists report a male contraceptive that prevented 100 percent […]

Period Poverty Donation Collection

This Feb/Mar MO American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is focusing on period poverty. Period poverty refers to the inability to afford period products (pads/tampons/cups). About 40% of US people with uteruses struggle with period poverty, causing about 1/3 of low-income people with uteruses to miss work or school due to the lack of access to […]

Black History Month – Dr. Venable | DEIA Committee

**TLDR: Dr. Howard P Venable, the first Black physician faculty member at WASHU, was an accomplished ophthalmologist, who had his land in Creve Couer taken away from him and his family by the mayor in 1959 ​under the basis of racial segregation and eminent domain. It wasn’t until 2021 that the land was rededicated and […]

Nelson Alumni Society hosts First Annual Residency Career Day

On Wednesday, February 15, the Michael D. Nelson Alumni Society hosted the first annual Residency Career Day! The residents were able to hear from many of our community physicians, starting with presentations from Dr. Makeba Williams, who spoke on career values as a physician. Dr. Diana Gray** spoke on the various academic tracks an ObGyn can […]

CRepHS Valentines Bake-Off

The members of CRepHS held a Valentine’s Bake-Off and card-making party. Photos courtesy of Julie Emmerich!

Black History Month – Delmar Divide | DEIA COMMITTEE

**TLDR: Just blocks away from Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the “Delmar Divide” calls to attention the stark racial makeup and socioeconomic inequity that exits immediately north and south of Delmar Boulevard. Aiming to address the striking disparities in St. Louis, the “Delmar Divine” is a shared space for collaboration and innovation among many nonprofits and social service organizations in St. […]

Meet Fran Manyx

Fran Manyx (they/them) is a Clinical Research Study Assistant II for the Division of Clinical Research. They have been with us since last April! I love the interaction I have with patients as well as knowing I will learn something new everyday from any aspect of my job. I love having an avenue for growth […]

Zhexian Sun in featured paper

Media Advisory: New MRI method provides detailed view of the placenta during pregnancy Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new method to process MRI scans to reveal the distinct compartments of the placenta, take measurements of oxygen levels in each region and determine if there are malformations in blood vessels […]

Wang, Odibo, and others featured on the cover article of Ultrasound in Obstetrics in Gynecology

Department members Z. Sun, W. Wu, P. Zhao, D. M. Nelson, A. Odibo, Y. Wang were featured on the cover article on Ultrasound in Obstetrics in Gynecology & “Association of intraplacental oxygenation patterns on dual-contrast MRI with placental abnormality and fetal brain oxygenation” Most human in-vivo placental imaging techniques are unable to distinguish and characterize various placental compartments, such […]

Meet Ryan Stoner

Ryan Stoner (they/them) is a Clinical Research Assistant for DCR. They have been with us for a little of a month. We are so excited to have them with us! I care deeply about advocacy for marginalized people especially as it concerns the healthcare system in this country. Healthcare has historically not been equitable and […]

Leaders in maternal-fetal medicine making connections

A group of WashU OBGYN faculty and staff, and a fellow, are presenting on the topics of labor, prematurity, ultrasound/imaging, reproductive health equity, and more at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s 43rd annual “Pregnancy Meeting.” Congratulations to our accomplished OBGYN team members: Ebony Carter, MD, MPH; Emily Diveley, BSN; Antonina Frolova, MD, PhD; Cassy Hardy, RN; Jeannie Kelly, […]

Meet Michele Davis

Michele Davis is Registered Medical Assistant II for COH 7! She has been with the department for 14 months. I like caring for people. I like that I am learning something new constantly and I am never bored, However, it is the staff that makes me happy, they accept my silliness. Michele Davis What do […]

Announcing the 2023/2024 Chief Administrative Residents

Meet our 2023 – 2024 chief administrative residents! They were all voted on amongst their peers.  They are critical to the success of our team as they take on a huge leadership role in the program.  Congrats to Dr. Caroline Min, Dr. Erika Mauban, and Dr. Elizabeth Buckley! 

Santi Lab publishes “A selective inhibitor of the sperm-specific potassium channel SLO3 impairs human sperm function” (Links to an external site)

To fertilize an egg, human sperm must undergo a process in which the membrane becomes more negative inside. The ion channel responsible for this membrane hyperpolarization has long been unclear. In this publication, the Santi and Denton labs describe a screen to identify inhibitors of a strong candidate – the sperm-specific potassium channel SLO3. They […]

Dr. Carter presents “Pearls for Practice on the Physician-Scientist Pathway” for the Division of Physician-Scientists

Ebony B. Carter, MD. MPHAssociate Professor, Ob/GynChief, Division of Clinical Research Thank you to the Division of Physician-Scientists for this feature on Dr. Carter! What motivated you to become a physician-scientist?Two foundational experiences in college launched my clinical research career trajectory. First, I was awarded a Stanford Chappell-Lougee undergraduate research opportunity grantto spend a summer […]