Departmental News

Meyer, Bernstein Proud of UVMMC Ranking on Newsweek List of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals

May 21, 2024 by Lucy Gardner Carson

(MAY 21, 2024) Marjorie Meyer, M.D., professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences (OB/GYN) and division chief of maternal fetal medicine, and Ira Bernstein, M.D., professor and chair of OB/GYN, are proud of UVMMC’s ranking on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals.

(MAY 21, 2024) Marjorie Meyer, M.D., professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences (OB/GYN) and division chief of maternal fetal medicine, and Ira Bernstein, M.D., professor and chair of OB/GYN, are proud of UVMMC’s ranking on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals.

Reflecting the high-quality care that UVM Medical Center staff provide to patients welcoming a new baby to their family, Newsweek has included the UVM Health Network’s anchor academic medical center and Level 1 Trauma Center that serves the region on its ranking of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals.

“Our expert providers are dedicated to helping patients through pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond,” said Meyer, M.D. “We provide care in a supportive and state-of-the-art environment ensuring individual attention to patients and families, and I am happy to see the team get this recognition for their work.”

The Newsweek list was created through a partnership with the data and business intelligence portal Statista, a global platform used by more than 30,000 universities, media outlets, agencies, and other organizations. It was based on a nationwide online survey of hospital staff and publicly available data from hospital surveys addressing the patient experience, including topics such as cleanliness and communication about medication. 

Data on hospital quality metrics was provided from several sources, including not-for-profit hospital accreditation organizations The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“We provide care to our patients during such an important time in their lives, when they need a high level of clinical expertise,” said Michele Bouchard, B.S.N., RN, nurse director of obstetrics and pediatrics. “Our nurses, physicians, and midwives approach this work with professionalism, enthusiasm, and love, and our patients can feel that.”

For each hospital, participants were asked to assess the quality of perinatal care, operative obstetrics, patient education and counseling, accommodation and service, and nurse and midwife staffing.

UVM Medical Center has the only 24/7 Certified Nurse-Midwifery practice in the region, and the second-oldest Midwifery program in the country. Midwives provide individualized care for low-risk pregnancies, and work alongside physician colleagues to care for patients with high-risk pregnancies. Midwives care for their own caseload of patients, while also teaching resident physicians and midwifery, medical, and nursing students.

“I am proud to see our team recognized for the outstanding service we provide to our community,” said Marti Churchill, M.S.N., CNM, clinical coordinator for midwifery services at UVM Medical Center. “As a team, we support individualized care which is trauma responsive and holistic in its approach. Midwifery philosophy has played a role in informing the overall approach to care provided to birthing people at UVM Medical Center for the past 55 years. Midwifery honors the physiologic birth process while offering judicious use of medical interventions, always striving for equitable care for all.”

The Obstetrics, Midwifery, Gynecology, and Reproductive Health department at UVM Medical Center also serves as the department for the UVM Health Network.

“This team is deeply committed to the patients and families we serve, and it has been my honor to work with them,” said Bernstein, who has chaired the department since 2012 and is stepping down at the end of May to renew concentration on his research. Jeffrey Peipert, M.D., Ph.D., who comes to Vermont from Indiana University Health with a track record of commitment to inclusive excellence, health care justice, and women’s reproductive rights, will become chair in June.

Read full story at Newsweek

Announcements

 

We are excited to welcome to our department two new faculty: 
-Karen George, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology).  Dr. George is also Associate Dean for Students at Larner College of Medicine

-Amanda Kallen, MD,  Associate Professor of of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility)

Anne Dougherty, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences has now accepted the enhanced role of ODEI Director for Gender Equity.

In this new role Dr. Dougherty will continue her current coordination of workshops, speakers and awards related to the LCOM Gender Equity Initiative.  She will also develop new mentoring and resource programs for women and underrepresented minorities in medicine, participate in analysis and tracking, and collaborate on efforts to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in faculty recruitment. As ODEI Director for Gender Equity, Dr. Dougherty will report directly to Margaret A. Tandoh, M.D., FACS, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.   Congratulations to Anne on her new role!

CONGRATULATIONS to the following faculty who received promotions (July 2021):
Nathalie Feldman, MD to Associate Professor and Navid Esfandiari, PhD to Professor

Navid Esfandiari, PhD, Professor, REI Division, received the "Star Award" from the 77th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) - October 2021

Congratulations to Justin DeAngelis, MD who was appointed interim assistant dean for students in the Office of Medical Student Education at the Larner College of Medicine, effective March 1. Read more here

A champion for women's health, diversity and science, Elizabeth Bonney, MD recognized in News Spotlight from UVM Larner College of Medicine.  Read the article here.

Navid Esfandiari, PhD, received the “Star Award” from the 76th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) – October 2020

Misty Blanchette Porter, MD, Associate Professor, REI Division, was invited to present at AIUM education webinar - teaching on ORADS and IOTA on the evaluation of adnexal masses – Sept 2020

Justin DeAngelis, MD, Assistant Professor, Ob/Gyn, was selected as Class Mentor to the residency by the class of 2021 and was recently awarded the 2019 APGO Excellence in Teaching Award.

SO PROUD! Congratulations to Katherine Menezes, MD (PGY-3) who was awarded the Clinical Resident of the Year Award by the LCOM graduating Class of 2021!!!!  These are the awards that are given out on Honors Night to and from the graduating class.  Check out the video here.

Marjorie Meyer, MD, Division Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, was recognized for her work in the treatment of women with opioid dependence during pregnancy in Governor Phil Scott's State of the State address on Jan 9.  Read announcement here

Theresa Ko, PhD (Croucher Fellowship 2006), Assistant Professor in the Division of Reproductive Sciences, was recently interviewed with the Croucher Foundation in December 2019 about her molecular biology quest to reduce maternal deaths.   Read the article here

Elizabeth Bonney, MD, MPH, Professor and Head of the Division of Reproductive Sciences was selected to present the lecture entitled "A Theory of Maternal Immunity" at the 25th Annual Dr. Raymond O. Berry Memorial Lecture on October 18, 2019. Read the announcement here.

Congratulations to Marti Churchill, CNM who received the award for "Excellence in Advanced Nursing" at the Nursing Awards Ceremony  on May 6, 2019.

Congratulations to Tendai Chiware, MD who won the 2019 Beth Fitzpatrick M.D. Citizen of the World Award, awarded by the Global Health Program at UVM LCOM and the Western Connecticut Health Network. 

We are pleased to share news of the appointment of Anne Dougherty, M.D., as Gender Equity Liaison in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) at The UVM Larner College of Medicine.    Read the announcement here.

Cheung Wong, MD was invested in a formal ceremony on June 8, 2018 as the inaugural Berta Pi-Sunyer Williams Endowed Professor.   Read all about it.

The cover photo on the March 2018 issue of the American Journal of Ob/Gyn is from Dr. Kelley McLean's article Mechanical heart valves in pregnancy:  the necessity of appropriate and careful anticoagulation.

Congratulations to Cheung Wong, MD for his recent appointment as the VP for Clinical Affairs for the University of Vermont Health Network.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Bonney, MD and Natalia Gokina, PhD who have won the NIH RO1 funding for "Systemic Vasculature Remodeling Females:  Effects of the Immune System and Experience of Pregnancy".  The application was scored at the 1st percentile!

Our match results are in!  Announcing our newest residents 2018-2022:  Hayley Pierce (Saint Louis University); Allison Walker (Oregon Health & Science University) and Rebecca Zuckerman (University of Chicago).  We look forward to seeing them soon!

We are excited to welcome our new fellows on July 2, 2018 for their 3 year fellowship:  Maximilian Klein, MD (Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility fellow) and Ankita Kulkarni, MBBS (Maternal Fetal Medicine fellow)

Nathalie Feldman, M.D., Educator Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, was recently awarded (along with her colleague, Judy Lewis, MD in the Dept. of Psychiatry) the UVM Larner College of Medicine Teaching Academy's "Educational Scholarship Award" for her work on the learning environment.  

Jenna Flanagan, MD (PGY-3) will be presenting a poster "A Needs Assessment for Somali Women:  Optimizing this Populations' Peripartum Care in a Tertiary Care Center in Vermont" at the North American Refugee Health Conference, June 16-18, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.

Erin Morris, MD, received the 2017 APGO Excellence in Teaching Award.  Dr. Morris is an active clinical member of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine.  She currently serves as our Associate Ob/Gyn Clerkship Director and the Faculty mentor for the Ob/Gyn Student Interest Group. 

May 15, 2017 - Elise Everett, MD was presented the Clinical Teacher of the Year Award from the Class of 2017 during Honors Night.

CONGRATULATIONS to our new interns starting June 2017: Johanna Kelley, Katherine Menezes & Rebecca Parad.