Q&A: Patient Safety Awareness Week
March 13-17 is Patient Safety Awareness Week. We asked J. Michael Straughn, Jr., M.D., associate chief medical and quality officer for Women and Infants Services, vice-chair of quality and patient safety, and professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology some questions about Patient Safety Awareness Week, the importance of patient safety, and the responsibility of patient safety as a provider.
Read moreKelley named vice chair of Strategy and Clinical Operations and senior administrator for OB/GYN Clinical Affairs
Jennifer Kelley, MSN, RN, APRN, AMB-BC, has been named vice chair of Strategy and Clinical Operations for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) and senior administrator for OB/GYN Clinical Affairs.
Read moreBurney Joins UAB OB/GYN as Director of Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
The UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) is excited to welcome Rick Burney, M.D., M.Sc., as director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI).
Read moreQ&A: Gynecologic Cancers
September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, and we asked Haller Smith, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology, some questions about gynecologic cancers, the importance of awareness, how the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is making a difference, and more.
Read moreQ&A: Cord Blood
July is Cord Blood Awareness Month, and we asked Brian M. Casey, M.D., professor and division director for the UAB Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, some questions about umbilical cord blood, cord blood banking, how the UAB Department of OB/GYN is making a difference, and more.
Read moreDunivan Named Vice Chair of Mentorship and Faculty Development
Gena Dunivan, M.D., FACOG, FACS, recently joined the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) as vice chair of Mentorship and Faculty Development and division director of the Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery.
The role of vice chair of Mentorship and Faculty Development is new to the Department of OB/GYN and will be key to both the professional development and leadership development of our faculty.
Read moreQ&A: Pelvic Organ Prolapse
For Pelvic Organ Prolapse Awareness Month during June, we asked Gena Dunivan, M.D., FACOG, FACS, professor and division director for the UAB Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, some important questions about pelvic organ prolapse, the importance of awareness, what makes UAB’s Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery special in this area, and more.
Read moreQ&A: Women's Health
For National Women's Health Week in May, we asked Todd Jenkins, M.D., MSHA, FACOG, professor and division director for the UAB Division of Women's Reproductive Healthcare, some important questions about women's health care, common misconceptions, what makes UAB OB/GYN special, and more.
Read moreDunivan joins UAB OB/GYN as division director of Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery
The UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) is excited to welcome Gena Dunivan, M.D., as division director of the Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery. Dunivan will also serve as vice chair of Mentorship and Faculty Development for the department.
Read moreUAB Offers Infertility Care Coverage to All Employees
Infertility is more common than people think and continues to be a growing problem among women. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 19% of women with no prior births between the ages of 15 and 49 struggle with infertility.
Regardless of the increasing number of those struggling with fertility problems, many insurance companies do not provide coverage for fertility treatments. However, as of Jan. 2022, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), began including coverage of infertility care for employees and dependents in all of its medical plans.
Read moreWomen’s History Month: Celebrating women’s health, women physicians, and their impact
The UAB Department of OB/GYN celebrates women every day. We focus on providing the best care to our women patients through research and education, while training our residents and fellows to do the same. Our goal is to continue to advance women’s health, and our female physicians play a key role in that.
During Women’s History Month, not only do we celebrate the women who came before us and helped shape the importance of women’s health, but we also celebrate the women who continue to make an impact.
Read moreUAB OB/GYN Receives Roy M. Pitkin Award
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been selected as a recipient of the 2021 Roy M. Pitkin Award.
Established in 1998, the Roy M. Pitkin Award recognizes academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology that promote and demonstrate excellence in research.
Read moreUAB OB/GYN: Making a Difference in Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a common cancer that occurs when abnormal cells begin to grow in the cervix. Several factors can put women at risk, but the main cause of cervical cancer is a persistent infection by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). While about 90% of women clear the cervical HPV infection on their own, there is a small percentage of women in which the virus will persist and lead to pre-cancer and cancer.
Read moreScarinci named vice chair of Global and Rural Health
Isabel Scarinci, Ph.D., MPH, has been named vice chair for Global and Rural Health for the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN). Scarinci is a professor in the Department of OB/GYN, senior advisor and scientist at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, and holds positions in over 11 UAB centers including the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), Center for Women’s Reproductive Health (CWRH), Center for AIDS Research, Minority Health and Research Center (MHRC), and the Sparkman Center for Global Health.
As vice chair, Scarinci will work to increase global visibility of the department and its bi-directional approach to global and rural health – making it a desired destination for residents and fellows to gain unmatched training, clinical experience, and research opportunities.
Read moreStraughn named vice chair for Quality and Patient Safety
J. Michael Straughn, Jr. M.D., has been appointed vice chair of Quality and Patient Safety for the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Straughn is a professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and a senior scientist in UAB’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Women’s Reproductive Health. He is also the fellowship director for the Gynecologic Oncology program and the Associate Chief Medical and Quality Officer for UAB’s Women and Infants Services.
In an effort to improve the quality and safety of patient care delivered at UAB, the Department of OB/GYN established a Section of Quality and Patient Safety. This section will be an important facilitator of efforts needed to achieve and maintain departmental and health system goals.
Read moreCOVID-19: Pregnant women’s attitudes towards the illness and vaccines
In partnership with other physicians across the country, faculty and clinicians from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) and Center for Women’s Reproductive Health (CWRH) conducted a study evaluating pregnant individuals’ attitudes toward COVID-19 illness and vaccination from Aug. 2020 to Dec. 2020 – just before the vaccine was available in the United States.
The study, titled “Attitudes toward COVID-19 illness and COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women: a cross-sectional multicenter study during August-December 2020” surveyed a cross-section of pregnant people in the cities of Salt Lake City, New York, and Birmingham, Ala.
Read moreUAB designated as 2020 SOAP Center of Excellence
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has been named a 2020 Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Center of Excellence (COE).
This designation is received by institutions and obstetric anesthesia programs that demonstrate excellence in obstetric anesthesia care.
“It is truly gratifying for our Labor and Delivery Unit to be recognized by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology for excellence in anesthesia care. It is another testament to the outstanding care that our team of nurses, technicians, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists routinely provide to our patients every day," says Brian Casey, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The desingation is the result of unmatched teamwork among multiple areas within UAB.
"This was a collaborative effort through multiple departments, including Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nursing, and Pediatrics," said Mark Powell, M.D., medical director of the obstetric anesthesia section.
2020 designees were named in March 2021 with designation remaining valid for four years.
Huh named NRG Oncology Cancer Prevention and Control Committee Chair
Warner K. Huh, M.D., FACOG, FACS, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been named chair of the NRG Oncology Cancer Prevention and Control Committee, effective immediately.
NRG Oncology seeks to improve the lives of cancer patients by conducting practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research with emphases on gender-specific malignancies including gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers as well as localized or locally advanced cancers of all types.
In addition to this new role, Dr. Huh will assume responsibility for the the clinical trial titled “A Non-randomized Prospective Clinical Trial Comparing the Non-inferiority of Salpingectomy to Salpingo-oophorectomy to Reduce the Risk of Ovarian Cancer Among BRCA1 Carriers [SOROCk].”
UAB medical professionals play key role in Alabama’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee
Alabama Maternal Mortality Review Committee (AL-MMRC), housed within The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), recently published their first Maternal Mortality Review Report from the newly-convened committee.
TheApproximately one-third of maternal deaths in Alabama happen during pregnancy, around one-third occur after delivery up to six weeks postpartum, and another third occur between 43 and 365 days after delivery.
The report states that over 700 maternal deaths transpire annually in the U.S., and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black/African American women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
In its efforts to increase the health and well-being of all Alabama mothers, the ADPH launched the AL-MMRC in 2018. The committee, which includes multiple medical professionals from UAB, works to review maternal mortality in Alabama and propose solutions to reduce the number of maternal deaths.
When a woman dies, a pregnancy check box must be filled out on the death certificate to indicate whether the decedent was pregnant or up to one year postpartum. These documented deaths are reported to the ADPH Center for Vital Statistics where a list of maternal deaths is generated and sent to the AL-MMRC. The AL-MMRC then requests records, generates a case abstract, and reviews further.
Maternal mortality numbers include women who died while pregnant, during childbirth, or up to one year after delivery. However, the cause of death for these women may not always be due to pregnancy.
“Based on guidance from the CDC, a maternal death is classified as a pregnancy-related death or a pregnancy-associated death,” says Rachel Sinkey, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and committee chair of the AL-MMRC. “A pregnancy-related death occurs as a result of the pregnancy, while a pregnancy-associated death occurs to a pregnant or postpartum patient that was unrelated to the pregnancy. A motor vehicle accident is an example of a pregnancy-associated death.”
The process to review and report maternal mortality cases is extensive to ensure accuracy. In 2019, the AL-MMRC reviewed cases from 2016 and published their results in the fall of 2020.
The report provides a detailed outline of pregnancy-associated deaths in 2016. Key findings, data, and recommendations, among other vital information, can be found in the report. A supplemental infographic was also created to share a clear call to action.
Recently, a legislative resolution recognizing the AL-MMRC’s efforts and recommendations was submitted. The resolution specifically recognizes the AL-MMRC’s first Maternal Mortality Review Report and calls for continued funding.
“The committee is vital to understand why maternal deaths occur in our state,” Sinkey says. “I’m grateful for the AL-MMRC leadership including Dr. Grace Thomas, who manages the ever-growing team within the ADPH, to Dr. Susan Baker from the University of South Alabama, who serves as the vice chair and provides meticulous case reviews, and to Evelyn Coronado-Guillaumet, MPH, whose experience coordinating the Texas Maternal Mortality Review was instrumental in shaping the newly formed AL-MMRC.”
The AL-MMRC consists of many UAB medical professionals – all who bring a unique and important perspective to the review of each deceased mother. The committee meets four to six times annually to continue its work and produce future findings and materials.
AL-MMRC leadership from UAB include:
Rachel Sinkey, M.D., FACOG, Committee Chair | UAB Department of OB/GYN
Evelyn Coronado-Guillaumet, MPH, National Liaison | UAB School of Public Health
AL-MMRC members from UAB include:
Paul V. Benson, M.D. | UAB Department of Pathology
Marc G. Cribbs, M.D., FACOG | UAB Department of Medicine and UAB Department of Pediatrics
Blair Danielle Hedges, MSN, CRNP, M.A. | UAB Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse
Pete Lane, D.O. | UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology
Tiffani Maycock, D.O. | UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency
Megan Mileski, MSN, R.N. | 2020 Graduate of UAB’s Applications of Mixed Methods Research Program
Mark Powell, M.D. | UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Lindsay Speros Robbins, M.D., MPH | UAB Department of OB/GYN
Michelle Tubinis, M.D. | UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Jennifer Kendall, M.D. | Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency Program
Lauren Linken, M.D. | Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency Program
UAB establishes uterine transplant program, first in southeast
The University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medicine have established the first uterus transplant program in the Southeast and the fourth such program in the United States. The program, which is a partnership between the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Division of Transplantation and the Comprehensive Transplant Institute, will provide women with uterine factor infertility an innovative option for child-bearing using deceased donor organs.
UAB is the first program in the United States to offer uterus transplantation outside of a clinical research trial and is one of very few centers in the world accepting new patients.
“Our program is the only one in the Southeast and it represents the remarkably strong programs in women’s health and solid organ transplantation at UAB,” said Warner Huh, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Patients will receive care from the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, which are all housed within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“Our patients will receive care from our renowned healthcare providers throughout the entire process,” Huh said. “From preparing for the transplant to the delivery of the child and then removal of the uterus, our physicians and nurses will be with them for every step of the way.”
The Division of Gynecologic Oncology will work with patients who are candidates for the uterine transplant, while those in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Services will work with the patient on embryo generation ahead of the surgery.
After the transplant and once the patient is pregnant, she will be cared for by Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists until birth.
Paige Porrett, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery in the UAB Division of Transplantation and Comprehensive Transplant Institute, will lead the program.
Uterine factor infertility may affect as many as 5 percent of reproductive-age women worldwide and was a previously irreversible form of female infertility. A woman with UFI cannot carry a pregnancy to term either because she was born without a uterus, has had the uterus surgically removed during a hysterectomy, or has a uterus in place that does not function properly. Congenital absence of the uterus is a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), which affects approximately one out of every 4,500 females, and makes it impossible for a woman to get pregnant.
Most uterus transplants performed to date in the world have been in women with MRKH syndrome. However, women who have undergone a hysterectomy and had the uterus removed surgically are also potential candidates for uterus transplantation.
“We are tremendously excited to announce that UAB is expanding access to uterus transplantation and offering hope to couples unable to get pregnant,” Porrett said. “Our doors are open to both providers and patients anywhere who want to learn more about this exciting new therapy.”
How uterus transplantation works
The process from transplant to successful birth varies from person to person but can take two to five years for many participants. It includes five phases:
1. Embryo generation. Before the uterus transplant surgery, a woman generates embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF). During the process of IVF, she is given fertility drugs to produce eggs, which are then removed from her ovaries and fertilized outside of her body. These embryos are then frozen for later use.
2. Transplantation. A uterus is removed from a donor and surgically placed into the recipient. The recipient begins taking immunosuppressive medications to prevent rejection of the transplant. These medications are taken while the transplant is in place, including during pregnancy.
3. Pregnancy. Several months after the transplant surgery, one of the recipient’s embryos will be thawed and placed directly into the uterus. If implantation is successful, the recipient will become pregnant. The health of both baby and mother is monitored very closely at frequent prenatal care visits with a high-risk obstetrician, known as a maternal fetal medicine specialist.
4. Delivery. The child is born as close to term as is possible via a planned Cesarean section. If the pregnancy has gone well and the recipient and her partner desire a second child, the uterus is left in place and immunosuppression medications are continued. Approximately six months after delivery, another embryo transfer can be attempted.
5. Uterus removal. After childbearing is complete, the transplanted uterus is removed and immunosuppressive medications are stopped.
Am I a candidate?
Candidates for uterine transplants should be generally healthy and without a uterus — either born without one or have had one surgically removed. As part of an intensive evaluation, candidates are educated about the risks of uterus transplantation and counseled about alternatives to uterus transplantation for family building.
To learn more about this program or to find out if you are a candidate, click here or please contact 833-UAB-CTI1.