The Medical University of South Carolina is a freestanding university offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in a range of health-related fields. The medical school is one of the oldest in the country and currently graduates approximately 130 students annually. Most of the clinical departments support residency programs and fellowships. The Medical University Hospital complex includes a Children’s Hospital that has been rated among the best in the country. The Medical University Hospital is a tertiary perinatal center servicing the lower third of South Carolina including the entire coastal region. We currently deliver approximately 2800 babies annually. Approximately 60% of these patients are considered high-risk because of medical or obstetrical complications. Our ambulatory practice includes consultative service and ongoing prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies. Our state-of-the-art prenatal diagnostic center (The Prenatal Wellness Center) performs over 10,000 ultrasounds annually. We have three genetic counselors on site. We offer amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, Doppler studies, and cordocentesis for prenatal diagnosis. The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division currently includes seven faculty members and three fellows. I serve as the Fellowship Director. I completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and have been on the faculty at MUSC since 1986. My interests are in multiple gestations, preterm birth prevention, preconception counseling, and intrapartum fetal assessment. I also serve as the Vice Chairman for Academic Affairs and Research in the Department and as the current President of the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Dr. James Peter VanDorsten is the department chairman and most senior member of our division. He is actively involved in fellow, resident, and student education and has been a respected and beloved mentor to many of our trainees. Dr. Donna Johnson is our Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division Director. She joined the faculty after completing her fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. Her interests are in placental pathology and physiology and 3-D ultrasound. She directs the molecular biology laboratory within the division and is actively investigating serum markers for preeclampsia. Dr. Jill Mauldin joined us as a fellow in training after completing her residency at Emory. She remains on the faculty and has a special interest in diabetes in pregnancy. Dr. Laura Goetzl joined our faculty in January of 2005 from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In addition to her clinical expertise in maternal-fetal medicine, she brings strength to the division through her research focus on intrapartum fever and immune system activation. She is investigating inflammatory determinants of term intrapartum fever and the identification of potential preventive treatments for at risk patients. Dr. Eugene Chang joined our full time faculty in July 2006 with a primary interest in preeclampsia. Dr. Chang is investigating the use of N-Acetylcystiene to modify the oxidative stress associated with preeclampsia. Dr. Chang is also the co-principal investigator on an NIH RO-1 grant investigating the potential role of NAC as an adjunctive treatment for chorioamnionitis. Dr. Scott Sullivan joined our faculty this year, after completing his fellowship with us. Dr. Sullivan is interested in prematurity prevention, sickle cell disease surgical technique, and the evaluation of health quality indicators. Dr. Christopher Robinson will join our faculty in July after completing his fellowship with us. Dr. Robinson is interested in preeclampsia, mathematical modeling of obstetrical disease (Artificial Neural Network), lupus in pregnancy, and proteomics in obstetrics. All of our faculty are clinically active and practice the breadth of maternal-fetal medicine. Both the clinical aspects of maternal-fetal medicine, as well as research, are emphasized by our program. There are excellent opportunities for basic research during your fellowship training. Dr. Johnson directs a molecular biology lab within the department. Drs. Goetzl and Chang are working with animal models and collaborating with colleagues in MUSC’s Children’s Research Institute. We expect fellows to link up with the active clinical and/or basic researchers in our department so as to take advantage of our established research strengths. Opportunities for collaboration with basic scientists in other disciplines also exist throughout the university. Our program is approved for one fellow at each level. The fellows are assigned to a total of 15 months of clinical responsibility, 3 months of elective rotations, and 18 months is protected for academic pursuits and to pursue a graduate degree. There are several opportunities for graduate education. A particular strength at MUSC is the Clinical Scientist Master’s Degree program, which is designed specifically for fellows and junior faculty. Fellows also participate in conferences of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as a didactic seminar series designed specifically for the fellows. If you are interested in applying to our fellowship program, please fill out the attached application, forward copies of your Curriculum Vitae, license (if applicable), medical school diploma, 1-page personal statement, and residency certificate (if applicable). Please also arrange for 3 letters of recommendation including one from the chairman of your department of residency training. Once these materials have been received in our office, we will initiate the process of reviewing your application and determining your candidacy for a personal interview. We will be accepting applications through August 1, 2007. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our fellowship program coordinator, Marti Sturdevant by telephone at (843) 792-1241 or e-mail sturdev@musc.edu. Thank you for your interest. |
