COUNCIL

Christos Coutifaris, MD, PhD

(President)

Ronald D. Alvarez, MD, MBA 

(President-Elect)

Barbara A. Goff, MD

(Secretary)

Deborah L. Myers, MD, FACOG

(Assistant Secretary)

Paola A. Gehrig, MD

(Treasurer)

Dee E. Fenner, MD

(Immediate Past President)

Donald Dudley, MD

(AAOGF President)

Abimbola O. Famuyide, MBBS

(Member at Large)

Anthony C. Sciscione, DO

(Member at Large)

Melissa A. Simon, MD, PhD

(Member at Large)

NON-VOTING MEMBERS

Wanda K. Nicholson, MD, MPH, MBA

(AAOGF Vice President)

Donna D. Johnson, MD

(AAOGF Secretary-Treasurer)

Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD

(Chair, AAOGF Scholar Committee)

Christos Coutifaris

Christos Coutifaris, MD, PhD, is the Celso Ramon Garcia Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Clinical Director of Penn Fertility Care from 1998 to 2018. Dr. Coutifaris has directed basic and clinical research programs in reproduction under continuous NIH grant support for 30 years. He has been a member of several Federal Advisory Committees including the Reproductive Endocrinology Study Section of the NIH. He served on the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was President of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, was on the Executive Board of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and served as President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. In 2017, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

 

Ronald D. Alvarez

Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D., M.B.A, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and holds the Betty and Lonnie S. Burnett Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1987 and his fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology in 1990, both at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He received his M.B.A. in 2013 from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He remained at UAB after completion of his fellowship and rose to the rank of Professor and Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in the UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology, for which he served as Director from 2003-2014. He was also Vice-Chair of the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until his transition to VUMC in 2016. He was the recipient of several NCI and other industry funded grants in support of his research in gene therapeutics for ovarian cancer and cervical cancer vaccines, including projects funded by the UAB Ovarian Cancer SPORE and the Johns Hopkins/UAB Cervical SPORE. In 2013, he served as President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. He now serves as secretary treasurer for CUCOG, secretary of AGOS, and Chair of the NRG Oncology Research Strategy Committee. He was Director of Gynecologic Oncology Division of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2014-2018 and now serves as an ABOG at-large Director. Dr. Alvarez and his wife of 42 years, Denise, have 3 married children and 6 grandchildren.

Barbara Goff

Dr. Barbara Goff received her MD at the University of Pennsylvania and did her residency at Harvard Medical School.  She did her gynecologic oncology fellowship at the Massachusetts General hospital and then joined the faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle.  She became the director of the division of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in 2005.  Her major research focus has been in early detection of ovarian cancer, surgical skills training, novel therapeutics, survivorship and quality outcomes research in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Dr. Goff is an active gynecologic oncologist performing large numbers of surgical cases, administering chemotherapy, and supportive care for gynecologic cancer patients. Dr. Goff became the president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the Foundation for Gynecologic Oncology in 2013.  She served as a Deputy Editor for the journal Gynecologic Oncology for 15 years and she is the Editor of the Gynecologic Oncology section of Up to Date. In the Fall of 2017, she became the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington.  Dr. Goff is the PI of the UW K-12 WRHR training grant. She leads a group of over 120 clinicians and scientists and oversees the only academic obstetrics and gynecology residency in the WWAMI  (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region.

Deborah L. Myers

Deborah L. Myers, MD, FACOG, is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Director of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. A graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook Medical School, Dr. Myers completed a medical-surgical internship at Rhode Island Hospital and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Women & Infants. Following general obstetrics and gynecology practice in Boston, she did a Fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at University of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut and is board certified in FPMRS. She has been in the field of Urogynecology for over 30 years, active in clinical care, research, and teaching. She has built one of the largest divisions of Urogynecology in the country.

Dr. Myers is past president of the American Urogynecologic Society. In 2012 she was named the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) recipient of the Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award and in 2021 she was awarded the Jack Robertson Lifetime Achievement Award. From the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons she received the Distinguished Surgeons award. Dr Myers has been an oral examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the FDA advisory panel on Ob/Gyn medical devices. She was ex-officio member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Executive Board. She serves as Brown’s co- PI for the NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.  She has been named a U.S. News Top Doctor and has been ranked among the top 1 percent in her specialty.

Paola A. Gehrig

Dr. Paola Gehrig is a gynecologic oncologist and chair of UVA’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She came to UVA in June 2022 after a long career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was professor and chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and most recently appointed the executive medical director of the North Carolina Women’s Hospital. In her practice as a gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Gehrig’s focus is providing compassionate, patient-centered care that respects each individual’s goals. She is an expert in advanced laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery. In addition to patient care, Dr. Gehrig has mentored more than 30 medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty on research projects. She has received multiple teaching awards from medical students and OB/GYN residents. UNC Health Care also honored her with leadership awards six years in a row, and in 2015 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UVA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology where she completed her residency.

Dee Fenner

Dee Fenner is the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Bates Professor of Diseases of Women and Children at the University of Michigan.  She holds a joint appointment as Professor of Urology. As a Missouri native, she attended undergraduate and medical school at the University of Missouri – Columbia.  She completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan followed by a fellowship in Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery and Urogynecology at the Mayo Clinic-Scottsdale.   

In 2001, Dr. Fenner returned to the University of Michigan where she continues her work in female pelvic floor dysfunction and medical education.  She is nationally recognized as an expert in defecation disorders, surgical education, and reconstructive surgery.  She has received research funds from the NIH and has served on several NIH study sections, organizing, and oversight committees.  In addition, her research has been supported by private donors and industry.  Working with a multidisciplinary team, her major contributions have been on understanding how birth injuries impact pelvic floor disorders and developing new and novel treatments for accidental bowel leakage. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.

She is the Past-President of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Urogynecologic Society.  As Director of the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Board for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Board of Urology, she was instrumental in obtaining official recognition of the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery from the American Board of Medical Subspecialties.  In addition, Dr. Fenner provided a decade of service on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ending in 2021.

At the University of Michigan, she has served on numerous committees including the Admissions Executive Committee, the Operating Room Oversight Committee, ACAPT Committee for the University of Michigan Medical School, the Leadership Development Advisory Board and many others.  Dr. Fenner has received numerous awards for her contributions as a physician surgeon, educator, and leader.  Most notably, in 2011 she was awarded the “Continence Champion” by the National Association for Continence, in 2014 she was given the Sarah Goddard Award by the University of Michigan for Leadership in the advancement of women.  In 2015 she was recognized with the Life Time Achievement Award by the American Urogynecologic Society and in 2017 she was the recipient of the prestigious Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Lifetime Achievement Award. The University of Michigan again recognized Dr. Fenner in 2019 with the the Rudi Ansbacher Leadership Award for Support of Women in Healthcare.

Donald Dudley

Donald Dudley, M.D., is currently the William T. Moore Professor and Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia.  He completed a B.A. degree in microbiology at the University of Texas in 1976 and then his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1984. Dr. Dudley completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa in 1988 followed by a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Utah from 1988-1991. He remained at Utah on faculty until 1999, when he moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio where he served as a professor until 2014.  In 2014 Dr. Dudley moved to the University of Virginia, where he became MFM division director and started the MFM Fellowship.  He is currently the obstetrics co-chair for the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative, the CDC-recognized perinatal quality collaborative for Virginia. His special interests are in the immunology of normal and abnormal pregnancy, the pathophysiology of preterm birth, recurrent pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and clinical perinatology.  Dr. Dudley was the President of American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society in 2017 and currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees for the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation.

Abimbola Famuyide

Abimbola Famuyide, MBBS, is Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota and a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon. Dr. Famuyide serves as chair of Mayo Clinic Rochester Personnel Committee and Vice Chair of Peoples and Culture Committee.  He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in London. He is the President-elect of the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology (SASGOG) and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), is a member of their qualifying examination committee and an oral board examiner.  He is on the governing council of the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS). Dr. Famuyide is an Editorial Board member of the Green Journal (Obstetrics and Gynecology) and the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (JMIG). He has published peer-reviewed manuscripts, and non-peer reviewed articles in leading journals including the Harvard Business Review. His areas of interest include outcomes research in abnormal uterine bleeding,  benign gynecologic endoscopic surgery and obstetric safety.

Anthony C. Sciscione

Anthony Sciscione DO is the Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the OB/Gyn residency Program Director at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. He is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jefferson Medical College. He has served as District III ACOG chair and is the current President-elect for the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine.  He previously served on the board of the USMLE and chair of the OB Gyn step II committee.  He served as a Principle Investigator for the MFMU of the NICHD for 5 years and has a current research project on maternal activity and preterm birth through the NICHD.  He has had multiple grants including currently as a co-investigator in the COMFORT trial through PCORI. His primary research interest has been induction of labor.  He is an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Gray Journal) and was previously an associate editor for Obstetrics and Gynecology (Green Journal).   He is a co-author of the Gabbe study guide and an Editor for the Ferri’s Clinical Advisor.  He is currently co-writing a textbook of first trimester ultrasound.  

 

Melissa A. Simon

Melissa A. Simon, MD MPH  is the George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative.  She serves as the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement.

She is an expert in implementation science, women’s health across the lifespan, minority health, community engagement and health equity. 

She has been recognized with numerous awards for her substantial contribution to excellence in health equity scholarship, women’s health and mentorship, including her recent election to the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians.  She has received the Presidential Award in Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentorship and is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. She is a former member and current consultant to the US Preventive Services Task Force and serves on the NIH Office of Research in Women’s Health Advisory Committee. 

Wanda Nicholson

I am a physician dually trained in obstetrics and gynecology and epidemiology, Vice Chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), and a researcher in perinatal and women’s population health and health equity. My research portfolio has centered on social determinants of health and perinatal diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly postpartum diabetes and CVD prevention. I view women’s health as maternal health and maternal health as an indicator of the social/economic environments where women live and work. I am committed to creating a strategic vision for population health and health equity for organizations and developing and operationalizing research priorities and performance measures for value-based care and better health outcomes.

I am a member of the Board of Directors for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, where I serve as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Inclusive Excellence, an immediate past member of the Executive Board of the ACOG. I serve as an Associate Editor for the

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vice Chair/Chair elect of the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

Donna Johnson

Dr. Donna Johnson was born and raised in rural SC. She attended Furman University and received her M.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her residency and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of California Dan Diego. Dr. Johnson is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSC. She serves as a board member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Foundation and AAOGF. Her clinical and basic studies have resulted in the publication of dozens of scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters on topics ranging from severe preeclampsia to immunological disorders that complicate pregnancy. She has won over 20 teaching awards.

Angeles Alvarez Secord

Dr. Angeles Alvarez Secord, M.D., M.H.Sc., is a Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology with Honors from Carroll College and graduated AOA with Honors from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. Upon completing her oncology fellowship in 2001, she accepted a faculty position within the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Duke. Dr. Secord has received awards and grants from Duke University Medical Center, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO), the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, American Association of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Foundation (AAOGF), Kay Yow Cancer Fund and V Foundation for Cancer, NIH, and DoD for her research in ovarian and endometrial carcinoma. She is currently the Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Trials, the Associate Director of Clinical Research, Gynecology Oncology, and one of the Principal Investigators for NRG Oncology at the Duke Cancer Institute. In addition, she serves as a member on the NRG Oncology Group Developmental Therapeutics Committee, NRG Ovarian Cancer Committee, NRG Early New Investigator Committee Vice-Chair, GOG Foundation Education and Mentoring Co-Chair, and AAOGF Scholar Chair and is dedicated to mentoring future oncology leaders. Dr. Secord has served on the National Cancer Institute Ovarian Cancer Task Force. Dr. Secord’s research interests include development of novel therapeutics and biomarkers in gynecologic cancers, novel clinical trial designs, the role of obesity in gynecologic malignancies, and the development of patient-centric composite clinical endpoints. Dr. Secord is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as well as being an active member of the SGO, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society, and International Gynecologic Cancer Society. Dr. Secord has authored more than 190 peer-reviewed articles along and has been the recipient of numerous clinical trial and basic research grants.