New Division Director and Committee Members Announced

DALLAS, July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) announced Jeanne Sheffield, MD as the new Director for the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) and Alan Tita, MD was elected as a committee member to the MFM Division. Additionally, William Cliby, MD was elected as a committee member to the Division of Gynecologic Oncology (GO). Their tenures begin on July 21, 2017.

Dr. Sheffield is currently a Professor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has been an ABOG MFM board examiner since 2008 and has been a member of the MFM Division since 2012. She also was the ABOG representative for the White House Symposium "Medicine Responds to Addiction," and while on the Division, Dr. Sheffield has been of particular assistance with the oral exam development. She is an editor of Williams Obstetrics and is a peer reviewer for multiple journals, including AJOG, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vaccine, and JAMA. Dr. Sheffield is also an active member of ACOG, IDSOG, AGOS, and the SMFM. She has been a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control regarding bioterrorism preparedness and Zika virus infection in women and during pregnancy.  Her main research interest is in the area of infectious diseases within obstetrics, and she has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and participated as a co-investigator on several NIH grants. As the new Division Director for MFM, Dr. Sheffield also will serve on the ABOG Board of Directors as of July 1, 2017.

Dr. Tita is currently a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Center for Women's Reproductive Health at The University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB). He has served as an ABOG MFM oral examiner for two years and has helped the MFM Division in item writing for certification examinations for several years. Since finishing fellowship, Dr. Tita has remained at UAB where he is the PI of the NICHD MFMU Network center and is involved in multiple NIH studies, including being PI of a trial of prophylactic antibiotics at cesarean (CSOAP, NEJM 2016). His editorial experience includes being a consultant for various guidelines for the World Health Organization and participating on several editorial boards, including Obstetrics & Gynecology, the American Journal of Perinatology and the Publications Committee for the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Dr. Cliby is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology with the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He is also Faculty Development Leader for the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has served as an ABOG Board Examiner for eleven years for Obstetrics and Gynecology and one year for Gynecologic Oncology. He is also a contributor for General and Subspecialty written and oral examination questions. Dr. Cliby's clinical interests include management of gynecologic cancers; surgical innovation and practice improvement; quality improvement; development of novel therapies; and education. Dr. Cliby has led efforts to revamp and refocus education for OB GYN residents and Gynecologic Oncology fellows, including introducing intensive resident-focused educational "primers" and development of anatomy didactics and procedural labs. Dr. Cliby has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and he has served as an editorial board member for several journals, including Gynecologic Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer.

ABOG would like to extend its sincere gratitude to William Grobman, MD, for many years of service to our organization. Dr. Grobman will complete his 6-year term on the MFM Division. He has served as an MFM oral examiner since 2009, and he was an MFM Division member from 2011 – 2014.  He was the MFM Division Director from 2014 – 2017 and an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors from 2014 – 2017. His tenure on the ABOG board ended on June 30, 2017.

We would also like to extend our deep appreciation to Bobbie Gostout, MD and Fidel Valea, MD who will complete 6-year terms on the GO Division. Dr. Gostout served as an OB GYN oral examiner from 2005 – 2007, and in 2009 and 2011. She was also an oral examiner for GO in 2006 and since 2008. She has been a GO committee member since 2011. Dr. Valea was an OB GYN oral examiner initially from 1997 – 2002; then again from 2004 – 2011. He served as a GO oral examiner from 2007 – 2009 and again since 2012. He has served as a GO committee member since 2011.

About ABOG
The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies obstetricians and gynecologists in the United States. Founded in 1930, ABOG is one of 24 specialty Boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Based in Dallas, ABOG is the certifying body for 45,000 diplomates in the United States and Canada, and it also oversees and administers a Maintenance of Certification process.

SOURCE American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology