UC Davis Health | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology | Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program Details

Clinical Experience

1st Year Fellowship

Clinical - The first six months of the fellowship in year one is spent on Maternal-Fetal Medicine Core Services. For 2–4 weeks out of each clinical month, the fellow will be the attending on labor and delivery staffing all procedures and attending on the postpartum rounds with the residents. In addition, they will spend a separate 2–4 weeks managing the antepartum service and fielding all MFM consultation and maternal transfer requests.

Basic Science Research - The second six months will be devoted to perinatal research and electives including a two weeks rotation for each, Anesthesiology and Pathology. Currently there are multiple areas of research in addition to the OB/GYN Department, including outcomes-based research in the Center for Research and Primary Care, basic science research in the Nutrition Department, Primate Center, MIND Institute or the Genomic Center.

2nd Year Fellowship

Clinical - For 2–4 weeks of each clinical month during the second year the fellow will attend on labor and delivery at University of California Davis Medical Center as they did during the first year. The particular week will not be when the first-year fellow is primary attending. During the remaining three to four weeks of each clinical month, the second-year fellow broadens his/her experience in prenatal diagnosis and medical genetics and high-risk pregnancy consultations (Core MFM). This will include ICU rotations in either MICU or SICU or combined at two weeks in each ICU.

Research - In the second six months of year two the fellow will return to their research experience as detailed above, under the supervision of the appropriate section leaders as well as elective opportunities including two weeks in the NICU. They will continue with increasing independence on the part of the fellow. At this point in the fellowship the fellow should have developed a specific area of investigation which her/she is studying with less intensive supervision by the staff.

3rd Year Fellowship

Clinical - The last six months of the third year the fellow functions almost at the level of faculty in that he/she oversees high-risk clinics and a consultative clinic at the UC Davis Medical Center. For 2–4 weeks per clinical month the third year fellow will attend on labor and delivery as he/she has done the previous years. Their role will be one of clinical faculty with less but still present clinical faculty supervision.

Research - The research experience in the last six month of year two is continued in the first six months of year three in order to provide one continuous year of research opportunity as well as elective opportunities of the fellow’s choosing. By this point in the fellowship the fellow should be developing data which should be the basis for grant submissions and the supervising faculty work to ensure that the fellow achieves his/her level of success.

All Years

During all three years of fellowship the fellows will rotate on a one-in-four week schedule to cover the MFM service. Additionally, they will take either one 24-hour or two 12-hour In-House Calls per month, except during their elective rotations.

Legends: Research (Res); Labor and Delivery/Antepartum/Postpartum (LDAP); Ultrasound (USG); Outpatient Clinic (OPC); Obstetric Psychiatry (ObP); Obstetric Anesthesia/Pathology (OAP); Prenatal Diagnosis and Genetics (PNDG); Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU); Medical and Surgical Critical Care (ICU); Vacation (Vac); Elective (Elect)

Electives: Genetics and Genomics; Fetal echocardiography; Pediatric palliative care; Telemedicine and Informatics; Family planning; Center for Healthcare Policy and Research

Research Training

Each fellow must complete 12 months of focused research training and experience. The Division members are fortunate to have active collaborations with both basic scientists and clinical researchers. Each fellow will be required to declare a focus in either basic science or clinical research, and complete a minimum of two manuscripts, one of which will be from the thesis project and should be publishable. The second can be either a clinical research project or a quality improvement project.

The 12 months of research are split between all three years. Six months of electives may be used additional research time as needed. Three two weeks rotations in neonatology, pathology and anesthesiology are taken out of the elective schedule.

It is expected that a topic for the research year will be decided during the first clinical year, in consultation with the Program Director and designated mentor. Research opportunities are collaborative and encouraged. This may be with other departments, sections and divisions. Opportunities to do research are limitless and includes: Gynecologic Oncology, Urogynecology, Family Planning, College of Engineering, Public Health, Primate Center, UC Davis Data Lab to name a few.

Mentored Clinical Research Training Program

UC Davis Health has established a K-30 intensive training in Mentored Clinical Research, which includes formal graduate level course work in epidemiology, clinical study design, and statistics. The Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP) provides a solid foundation for clinical/patient-oriented research for junior faculty, clinical and pre-clinical fellows, and post-doctoral scholars. The MCRTP centers around three core elements: didactic instruction, mentored research, and special experiences.

The didactic instruction provides scholars a standardized set of skills critical to all types of clinical and translational research. The instruction includes a 12-week summer curriculum followed by a two year core curriculum and electives that can be tailored to best meet each scholar’s career development needs. The didactic curriculum is a combination of established and new courses explicitly designed for the MCRTP. MFM fellows are required to complete only the fall curriculum Epidemiology and Study Design, and Medical Biostatistics. Other courses are available as time permits.