As per ABOG requirement, half of our fellowship training period is devoted to research; the rotations are generally divided into multiple one-, two-, or three-month blocks. The fellows’ research training includes developing speaking and writing skills, guidance in hypothesis generation, and study design and data analysis, in addition to performing the research itself. The experience is designed to assist the fellows in launching an independent, investigative career.
Fellows select one of two research tracks: Physician-Scientist or Clinician-Scientist.
- Physician-Scientist Track: Fellows in the Physician-Scientist Track and pursuing basic research are expected to apply to the UW ERP Graduate Program, present their credentials, qualify, and become accepted into the UW ERP Graduate Program. Through the UW ERP Graduate Program and during their MFM fellowship, fellows are able to earn a Master of Science degree in Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology, after defending their thesis. Fellows have the option of pursuing additional research training with their mentor and prepare and defend a thesis to qualify for being awarded a PhD degree through the graduate program, which takes an additional two years beyond the three-year fellowship. Candidates are advised to access the UW ERP Graduate Programand the UW Graduate School websites.
- Clinician-Scientist Track: Fellows in the Clinician-Scientist Track and pursuing clinical research are expected to apply to the UW Graduate Program in Clinical Investigation, under the aegis of “Institute for Clinical and Translational Research”, present their credentials, qualify, and become accepted into UW GPCI. During their MFM fellowship, fellows are able to earn a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation through UW GPCI and have the option to pursue a PhD in CI, which takes an additional two years beyond the three-year fellowship. Candidates are advised to access the UW ICTR Programs, UW GPCI, and the UW Graduate School websites.
Faculty
The UW Division of Reproductive Sciences has seven PhDs who are nationally funded and internationally recognized for their contributions to research, primarily in perinatal biology. The PhD investigators who actively participate in the training of fellows include: Drs. Ronald Magness, Ian Bird, Ted Golos, David Abbott, Manish Patankar, Jing Zheng, and Ziming Yu. The first four are full professors, and the last three are tenure track Assistant Professors. In addition, we have an Associate Scientist, Fu-Xian Yi MD PhD, who has experience in training graduate students and is available to provide specialized technical expertise in the laboratory for the MFM fellows. Dr. Shah conducts translational research under the aegis of these laboratories, as well.