Awa Sanneh, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident Carrie Sibbald, MD, PGY-4, recently visited the Gambia as part of Sibbald’s global health elective. Sibbald is the residency class of 2025 global health resident.
During the rotation, Sibbald worked with the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital’s Department of Ob-Gyn, participating in both inpatient and outpatient care. During her elective, Sibbald focused on teaching bedside ultrasound skills to junior trainees at the teaching hospital.
Dr. Sibbald shared personal reflections from her time in the Gambia:
Rotation at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia
February 17-March 14, 2025
It’s easy to focus on the differences between practicing in a low resource area and the hospital in America where I grew accustomed to the vast support and systems that we have at our disposal. It’s easy to focus on the challenges, the lack of availability, the lack of personnel, faculty, and staff, and the stark differences in the cases, burdens, and outcomes seen at the hospital. Every day, with every experience, the differences are overwhelming, especially in the seemingly insurmountable challenges that the teams there face every day. On the surface, what’s most noticeable is what isn’t there. All paper charts, disorganized and excessively difficult to find any information in, lack of any IV pumps, a single ultrasound for the entire department, hand written orders for labs, imaging, and medications that had to be taken by the family to be paid for and performed at an outside facility and brought back, minimal prenatal care, limited preventative care, limited hospital bed space, electricity that can go out at a moment’s notice, even during surgery, few nurses, a single CTG machine for all antepartum and intrapartum patients, not even sheets or pillows for any of the beds. The list could go on for a long time.
I came into the rotation with only my own training, expecting to be able to use the quality education that I’ve received over the past 3.5 years to take care of patients, provide perspective, and teach where I could. This expectation wasn’t wrong, exactly, but it quickly became apparent that a large amount of what I learned and how I practiced in the United States had to be thrown out the window as the setting, more than just the resource challenges, dramatically affected the approach to care at the hospital. I was flabbergasted at how quickly and how often the providers jumped to cesarean section, for indications that I’ve never used myself in my own training, and how resistant they were to opting for induction of labor instead. After a couple weeks on the labor ward, it made sense. With 7 beds on the labor ward, widespread uncontrolled hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, oftentimes limited prenatal care, late term and post term pregnancies the norm, and virtually no access to CTG or any available staff to monitor it, induction of labor would be an incredibly risky endeavor for both the mother and the baby. It made sense that their criteria for induction, and especially for TOLAC, is very strict and more often than not they lean towards cesarean delivery instead.
The conservative approach pervaded all the patient care, with decisions to deliver earlier than we typically would in the US, prescribing only some of the tests so that patients could afford it, even only providing medical management of miscarriage under direct supervision in the hospital. Despite this, the outcomes were exceptionally poor. I estimate a third of the pregnancies that came to the hospital were IUFDs, with placental abruption, severe preeclampsia, and eclampsia all common. We had five deaths during my 4-week rotation, more than I have had in four years at UW, and more fetal deaths than I could count. Every death presented to the hospital too late to be able to do anything about it, indicating the drastic need for systemic improvements to earlier access to care.
Despite the challenges, frustrations, and sad outcomes, the people I had the privilege of working with were incredible. The term the “Smiling Coast of Africa” is well named, and everyone was exceptionally kind wherever I went. The teams were amazing to work with and were eager to accept and incorporate me, and I was impressed by the knowledge level of the medical students and senior residents. They truly do remarkable medicine for the situation and resources that they are given, and I learned so much in providing flexible and innovative medicine pivoted to the circumstances of each patient. My short 4 weeks forever changed my perspectives of ob/gyn and approach to caring for patients, particularly regarding consideration of external contexts.
This week, we say goodbye to the UW Department of Ob-Gyn Residency Class of 2024! Read more about where these brilliant physicians are headed after residency, what they’ll miss about Madison, and how their time here set them up for success in the future. Congratulations, Class of 2024!
India Anderson-Carter, MD:
Where will you be going and what will you be doing after UW Ob-Gyn?
I will be staying in Madison and joining UW's Ob-Gyn department faculty in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn.
What was your proudest accomplishment during residency?
My proudest accomplishment was being part of the resident DEI committee and getting our department to agree to fund/support resident representatives to attend conferences aimed at targeting our DEI initiatives!
How do you feel UW Ob-Gyn prepared you for success after residency?
They molded me into the amazing physician I am today. I have them to thank for my excellent surgical skills, my medical knowledge base and so much more.
Any special shout-outs or thanks to faculty, staff, other residents who really shaped your time here?
My co-residents for their support, encouragement and making my time here great; the department for investing in me; nurses, PAs, and APPs for their role in teaching me; all the other staff for helping me provide the best care to patients over the years!
Alexandra Andes, MD:
Dr. Andes will depart for private practice at Association for Women's Health Care in Illinois.
Gabrielle Avery, MD:
Where will you be going and what will you be doing after UW Ob-Gyn?
I will be starting fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at the University of California - Irvine!
What will you miss most about UW Ob-Gyn, Madison, and/or your time in residency?
Definitely the people! My co-residents, fellows, attendings, nurses, and support staff – you all made a huge difference in my experience and hold a special place in my heart! Thank you! From Madison and Wisconsin, I'll miss a good Friday Fish Fry, the best farmer's market in the country, and the changes of the seasons.
Any special shout-outs or thanks to faculty, staff, other residents who really shaped your time here?
Shout-out to my class of 2024 for becoming amazing doctors and surgeons, all while maintaining lives, relationships, and families outside of work. We did it!! Thank you to the URPS division for their unwavering support and cheerleading me through research and the fellowship application process. Thank you to the generalists and sub-specialist faculty for all your support, mentorship, insight, and commitment to making me better every day.
Kaley Gyorfi, MD:
Where will you be going and what will you be doing after UW Ob-Gyn?
I have accepted a general Ob-Gyn position at Kaiser Permanente in West Los Angeles.
How do you feel UW Ob-Gyn prepared you for success after residency?
I feel like this resident program prepared me very well in terms of obstetrics and benign gynecology. With our high surgical volume, I feel very ready to tackle difficult cases coming right out of residency.
What will you miss most about UW Ob-Gyn, Madison, and/or your time in residency?
I will miss my classmates and co-residents and fellows dearly, I will miss putting on a personal concert in any Swiftie attending's OR, and I will just miss this perfect city and the people in it. I feel extremely grateful to have trained here.
Any special shout-outs or thanks to faculty, staff, other residents who really shaped your time here?
Shout out to my classmates, I truly couldn't have picked a better group of 7 people to go through residency with. Thank you to ALL former and current co-residents as well, this group of people has felt like a second family for the last four years.
Margaret Harrison, MD:
Dr. Harrison will join the private practice Women's Health Care Associates in Colorado.
Jennifer Janik, MD:
Dr. Janik moves on to the private practice Grand Rapids Women's Health in Michigan.
Awa Sanneh, MD:
Dr. Sanneh joins the University of Wisconsin Department of Ob-Gyn faculty in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn.
In the lecture, Sanneh touched upon the global burden of disease for cervical cancer and other maternal health complications, as well as outlined challenges in accessing maternal healthcare in resource-limited settings and the various strategies and adaptations for dealing with such difficulties.
You can watch the full lecture here.
**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson
Laura Hanks, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, shared her experiences traveling to Gambia on the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Surgery’s Global Surgery website. Hanks was a visiting lecturer at the Edward Francis Teaching Hospital in March of 2024.
In “In My Own Words: Dr. Hanks’ trip to Gambia,” Hanks describes what it was like serving as a mentor for UW Ob-Gyn global health resident Awa Sanneh, MD, PGY-4, and acting as a guest lecturer in Banjul, Gambia. Many of her lectures focused on quality improvement projects regarding postpartum hemorrhage and C-section rates.
“Overall, this trip was filled with a lot of great experiences. In addition to my observation with Dr. Sanneh, we met many doctors in various surgical specialties while we were there. I am hopeful that these connections will be important for creating future partnerships.”
Read the whole blog post here.
**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson
UW Department of Ob-Gyn resident
Awa Sanneh, MD, PGY-4, joined a panel of physicians who shared their experiences with becoming parents during medical training at the 2024 UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Department of Medicine Education Day on February 23, 2024.
Sanneh spoke during the breakout session “Fertility, Pregnancy, Parental Leave & Lactation Issues in GME”. The session was organized by faculty and learners in the Department of Medicine’s Fellow-As-Medical-Educator (FAME) training track.
Incredible work, Dr. Sanneh!
Faculty, trainees, researchers, and more from the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology brought posters and presentations to the 2024 Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Pregnancy Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, this February. Read on for some of their exciting accomplishments! Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow Jackie Powell, MD, earned the Best Poster of Poster Session 3 with the poster “Improving participation in postpartum remote blood pressure monitoring collaborating with community doulas for Black women”. Associate Professor Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, is senior author on the poster. Co-authors include Tia Murray, BS, Uchenna Jones, RN, Erin Bailey, MD, MS, Kristin Hildebrandt, MSN, RN, Megan Knutson Sinaise, MS.
Scientific Forum: Adverse Obstetric Outcomes Among Physicians – Jackie Powell, MD
Breastfeeding rates among Black participants in a remote hypertension monitoring/community-based doula partnership study - Erin Bailey, MD, MS; Megan Knutson Sinaise, MS; Tia Murray, BS; Uchenna Jones, RN; Kathleen Wannemuehler, PhD; Kara Hoppe, DO, MS
Engaging community doulas with a remote postpartum hypertension program for Black persons: A qualitative study – Elizabeth Albert, MA; Megan Knutson Sinaise, MS; Tia Murray, BS; Nicole Thomas, BSN; Kathleen Wannemuehler, PhD; Susan Passmore, PhD; Kara Hoppe, DO, MS
Understanding Fluid Shifts in Hypertension: Postpartum Point-of-Care Ultrasound of the Inferior Vena Cava and Aorta – Awa Sanneh, MD; Jenna Racine, MD; Amy Godecker, PhD; Kara Hoppe, DO, MS; J. Igor Iruretagoyena, MD, MS
Improving participation in postpartum remote blood pressure monitoring collaborating with community doulas for Black women - Jackie Powell, MD; Tia Murray, BS; Uchenna Jones, RN; Erin Bailey, MD, MS; Kristin Hildebrandt, MSN, RN; Megan Knutson Sinaise, MS; Kara Hoppe, DO, MS
Awa Sanneh, MD, has accepted our offer to join the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn faculty as an assistant professor (CHS), effective September 3, 2024. Dr. Sanneh will be a Centennial Clinician faculty, with a role focusing on clinical care, education, and global health. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Sanneh to our faculty!
Sanneh earned her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by ob-gyn residency at the University of Wisconsin. She will complete residency here in June 2024.
During residency, Sanneh was the class of 2024 Global Health Track resident and served on the Residency Recruitment Committee. She also served on the department-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the UW Quality and Safety Committee.
Sanneh’s future faculty role will be devoted to clinical care, education with a global health program development focus, and educational leadership around global health. Please welcome Dr. Sanneh to our faculty!
On November 16, 2023, several members of the Department of Ob-Gyn participated in an outreach event with the University of Wisconsin–Madison AHANA-MAPS Pre-Health Society. The event focused on showcasing obstetrics and gynecology careers and career pathways with students interested in medical and health science careers.
During the event, department members led hands-on birthing simulations, guided students through case-based learning, and answered questions about their career paths during a panel discussion.
Special thanks to the Department of Ob-Gyn Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and DEI leaders for planning this event:
- Katie Sampene, MD – DEI Committee Co-Chair and associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn
- Beverly Hutcherson – Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, UW School of Medicine and Public Health
- Cheryl Casey’Grant – Outreach Specialist, Department of Ob-Gyn
- Jackie Askins – Communications Manager, Department of Ob-Gyn
Thanks to all the department members who shared their expertise with the students:
- Katie Sampene, MD (associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn)
- Amy Domeyer-Klenske, MD (Director, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn)
- Jennifer Karnowski, MD (assistant professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn)
- Maggie Williams, MD (ob-gyn resident)
- Hannah Copp, CNM (Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn)
- Awa Sanneh, MD (ob-gyn resident)
- India Anderson-Carter, MD (ob-gyn resident)
- Laura Huffman, MD (assistant professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology)
- Ellen Hartenbach, MD (Department Chair; Division of Gynecologic Oncology)
- Bala Bhagavath, MD (professor and Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility)
- Laura Jacques, MD (associate professor, Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn/Family Planning)
- Gabrielle Avery, MD (ob-gyn resident)
UW Ob-Gyn residents India Anderson-Carter, MD, PGY-2, Ushma Patel, MD, PGY-4, and Awa Sanneh, MD, PGY-2 attended the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Annual Medical Education Conference in Orlando to represent the UW Ob-Gyn residency in April!
The SNMA is an organization that supports current and future underrepresented minority medical students. The Annual Medical Education Conference brings together students from all levels of medical education for workshops focused on preparing physicians-in-training for academic and clinical success, and connecting students and physicians from across the country to build supportive networks.
Huge thanks to our residents for connecting more students with our training program during the conference!
