Faculty Development Funding Feature: Luther Gaston, MD

Each fiscal year, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Development Committee makes available a total of $10,000 for professional development. Faculty may submit applications at any time (until funds are exhausted for the current fiscal year). 

Read more about Dr. Gaston’s experience with the Faculty Development Funding Program, and learn how you can apply for faculty development funds here! 

Luther Gaston, MD, associate professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, attended the SMFM Obstetric Critical Care course: 

What are your key takeaways from the course? 

This series of online lectures includes modules on hypertension and pregnancy, post-partum hemorrhage, neurologic emergencies and other critical care topics. Completing the course increased my confidence and contributes to maternal safety, particularly when working at night and functioning as the high-risk obstetrician on site. 

What did you learn that will impact your work? 

This course expands my knowledge on critical care and high-risk topics, with modules accessible to review at any time and share with trainees and other providers. 

How will your experience and what you learned in your training benefit the broader Department of Ob-Gyn? 

With the increasing number of high-risk pregnancies, including obese patients who are more likely to experience critical care issues during labor and delivery, it’s crucial for those providing care in L&D to become comfortable with critical care. Increasing knowledge about high risk and critical care issues can inform our practice, such as expanding standardized approaches to managing very complex critical care. In the future, I would like to start a fellowship in critical care obstetrics that would include training in cardiology and pregnancy ultrasound.