Happy Friday Friends!
Today is the end of my first official week of fellowship *WHOOP*
For those of you who may not be familiar with MFM, below is an awesome infographic from the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine that talks about what Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists do:
Now that orienting is done, I am spending my first month on a rotation called "Research". The awesome difference between residency and fellowship is that I get dedicated time (some programs 12-18 months) to study the things that are important and interesting to me. Residency is a "learn as you go" environment where there isn't much time to sit, ready, study, process, so this is HUGE!
First things first, I settled into my new digs...Pretty sure I am ready for my HGTV special now.
Desk before:
Desk after:
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| My new desk!! |
Next, I worked on completing + continuing research things I couldn't finish during residency.
At the same time, I began thinking about what "my thing" is going to be. I have so many interests and ways I want to impact the field. One of the many things that pulled me to MFM was the ability to be a voice to some of the most at-risk mothers in our care - advocating for and looking for ways to improve the health of ALL women regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or region.
Did you know while moms are dying less for pregnancy-related reasons in other developed countries, in the United States maternal mortality is on the rise?! And for Black women it's happening more frequently than for anyone else. It is infuriating and it makes no sense.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my story post this week...
In short, I want to wage war on US maternal mortality.
Considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist. During 2011–2013, the pregnancy-related mortality ratios were–
- 12.7 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women.
- 43.5 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women.
- 14.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for women of other races.
If you aren't familiar with this issue, please read this wonderfully written account on ProPublica detailing one family's tragedy.
We can do so much better for our moms and babies...
The next three years is going to me doing just that. I feel so blessed to be here.
Talk to you soon!
xo
