Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship

Program Overview

Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Length of Training: 3 years

Number of fellow slots each year: 1

Typical academic year start date: August 1

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Strengths of the Program

  • Extensive clinical and procedural training
  • Active involvement in Perinatal Assessment Center and Fetal-Diagnosis and Treatment Center
  • Emphasis on education over service
  • Diversity of patient population and community
  • Moonlighting allowed

General Schedule

  • Year 1 - Clinical Year
    • 8 months at U, 2 months at HCMC, 1 on ICU at Abbot and 1 on research. 
    • Rotation will include ultrasound, genetics, MFM, L&D, and ICU
  • Year 2 - Primary Research Year
    • 10 months research, 2 months clinical
  • Year 3 - 3 month inpatient, 2 month MFM clinic, 1 month research and 6 months electives

Training Sites

The fellowship training sites offer unique opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth. At the University of Minnesota Medical Center, fellows have the unique opportunity to provide tertiary care for a population of over 10,000 deliveries. 

Hennepin County Medical Center is the top Level I trauma center in the five-state region. HCMC serves a large indigent population, and during the rotation at this site, MFM fellows have the opportunity to manage severe trauma in pregnancy, substance abuse, and HIV infections. 

Abbott-Northwestern Hospital offers patients specialized and unique medical services. The adjacent Minneapolis Children’s Hospital enhances the rare and complicated diseases and disorders affecting the fetus and the newborn. The Perinatal Clinic offers specialized neonatal and perinatal care and services for women with high-risk pregnancies to promote the healthiest possible pregnancy and birth.

Career Path

The Fellowship Program trains specialists in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, with additional expertise in basic or clinical research, public health or epidemiology. The program prepares physicians for two possible career paths:

  1. Academic medicine with a foundation in research, with the capability to make significant contributions to the academic community.
  2. Community sub-specialty practice, with the knowledge and skills to act as a consultant to general obstetricians and be active in improving the delivery of health care to the population as a whole.

Stipend

  • Administrative Stipend – When funds are available, each Fellow will receive a total allowance of $1200 per year for costs such as license/membership renewal fees, travel or other costs. These funds are available on July 1 of each year.
  • Research Stipend – When funds are available, non-training grant fellows will be awarded $7500 towards research activities and travel to be used during the length of training. These funds are interchangeable with the yearly administrative stipend. These funds are not renewable; they will be available July 1 of the first year of the fellowship.

Didactics

  • Weekly MFM Didactic conference
  • Quarterly MFM/Neonatology joint conference
  • Quarterly fellow-led U/S conference
  • Quarterly research meetings
  • Quarterly M&M, Journal Club
  • MFM/Mayo Joint Journal Club twice yearly
  • Monthly Fetal Echo conferences

Research

Maternal Fetal Fellows in FL 1 and 2 will attend the Excellence in Clinical Research Course and the NICHD Young Investigator Conference as part of their research training. Fellows are encouraged to initiate new research projects and seek collaboration with other departments; however, they can also be guided into existing research. Fellows are required to complete and defend a thesis by the end of the program.

Contact

Yasuko Yamamura, M.D.
Fellowship Program Director
612-301-3402
yama0095@umn.edu 

Sabrina Burn, M.D.
Fellowship Associate Program Director
612-301-3409
 
Melanie Bishop
Fellowship Coordinator
612-276-2038
bisho335@umn.edu