Dear Colleagues,

I sincerely thank every member of our staff for their dedication and hard work. It allows us to do great things for our patients and for women around the world. In this newsletter, you will hear about the well-deserved recognition that we have achieved, as well as stories of great accomplishment that reflect our daily commitment to quality and excellence.

As an example, I will share with you a personally emotional and inspiring experience. Many years ago, I operated on a patient for what was thought to be a fibroid. It turned out to be an unusual type of gynecologic tumor where a hysterectomy is the usual treatment. After consulting with gynecologic oncology and considering this young woman’s strong desire to preserve her fertility, we were able to remove only the tumor and save her uterus. She later underwent chemotherapy and worked with our fertility preservation team to freeze her eggs. Years later, she was able to use the eggs with her husband to conceive and deliver a healthy baby girl here. When visiting her and her new baby in the postpartum unit, we both acknowledged this would not have been possible anywhere but Yale.

It is powerful reminders like this that allow me to keep an unwavering commitment, despite the challenges ahead.

I’m sure you have similar stories – of innovation, teamwork, and perseverance. That’s why we will remain true to our mission. We are dedicated to not only outstanding patient care but to advancing the Ob/Gyn field.

Yale will continue to be a beacon for patients. We will continue to light the way forward in women’s health.

Hugh S. Taylor, MD

Chair

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

Have you signed up yet to present for the next Reproductive Sciences Seminar Program (RSSP) series? Slots remain. There are usually three RSSP meetings each month (September to May), held Fridays, 3-4 p.m. Each lab is encouraged to have a member of the team present their work at least once during the academic year.

Sign-ups are via Google Docs. Reach out to Mancy Tong, PhD, or Laura Klein for more information.

Yale Ob/Gyn residents and midwives are hosting a screening of the documentary Wisdom of Trauma on Aug. 21 in Brady Auditorium, beginning at 4 p.m. The film features Gabor Mate, MD, a renowned family physician with expertise in trauma informed care and addiction. All faculty, trainees, and staff are invited. The screening is free, but you must sign-up to get your complimentary ticket beforehand.

The new NIH Public Access Policy is now in effect. Any manuscripts accepted for publication in a journal on or after July 1, 2025, must be submitted to PubMed Central for public availability - without embargo - by the official date of publication. Yale’s Harvey Cushing Medical Library has created a helpful website that includes a concise yet informative audio-visual guide. They are also offering live online info/Q&A sessions (scroll down to Events for details of the next one offered on 7/30).

You may view the new NIH website directly that covers an overview of the policy, as well, including supplemental guidance, tips for submitting to PubMed, contact information, and FAQs.

Applications are open for the 2026 cycle of the Robert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust Mentored Research Award until Aug. 14 at Noon. If awarded, it would be $200,000 ($100,000 per year) for a period of two years, January 31, 2026 – January 30, 2028.

[Re]read the message from Dean Nancy J. Brown, MD, which includes a few Yale School of Medicine exceptions to the recent 90-day, university-wide hiring pause announcement.

[Re]read the communication from President Maurie McInnis on a potential endowment tax increase and what that may mean for Yale.

ATTENTION CLINICIANS: The Connecticut Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program at Yale School of Public Health, is conducting surveillance of high-grade cervical lesions and invasive cervical cancer to monitor the impact of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Connecticut. If you perform cervical cancer screenings, colposcopies, and/or cervical biopsies, please fill out this brief survey. The purpose is to gather information on provider practices related to cervical biopsies and HPV testing.

ICYMI--Check out Yale Ob/Gyn's inaugural brief. It provides an important snapshot of accomplishments over the last year. We plan to produce this annually.

If you would like a hard copy, please email Amy.Chmiel@yale.edu.

Yale New Haven Children's Hospital’s Fetal Care Center, founded and co-directed by Mert Ozan Bahtiyar, MD [pictured far right], had its 3rd Annual Reunion at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, where more than 400 patients and families reconnected with their care teams.

As part of a Yale School of Medicine-Yale Medicine video series on rare diseases, Chair Hugh Taylor, MD, shares how Asherman Syndrome impacts infertility.

In this WTNH News 8 piece, read or watch how Sarah Cross, MD, and a multidisciplinary team of colleagues helped one of her pregnant patients who was suffering from a herniated disk at the bottom of her spine.

Our department has grown by one - a little one :) Annalies Denoble, MD, MSc, gave birth to her son, Caspian Petar Denoble, on June 22.

Photo by Bella Baby

Christina Lepore, MD: 1-year funding from North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, “ATF: Assessment of a Novel Interactive Website to Inform Adolescent and Young Adult Decision-Making About Contraception” $2,400

Tessa Madden, MD: 1-year funding from University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, “Multipurpose Device for Female-initiated Nonsteroidal On-Demand Contraception” $121,356

Melissa Markowitz, MD: 2-year funding from American Urogynecologic Society, “ATF Proposal: SORE Study: Sitz Baths After Urogynecologic Reconstruction” $5,226

Elena Ratner, MD, MBA: 4-year funding from U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (Army) (DoD), “Development of GUAR-T as a Novel Class of Universal Cellular Immunotherapies for Ovarian Cancer” $705,038

Yang Yang-Hartwich, PhD: 4-year funding from U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (Army) (DoD), “Mast Cell Therapy for Ovarian Cancer” $1,004,472