The Maternal Fetal Medicine-Genetics combined training program is a 4-year program that is a jointly administered by the Department of Genetics and the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. At the conclusion of the program the trainee is board eligible for both Medical Genetics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Unlike the other combined training programs (Internal Medicine-Medical Genetics and Pediatrics-Medical Genetics), this program can be entered only after the completion of a residency in Ob-Gyn, and is therefore part fellowship, part residency.
The benefits of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Medical Genetics program are many, and include:
1. Enhanced clinical skills: The training provided through this program will enable the physician to provide more comprehensive care for the pregnant woman, her fetus, and then the child. All aspects of clinical care are enhanced by this combined training, beginning with prenatal genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and management of high-risk obstetrical conditions, delivery and postpartum management. The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Medical Geneticist will be expert in developing a differential diagnosis for the fetus with one or more anomalies and will have a greater understanding of the clinical consequences of each syndrome due to their exposure to these children in their genetics training. They will be expert in providing genetic counseling due to their increased familiarity with the clinical and genetic aspects of possible disorders, as well as due to the fact that they will have had specific training in the genetic counseling process. Furthermore, this person will be a resource for their colleagues for complex anomalies cases or those involving involved genetic risk questions.
2. Novel research questions: The combination of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Medical Genetics training will permit the physician to identify specific research questions that would not be recognized by someone with only one part of the training. Their familiarity with genetic principles and research techniques will allow them to look at questions in a different way compared to someone with only Maternal-Fetal Medicine training.
3. Education: An Maternal-Fetal Medicine Medical Geneticist will be a valuable educator. He/She will be able to provide genetics education to OB-Gyn residents and fellows and mentor residents and fellows on research projects.
