Newswise — DETROIT - Roberto Romero, M.D., D.Med.Sci, Detroit Medical Center (DMC) physician and chief of the National Institutes of Health’s Perinatology Research Branch at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed an editor in chief for Obstetrics of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG), a preeminent forum in the discipline, publisher Elsevier Health Sciences announced today.
“Since I began this journey in obstetrics and gynecology, I have been privileged to be part of and witness many of the groundbreaking discoveries that have changed the lives of women and their families by improving pregnancy outcomes,” said Dr. Romero. “We are looking forward to transforming our journal to connect physicians, scientists and patients and improve health care for women and families, as well as drive progress in the field worldwide. We are proud that the Editorship will be housed at the Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University and the Perinatology Research Branch.”
AJOG is the oldest journal in obstetrics and gynecology, first published in 1869. The AJOG has published almost 50 percent of the ‘citation classics’ in the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology in the last 50 years, as well as many groundbreaking discoveries that have changed the practice of medicine and the lives of women and their families. Examples include:
- The method currently used for the detection of early pregnancy (pregnancy test), used worldwide - The description of the vaginal pap smear by Papanicolaou in 1941 – the basis for the Pap test to screen for cervical cancer - Polycystic ovarian disease, which affects five percent to 10 percent- of women of reproductive age - The first description of the labor curve, which is utilized to assess progress in labor - The importance of progesterone in pregnancy maintenance - The non-stress test used daily in the evaluation of fetal well-being - The biophysical profile used to assess fetal health - The estimation of fetal weight using ultrasound and implemented worldwide to monitor fetal growth
Much of the work conducted by the Perinatology Research Branch of NICHD in Detroit has been published on the pages of the AJOG. Among the discoveries are methods for prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies, the evidence that progesterone could reduce the rate of preterm birth and neonatal complications in women with a short cervix by 45 percent, and the importance of intra-amniotic infection as a cause of preterm labor and delivery.
Dr. Romero is one of the world’s foremost authorities in the study of pregnancy and its complications. At the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Romero leads a research team that has made seminal discoveries related to premature birth and congenital anomalies, the two leading causes of infant mortality in the United States.
The PRB at Wayne State University is located in the Detroit Medical Center’s Hutzel Women’s Hospital and in basic science laboratories in the WSU C.S. Mott Center. The PRB is strategically located to serve a high-risk population that requires the full spectrum of services the branch offers. The branch has produced groundbreaking clinical research and cared for more than 20,000 mothers in Detroit. For more information and video visit http://www.med.wayne.edu/prb/home.htm.
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About Wayne State University http://wayne.edu/
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students. The School of Medicine is the largest single-campus medical school in the nation.
About Detroit Medical Center www.dmc.org
The Detroit Medical Center includes; DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, DMC Harper University Hospital, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, DMC Hutzel Women’s Hospital, DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, DMC Surgery Hospital, and DMC Cardiovascular Institute. The Detroit Medical Center is a leading regional healthcare system with a mission of excellence in clinical care, research and medical education.
Contacts
Phil Van Hulle, WSU, 313-577-6943
Sarah Collica, DMC, 248-459-4669
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