Maternal and Child Health Track
Michael A. Belfort, MD, PhD
Michael A. Belfort, MD, PhD is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, TX, and Obstetrician and Gynecologist-in-Chief at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, TX. He is also a Clinical Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Belfort trained as a physician in South Africa and did his first Ob/Gyn residency there. He then immigrated to the USA and did his second Ob/Gyn residency and MFM Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal and Fetal Medicine in the United States and holds certificates of specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada. He has a PhD from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden which he earned as part of an exchange program that Dr. Michael Debakey set up in the 1990’s. His areas of research and special interest are in Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Critical Care Maternal Medicine, the surgical management of placenta percreta, and most recently in systems development to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health in low resource environments. He is a great proponent of developing sustainable global education programs and along with his colleagues at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine he is working hard to expand his Department’s footprint in Malawi and Liberia in Africa, as well as in Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing in China. For fun Dr. Belfort enjoys aviation and holds a commercial pilot’s license. For extra fun he is now learning to fly a helicopter.
Susan Raine, MD, JD, LLM
Susan Raine received her JD from The University of Texas School of Law and her MD from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Raine completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in 2001, and subsequently joined the Baylor Faculty. During her time on faculty, Dr. Raine has obtained two additional Master’s Degrees, one in Health Law and Policy from the University of Houston Law Center in 2010 and a Master’s of Education with a focus on curriculum design from the University of Houston in 2013. She is currently an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Dr. Raine also serves as the Vice Chairman for Global Health Initiatives and Residency Program Director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Raine spends approximately 50% of her time traveling globally and administering the Departmental programs. When in Houston, Dr. Raine spends her time working clinically and teaching within the department.
BCM/CLI Ob-Gyn Global Health Initiative
This talk outlines and explains the collaborative Baylor College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Child Legacy International collaboration in Malawi to advance maternal health care in Malawi. The reasons for the high maternal mortality and morbidity will be discussed, along with the efforts we have made to a feasible and sustainable solution to the problem that may be generalizable to the sub-Saharan region.
Rachel Jamison, MD
Rachel Jamison is a pediatric chief resident at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas with plans to begin cardiology fellowship in July 2014. She previously attended Providence College where she earned a B.S. in biology followed by UT Southwestern Medical Center for her M.D. She is the Medical Director for Hope Ignited, a non-profit organization that serves communities in Guatemala and Guinea, West Africa through education, school development, and healthcare. At the completion of her medical training, she and her husband plan to work long-term in Guinea where she hopes to establish the first pediatric cardiology training program as well as make improvements in general pediatric care alongside local physicians.
Global Health Ethics
Global health awareness is growing, and with it, an interest in pursuing international service opportunities amongst medical trainees. This trend is exciting and hopefully will lead to further health improvements in developing nations, but it also poses several potential issues. Well-intentioned, but ill-prepared trainees can cause damage to a local system, place excessive burden on the host institution, and leave a place worse than upon arrival if not educated on the ethical implications of working overseas. This lecture will highlight issues that have been noted historically and how to navigate the global health educational system to ensure appropriate expectations and mutually beneficial relationships.