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In this issue
» Letter from the Chair
» Awards & Recognitions
» Funding News
» Publications & Newsbytes
» Clinical Innovations
» Laboratory Spotlight
» Culture & Justice
» New Staff Hires
» Recent Events
» Save-the-Date
» Job Postings
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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the winter edition of the Fimbria! The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences is pleased to share several important accomplishments advancing women's health at UC San Diego. These include being recognized by U.S News & World Report as a 2026 high performing hospital for maternity care, joining the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit (MFMU) Network at the National Institutes of Health, and obtaining a 69% increase in research funding over this past challenging year.
In this edition, we feature our Department CV, which highlights the breadth and impact of our faculty's clinical, research, educational, and service accomplishments over the past year. These accomplishments reflect the department's continued commitment to clinical excellence, research innovation, and health equity. Featured are advances in hospital-based and community-centered maternity care through the expansion of the UC San Diego Hearts & Hands Volunteer Doula Program, including new community doula training partnerships that strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive care. We also spotlight groundbreaking basic science research from the Tan Laboratory, advancing our understanding of gene regulation in reproductive biology and neurodevelopment. In addition, the Culture and Justice Quorum highlights departmental engagement in the 44th Annual San Diego Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, reflecting our ongoing commitment to inclusion, community partnership, and equity-driven excellence.
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Visit our website for more information on our divisions, clinical programs, novel research, and varied educational offerings. Please enjoy this issue, and email us with any feedback to Fimbria@ucsd.edu.
Thank you!
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Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, MS
Samuel SC Yen Endowed Chair
Department Chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Professor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology
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| Clinical Affairs: Yvette LaCoursiere, MD, MPH
Culture & Justice: Audra Meadows, MD, MPH
Education: Gladys (Sandy) Ramos, MD
Research (Interim): Pamela Mellon, PhD
Translational Research: Marianna Alperin, MD, MS
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| Complex Family Planning: Sheila Mody, MD, MPH
Gynecologic Oncology: Michael McHale, MD
Hospitalist: Gina Frugoni, MD
Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Interim): Maryam Tarsa, MD, MAS
Academic Specialists in Obstetrics & Gynecology: Jessica Kingston, MD
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility: Antoni Duleba, MD
Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery: Emily Lukacz, MD, MAS
Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery : Shira Varon, MD
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| Administrative Vice Chair: Michael Morales
Interim Communications Team: Evalina Monreal & Chelsea Saelee
Contact us at: Fimbria@ucsd.edu
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Honoring Departmental & Individual Achievements |
The UCSD Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences is honored to be recognized by the U.S. News & World Report as a 2026 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care for the fourth consecutive year.
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Congratulations to recent awardees on funding for impactful research and scientific discovery |
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*FY 2025 UC San Diego Contract & Grant Annual Report: OBGRS had a 69% increase in research funding
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Recent Publications of Outstanding Work by OBGYN & RS Members |
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Kiara Wiggins, Zena Del Mundo, Julio Ayala Angulo, Nandini Naidu, Angelina Saba, Christopher Garcia, Christy Nguyen, Naveena Ujagar, Jamie-Jean De La Torre, Gabriela De Robles, Angie Rivera, Davina Trinh, Roberto Tinoco, Alexander S. Kauffman, Varykina G. Thackray, Anshu Agrawal, Marcus Seldin, Gabriela Pacheco Sanchez, Dequina Nicholas
Toll-like Receptor 4 Contributes to PCOS-like Metabolic and Reproductive Pathogenesis | bioRxiv • OCTOBER 2025
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Elisabeth Erikson, Shawn A. Meneefe, Ryan Whitworth, Selen Gzilce, Halina M. Zyczynski, David D. Rahn, Cindy L. Amundsen, Vivian W. Sung, Lily A. Arya, Cecile A. Ferrando, Donna Mazloomdoost, Sonia Tomas, Holly E. Richter, for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network
Outcomes by frailty and mobility in older patients undergoing major urogynecologic surgery: a planned supplementary study of the apical suspension repair for vault prolapse in a three-arm randomized (ASPIRE) trial | American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology • NOVEMBER 2025
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Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Rebecca G. Clifton, Robert A. Wise, Alan T. N. Tita, Jessica A. de Voest, Sharon A. McGrath-Morrow, Elizabeth C. Matsui, Sean C. Blackwell, Monica Longo, Sabine Z. Bousleiman, Felecia Ortiz, Sankaran Krishnan, Dwight J. Rouse, Torri D. Metz, George R. Saade, Maged M. Costantine, Kent D. Heyborne, John M. Thorp Jr., Kelly S. Gibson, Geeta K. Swamy, William A. Grobman, Yasser Y. El-Sayed, George A. Macones; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal–Fetal Medicine Units Network and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Childhood Pulmonary Outcomes After Late Preterm Antenatal Corticosteroids | Obstetrics & Gynecology • JANUARY 2026
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Thomas F. McElrath, Arun Jeyabalan, Arkady Khodursky, Alison B. Moe, Manfred Lee, Maneesh Jain, Laura Goetzl, Elizabeth F. Sutton, Pamela M. Simmons, George R. Saade, Antonio Saad, Luis D. Pacheco, Esther Park-Hwang, Antonina Frolova, Ebony B. Carter, Ai-Ris Y. Collier, Daniel G. Kiefer, Vincenzo Berghella, Rupsa C. Boelig, Michal A. Elovitz, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Joseph R. Biggio, Kara Rood, William A. Grobman, Carrie Haverty, Morten Rasmussen
Utility of the US Preventive Services Task Force for Preeclampsia Risk Assessment and Aspirin Prophylaxis | Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey • JANUARY 2026
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Brian K. Iriye, John M. O’Brien, Christopher S. Ennen, Perry S. Barrilleaux, Jill A. Berkin, Anna Palatnik, Moeun Son, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Mollie McDonnell, Glenn R. Markenson, Anthony C. Sciscione, Joseph R. Biggio, Samuel Wolf, Scott A. Sullivan, Michael Walker, Babak Shahbaba, Jannik Godt, Stephen P. Pound
Neonatal impact of maternal biomarker screening for risk of preterm birth with targeted interventions (PRIME): A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial | Pregnancy • JANUARY 2026
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Xiaobo Wang, Mary P. Moore, Hongxue Shi, Yang Xiao, Jiayu Zhang, Lanuza A. P. Faccioli, Zhiping Hu, Shareef Khalid, Danish Saleheen, Dwayne G. Stupack, Tatiana Kisseleva, Alejandro Soto Gutierrez, Mitchell A. Lazar, Ira Tabas
A non-apoptotic caspase-8–meteorin pathway in hepatocytes promotes MASH fibrosis| Nature Metabolism • OCTOBER 2025
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Emily S. Lukacz, Shawn A. Meneffee, Benjamin Carper, Sara Collins, Kimberly McMillian, Maria Florian-Rodriguez, Charles Rardin, Alison C. Weidner, Heidi S. Harvie, Brenton Alexander, Donna Mazloomdoost, NICHD Pelvic Floor Disorders Network
Design of Transurethral Bulking Agent Injection Versus Single–Incision Sling Trial | Urogynecology • FEBRUARY 2026
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Emily S. Lukacz, Daniel McDonald, MacKenzie Bryant, Sara Putnam, Kyle Rudser, Caitriona Brennan, Melanie Meister, Cynthia S. Fok, Margaret G. Mueller, Rob Knight, Linda Brubaker, Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium
Concordance of Urogenital Microbiome From Sequentially Self-collected Specimens | Urogynecology • NOVEMBER 2025
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Ghanshyam S. Yadav, Kshitij A. Pandit, Erin A. Gross, Karandeep Singh, D. Lacoursiere, Ming Tai-Seale, Marlene Millen, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Sarah Parker, Divya Gupta, Christopher A. Longhurst
Evaluating Generative Artificial Intelligence–Drafted Responses for Patient Messages in Obstetrics and Gynecology | Obstetrics & Gynecology • OCTOBER 2025
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Ruben I. Calderon, Nirvay Sah, Molly Huang, Sampada Kallol, Ryan H. Kittle, Walee B. Shaik, Ahmed Abdelbaki, Jennifer N. Chousal, Robert Morey, Tony Bui, Alejandra Mitre, Norah M. E. Fogarty, Claudia Gerri, Zoe Manalo, Claire Zheng, Peter De Hof, Pratik Home, Kathy K. Niakan, Heidi Cook-Andersen, Kathleen M. Fisch, Soumen Paul, Francesca Soncin
VGLL1 contributes to both the transcriptome and epigenome of the developing trophoblast compartment | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America • DECEMBER 2025
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Ksenya Shliakhtsitsava, Shaylyn S. Stark, Tanushree Prasad, Sarah Boles, Diana Chingos, Jennifer Ehren, Jessica R. Gorman, Sally A. D. Romero, Jun J. Mao, Paul Nathan, Saro H. Armenian, H. Irene Su
Impact of a Reproductive Health Survivorship Care Plan on Fertility, Pregnancy Concerns, and Accessing Reproductive Healthcare Among Young Nulliparous Breast Cancer Survivors | Cancer Reports • JANUARY 2026
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Charissa van Zwol-Janssens, Mandy van M. Rosmalen, Joop S. E. Laven, Kazem Nasserinejad, Jenny A. Visser, Richard A. Anderson, Irit Ben-Aharon, Thomas Freour, Kathryn J. Ruddy, H. Irene Su, Yvonne V. Louwers, Agnes Jager
AMH as a marker for resumption of ovarian function after chemotherapy: an IPD meta-analysis and systematic review | Cancer Treatment Reviews • JANUARY 2026
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Olumayowa Dayo, Bonnie N. Kaiser, Ricardo E. Flores Ortega, Victoria Turcotte, Breanna Reyes, Natasha Bisarya, Brian Kwan, Gregory A. Aarons, Sara B. McMenamin, H. Irene Su, Sally A. D. Romero
Feasibility and effectiveness of a health educational intervention to improve navigation of health insurance benefits for in vitro fertilization: a randomized controlled trial | Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics • DECEMBER 2025
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Long Song, Zobaida Edib, Uwe Aickelin, Hadi Akbarzadeh Khorshidi, Anne-Sophie Hamy, Yasmin Jayasinghe, Martha Hickey, Richard A. Anderson, Matteo Lambertini, Margherita Condorelli, Isabelle Demeestere, Michail Ignatiadis, Barbara Pistilli, H. Irene Su, Shanton Chang, Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang, Fabien Reyal, Scott M. Nelson, Paniti Sukumvanich, Alessandro Minisini, Fabio Puglisi, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Fergus J. Couch, Janet E. Olson, Kate Stern, Franca Agresta, Lesley Stafford, Laura Chin-Lenn, Wanda Cui, Antoinette Anazodo, Alexandra Gorelik, Tuong L. Nguyen, Ann Partridge, Christobel Saunders, Elizabeth Sullivan, Mary Macheras-Magias, Michelle Peate
Development of a machine learning model for predicting treatment-related amenorrhea in young women with breast cancer | Bioengineering (Basel) • OCTOBER 2025
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Maria Rivera, Lucy Liu, Sabina Enlund, Chae-Eun Lim, Haoran Zhang, Kaifu Yang, Roman Sasik, Leslie A. Crews, Kathleen M. Fisch, Ramez N. Eskander, Frida Holm, Qingfei Jiang
APOBEC3B enhances the efficacy of PARP inhibitors in elimination of ovarian cancer stem cell | Scientific Reports • JANUARY 2026
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Sara Brin Rosenthal, Thomas Whisenant, Roman Sasik, Maria Rivera, Geena Il Defonso, Charles-Alexandre Roy, Sabina Enlund, Rawan Shraim, Kathleen Fisch, David T. Teachey, Frida Holm, Dennis John Kuo, Qingfei Jiang
Widespread remodeling of the RNA editome underlies transcriptional and clinical heterogeneity in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia | bioRxiv • DECEMBER 2025
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L. Brubaker, D. McDonald, S. Putnam, C. Brennan, C. S. Fok, C. E. Lewis, J. L. Lowder, M. G. Mueller, L. M. Rickey, E. R. Mueller, S. J. Song, K. Rudser, R. Knight, E. S. Lukacz, for the PLUS Consortium
Bladder health and the urogenital microbiome in community-dwelling adult females | American Society for Microbiology • NOVEMBER 2025
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Kine Eide Kvitne, Celeste Allaband, Jennifer C. Onoura, Daniela Perry, Simone Zuffa, Lucas Patel, Vincent Charron-Lamoureux, Ipistia Mohanty, Kristja Sejane, Abubaker Patan, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Tahmeed Ahmed, Diego G. Bassani, Antonio González, Davidson H. Hamer, Rashidul Haque, Benjamin Ho, Md Iqbal Hossain, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Md Daniel McDonald, Lisa G. Pell, Shluma Qamar, Daniel E. Roth, Jiam Sarin Saha, Prakesh S. Shah, Md Muniruzzaman Siddiqui, Shaqul Alam Sarker, Shamima Sultana, Sydney Thomas, Lindsey A. Burnett, Shirley M. Tsundoda, Lars Bode, Peter C. Dorrestein, Zhiwen Huang
Environmental and maternal imprints on infant gut metabolic development | Cell Host & Microbe • DECEMBER 2025
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Kine Eide Kvitne, Simone Zuffa, Vincent Charron-Lamoureux, Ipsita Mohanty, Abubaker Patan, Helena Mannocchio-Russo, Jasmine Zemlin, Lindsey A. Burnett, Lisa S. Zhang, Mia C. Cecala, Ceylan Ersoz, James A. Connelly, Natasha Halasa, Maribeth Nicholson, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Shirley M. Tsunoda, Janet Markle
Fecal microbial and metabolic signatures in children with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease | NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes • DECEMBER 2025
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Haoqi Nina Zhao, Kine Eide Kvitne, Corinna Brungs, Siddharth Mohan, Vincent Charron-Lamoureux, Wout Bittremieux, Runbang Tang, Robin Schmid, Santosh Lamichhane, Shipei Xing, Yasin El Abiead, Mohammadsohan S. Andalibi, Helena Mannocchio-Russo, Madison Ambre, Nicole E. Avalon, MacKenzie Bryant, Lindsey A. Burnett, Andrés Mauricio Caraballo-Rodríguez, Martin Casas Maya, Loryn Chin, Lluís Corominas, Ronald J. Ellis, Donald Franklin, Sagan Girod, Paulo Wender P. Gomes, Lauren Hansen, Robert K. Heaton, Jennifer E. Iudicello, Alan K. Jarmusch, Lora Khatib, Scott Letendre, Sarolt Magyari, Daniel McDonald, Ipsita Mohanty, Andrés Cumsille, David J. Moore, Prajit Rajkumar, Dylan H. Ross, Harshada Sapre, Mohammad Reza Zare Shahneh, Ruben Gil-Solsona, Sydney P. Thomas, Caitlin Tribelhorn, Helena M. Tubb, Corinn Walker, Crystal X. Wang, Jasmine Zemlin, Simone Zuffa, David S. Wishart, Pablo Gago-Ferrero, Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Mingxun Wang, Manuela Raffatellu, Karsten Zengler, Tomáš Pluskal, Libin Xu, Rob Knight, Shirley M. Tsunoda, Pieter C. Dorrestein
A resource to empirically establish drug exposure records directly from untargeted metabolomics data | Nature Communications • DECEMBER 2025
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Christian K. Dye, Allison Kupsco, Gabriela L. Jackson, Ronald A. Glabonjat, Abbas Hakim, Anelizze Castro-Martinez, Louise C. Laurent, Jason G. Umans, Walter Goessler, Shelley A. Cole, Andrea A. Baccarelli, Ana Navas-Acien, Haotian Wu
Extracellular vesicle microRNAs as an epigenetic biosignature of arsenic-associated diabetes in the Strong Heart Study | Environmental Research • FEBRUARY 2026
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Jianping Xia, Brandon Lu, Shujie Yang, Arindam Ghosh, Chaoran Chang, Abbas Hakim, John D. H. Mai, Ying Chen, David T. W. Wong, John P. Nolan, Louise C. Laurent, Ming Dao, Yoel Sadovsky, Luke P. Lee, Subra Suresh, Tony Jun Huang
Acoustic separation and isolation of viruses, small extracellular vesicles and other nanoscale bioparticles | Nature Protocols • JANUARY 2026
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Marianna Alperin, Fatima F. Fitz, Caroline F. Gargett, Zeliha Guler, Cheryl B. Iglesia, Cassandra K. Kisby, Svjetlana Lozo, Valentin Manriquez, Srikala Prasad, Carolyn W. Swenson, Julie A. Suyama, Maria A. T. Bortolini
Chapter 4.5: New Proposed Treatments for Pelvic Organ Prolapse | International Urogynecology Journal • DECEMBER 2025
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Mariko Horii, Robert Morey, Jennifer N. Chousal, Anushka Edlabadkar, Abbas Hakim, Tzu Ning Liu, Morgan Meads, Valentina Stanley, Samantha La Belle, Sierra Adkins, Leah Lamale-Smith, Richard B. Wolf, Omonigho Aisagbonhi, Marni B. Jacobs
Clinical and Molecular Differences of Hypertensive Disorders During Pregnancy | Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology • DECEMBER 2025
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Virginia Chu Cheung, Carly DaCosta, Jennifer Jaimez, Harneet Arora, Christine Caron, Jaroslav Slamecka, Manuel Fierro, Morgan Meads, Kathleen Fisch, Robert E. Morey, Devika Pant, Dan S. Kaufman, Mariko Horii, Jack D. Bui, Mana M. Parast
Derivation of functional early gestation decidual natural killer cell subtypes from induced pluripotent stem cells | bioRxiv • NOVEMBER 2025
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Jason K. Sicklick, Daisuke Nishizaki, Hirotaka Miyashita, Ryosuke Okamura, Michael E. Hahn, Mina Nikanjam, Paul T. Fanta, David E. Piccioni, Hitendra Patel, Ramez N. Eskander, Rana R. McKay, Jeffrey S. Ross, J. Jack Lee, Scott M. Lippman, Shumei Kato, Razelle Kurzrock
Investigation of Profile-Related Evidence Determining Individualized Cancer Therapy (I-PREDICT) N-of-1 Precision Oncology Study: Molecular Profiling to Match Individually Dosed, Personalized Drug Combinations | Journal of Clinical Oncology • JANUARY 2026
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Ioana Bondre, H. Meryem Soylu, Francesca Corbetta, Breana Hill, Elise Wilson, Rodney Gabriel, Ramez Eskander, Michael McHale, Cheryl Saenz, Pratibha Binder, Steven Plaxe
Abdominal wall blocks in robotic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer are associated with a modest reduction in the frequency of patients receiving post-operative intravenous opioids | Gynecologic Oncology Reports • DECEMBER 2025
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Elle M. Murata, Gabriella Natividad, Andrea Gabay, Hannah Grotzinger, Tyler Santander, Averi Giudicessi, Morgan Fitzgerald, Alessandra Iadipaolo, Sanjay K. Agarwal, Matthew S. Panizzon, Emily G. Jacobs
Neurobiological Signatures of Endometriosis: Characterizing Pain, Cognition, and Brain Morphology | bioRxiv • JANUARY 2026
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Recent News Featuring Department of OBGYN & RS |
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Featuring the Hearts & Hands UCSD Volunteer Doula Program |
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Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Hospital-Based Doula Care & Expansion of Community Doula Training Program |
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UCSD Doula Manager, April Ricotta & Partners of the Refugee & Immigrant Health Unit & IRC Community Doula Training Cohorts
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UCSD Hearts & Hands Doula Program:
Persistent disparities in maternal health outcomes—particularly among underserved populations—highlight the urgent need for equitable, patient-centered care in obstetric settings. Evidence demonstrates that continuous labor support, such as that provided by doulas, improves birth outcomes and enhances patient satisfaction; however, access to doula care remains limited by cost and availability. To address these gaps, UC San Diego Health established the Hearts & Hands Volunteer Doula Program in 2000, one of the few hospital-based volunteer doula programs in the nation. Its mission is to provide free, culturally responsive labor support to any patient who requests it, serving a racially and socioeconomically diverse population in a U.S.–Mexico border county.
Program Expansion and Measured Impact
As patient volume increased, program expansion became essential to maintain quality and accessibility. The overarching goal was to build a larger, more diverse volunteer doula team while preserving program integrity and service standards. Between July 2024 and December 2025, the active volunteer pool grew from 40 to 103 doulas, with 50% multilingual, collectively representing 24 languages. Recruitment prioritized linguistic and cultural diversity to enhance communication and responsiveness. A pilot nursing student doula cohort was introduced to support experiential learning and prepare future nurses for holistic, patient-centered care.
Programmatic review and situational assessment informed targeted initiatives, including six volunteer doula trainings, two community trainings focused on refugee and immigrant populations, and one nursing student training. Structured protocols and ongoing education were implemented on trauma-informed care, cultural humility, physiological birth, Spinning Babies techniques, HIV/perinatal care, bereavement, and lactation support. A tiered scheduling model addressed operational challenges such as role clarity, funding limitations, and 24/7 coverage. Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams and community partners—including the Refugee and Immigrant Health Unit, OB Refugee Program, International Rescue Committee, The Culture and Justice Quorum within the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Women & Infant Services—strengthened program reach and sustainability.
Program evaluation demonstrated substantial growth and measurable improvements in maternal care outcomes. Volunteer doulas provided labor support for 370 births in 2024, representing 7% of UC San Diego Health deliveries, and 505 births to date in 2025 (11%). Comparative analysis revealed that doula-supported patients had lower epidural utilization (66%) compared with the hospital-wide rate (77%) and a reduced rate of nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) cesarean deliveries (22%; n=111) versus the institutional baseline of 24%. Patient-reported outcomes were uniformly positive: among 113 respondents (32% survey response rate), 100% indicated they would request and recommend a UCSD volunteer doula in future births. Qualitative feedback from clinical staff highlighted enhanced communication, cultural competence, and collaborative care within the obstetric team. Additionally, community engagement efforts resulted in the training of two cohorts of community-based doulas to better reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the patient population.
Equity, Sustainability, and the Path Forward
Free, hospital-based doula support promotes health equity by fostering advocacy, shared decision-making, and culturally and linguistically matched care. Benefits extend beyond birth, with potential long-term outcomes such as improved breastfeeding and reduced maternal mental health challenges. While program expansion has doubled volunteer capacity and enhanced multilingual representation, challenges remain in funding, volunteer management, and achieving continuous coverage. Addressing these barriers through structured protocols and strong community partnerships is critical for sustainability and continued advancement of equitable maternal care.
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Building Culture and Care: Community members trained through UC San Diego Community Doula Training Program
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UCSD Hearts & Hands Doulas (left to right): Langa Sibanda, Jamila Mohseni, Vivie Mass, Roma Ahmed, Somaye Jafari and Zahra Nur
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UCSD Center for Community Health: Community Doula Training Program
In proud partnership with the UC San Diego Refugee Immigrant Health Unit & UCSD Center for Community Health, the UCSD Hearts & Hands Volunteer Doula Program completed two rounds of Community Doula Training in the 2025 year, with the first cohort of trainees in February and second cohort completing their trainings in October. Round 1 included trainees from varying backgrounds including Somalia, Morocco, Sudan, Republic of Congo and Afghanistan. Round 2 of training for the UC San Diego Community Doula Program, prepared eight Afghan community members to serve as community doulas. This milestone advances culturally responsive and linguistically accessible perinatal care for families across San Diego County.
Partnership with International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego
These cohorts were coordinated in close collaboration with UC San Diego Hillcrest Hospital and the IRC to strengthen connections between healthcare systems and local refugee communities. In San Diego, the IRC provides programs that support self-sufficiency, health, and empowerment for refugee and immigrant communities. The IRC played a key role by referring participants, connecting community members passionate about maternal and family well-being with this valuable opportunity. This collaboration strengthens community-led care models that honor culture, language, and lived experience. Together, we advance a model of care that honors culture, language, and lived experience as essential strengths in maternal health.
Get Connected
To learn more about upcoming community doula trainings or explore partnership opportunities, please visit: Doula Services | UC San Diego Health
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Laboratory Program Spotlight |
Featuring OBGYN & RS Groundbreaking Research Endeavors |
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Advancing infertility and neurodevelopmental disorder treatments by uncovering how gene expression is regulated in healthy development and disease.
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Kun Tan, PhD: Assistant Professor, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
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Dr. Kun Tan obtained his Ph.D. from China Agricultural University in 2016 and subsequently joined Dr. Miles Wilkinson’s laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow. He was promoted to Assistant Project Scientist in 2021 and then to Assistant Professor in 2023. Kun’s research has spanned a variety of projects, including stem cell biology and developmental biology. His work primarily focuses on the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that influence key developmental decisions and combining cutting-edge omics tools with 'wet' lab approaches to study transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation in normal development and its disruption in disease, with the goal of advancing treatments for human infertility and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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SSC Generation and Development
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the adult stem cells of the testis that sustain spermatogenesis and, ultimately, male fertility. Like other stem cells, SSCs balance self‑renewal with differentiation. Upon differentiation, they give rise to successive spermatogenic cell types that eventually produce sperm. SSCs are of broad interest both as a model for fundamental stem cell biology and as a potential therapeutic platform for treating male infertility—particularly for men with non‑obstructive azoospermia and pediatric cancer survivors exposed to gonadotoxic therapies.
Our laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern human and mouse SSC formation and development. Using single‑cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‑seq), bulk RNA-seq, and marker‑based approaches, we have been uncovering the complexity of spermatogonia—their heterogeneity, lineage relationships, and molecular logic (Cell Rep 2019; Development 2020; PNAS 2020; Cell Rep 2026, in press).
Another major focus of the lab is the homeobox transcription factor RHOX10, a critical regulator of SSC genesis and development. We are not only defining the molecular mechanisms by which RHOX10 drives SSC formation and development (Cell Rep 2021; manuscript in preparation) but also uncovering its role in safeguarding genome integrity (PNAS 2021).
Our current efforts aim to build transcriptional regulatory networks that orchestrate SSC formation and developmental progression. To achieve this, we integrate a broad suite of omics and functional tools—including RNA‑seq, scRNA‑seq, CUT&Tag, SLAM‑seq, CRISPR perturbations, “mimic and rescue” strategies, and mouse genetics. Through these approaches, we seek to uncover the fundamental principles that define SSC identity, function, and therapeutic potential.
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Fig. 1 Different Omics Approaches to Study Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Germline Development (A) scRNA-seq analysis of human testicular cells. (B) RNA-seq comparison of different human spermatogonial subpopulations. (C) iSLAM-seq approach developed in this laboratory to identify ‘wave’ genes responsive to the transcription factor RHOX10 in germ cells. (D) CUT&Tag analysis to determine RHOX10 occupancy sites in germ cells.
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Fig. 2 Identification of Novel Markers for Human Undifferentiated Spermatogonia. |
To read the full article, click here.
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Email: kutan@health.ucsd.edu
Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM)
2880 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive La Jolla, CA 92037
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OBGYN & RS Culture and Justice Quorum (CJQ) Spearheads Inclusive Excellence |
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Spotlight: 44th Annual San Diego Martin Luther King Jr. Parade |
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On Sunday, January 18, 2026, San Diego celebrated the 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade along the Embarcadero in Downtown, bringing together hundreds of community members to honor the legacy of Dr. King through unity, reflection, and civic pride. This year’s theme, Hope in Action: A Dream Still Unfolding, reflects Dr. King’s legacy and the ongoing commitment to his vision of education and opportunity for all. The parade featured a vibrant procession of dazzling floats, high school bands, drill teams, and representatives from colleges, fraternities, sororities, churches, peace and youth organizations, community groups, and our OGRS Department faculty & staff.
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Pictured above from top to bottom: UC San Diego Float honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
OGRS Research Admin, Marisol Chacon & CJQ Admin, Chelsea Saelee; Department Chair, Dr. Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman marches in parade; Vice Chair for Culture & Justice, Dr. Audra Meadows and family;
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Welcome to the Department of OBGYN & RS. We're delighted to have you join the team! |
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Ivy Li CNM, WHNP-BC
Nurse Midwife
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| Rocelle Marasigan BN, RN, CPN
Clinical/Research Nurse
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Morgan Meads BS, CCRP
Clinical Research Supervisor
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| Brianna Rodriguez BS
Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator
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OBGYN & RS Event Happenings, Member Gatherings, and Community Engagement |
Dr. Sheila Mody presented on Bridging Compassionate Care and Medical Education at a Compassion in Era of Technology & AI Symposium at National Taiwan University
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American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
Rachel Whynott MD, Irene Su MD, Kelly Chacon MD, Becca Kolodner MD, Emily Yang MD, Carissa Pekny MD, and Amanda Arnold BSN, RN representing UCSD at the ASRM Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.
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The Department of OBGYN & RS Holiday Party
OBGYN & RS Faculty, Trainees, Nurses, Midwives, Staff celebrating the holidays together.
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OBGYN & RS Upcoming events |
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OBGYN & RS Current Job Positions |
Join us @UCSD_ObGyn (X), @UCSD_ObGynReproSci (Instagram), @ucsd-obgyn (LinkedIn), @UCSD-ObGyn.bsky.social our social community for health tips, breaking news, and more!
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