Welcome New APGO President Maya M. Hammoud, MD, MBA
Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA, took office as President of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Friday, March 2, 2018, at APGO’s annual business meeting during the CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. Doctor Hammoud succeeds Past APGO President, Roger P. Smith, MD. She is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Medical Education at University of Michigan Medical School.
A Message from APGO President Maya Hammoud, MD, MBA
I will never forget the time I was asked to write down three professional goals on a small piece of paper and hand it to the person sitting next to me. I was a scholar in the APGO Scholars and Leaders Program (formerly known as APGO/Solvay Educational Scholars Development Program) and I had just met Joanna Cain, MD, the first APGO woman president, the year before. I was so impressed by her accomplishments that I wanted to be her when I “grew up.” As I was thinking about my three goals, I knew that becoming APGO President was one of them. I too, wanted to make a difference in educating our future physicians in women’s health, but I did not know how at that time. I also did not want the scholar sitting next to me – who happened to be Nadine Katz, MD – to make fun of my very ambitious goal. But still, I decided to go for it and I handed her that piece of paper with my goals. I was overwhelmed by her reaction as she was very supportive, and she said “Well, let’s do this together!” Since then, we became best friends.
Nadine represents one of the many friendships I developed over the last 18 years since I became an APGO member, and the APGO Scholars Program was the foundation that helped me develop as a leader. As I participated in APGO’s Thank a Mentor campaign, I had the time to reflect on all those APGO leaders and members who have provided me with so many opportunities to develop myself and others around me. I feel so honored and privileged to be able to lead this amazing organization for the next two years.
APGO is as strong as it has ever been. It continues to occupy a unique position in offering contemporary teaching and learning tools for physician-educators and students, so they can provide optimal health care to women, and it continues to enjoy a strong commitment from its membership. The recent incredible response to the APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders Frank T. Stritter, PhD, Endowed Faculty Fund Campaign is only one example of the loyalty and passion APGO members share. So, APGO is very well positioned to continue its leading role in transforming medical education and preparing learners to improve health care for all patients.
Health care transformation often requires the acquisition of new skills for many present-day providers. To align with these changes, undergraduate and graduate medical education must expand required competencies related to Health Systems Science, including quality, safety, and high-value care, as well as the related areas of improvement, population health, policy, informatics, teamwork, leadership, change management, and systems thinking. As women’s health care providers, we are well positioned to take the lead in this domain. My “Presidential Initiative” will focus on promoting innovations in the curriculum in Health Systems Science as well as the development of new assessment tools and smoother transitions from UME to GME to help align education with the needs of health systems and the needs of the nation.
Again, I am truly privileged to be given the opportunity to lead APGO through the next two years. While I had no idea in 2003 how I would make a difference in educating our future physicians if I were APGO President, today I feel very strongly that we must educate our physicians in Health Systems Science. I hope that you will all join me in these efforts and I welcome your thoughts and innovative ideas on how to best accomplish our goals to provide the best health care for women in our nation and beyond.