Spong named chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern

Contemporary OB/GYN® Editor in Chief Catherine Y. Spong, MD, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, as of September 1. Spong will hold the Paul C. McDonald Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology, according to a press release.

Spong has served as editor-in-chief of Contemporary OB/GYN® since February 2020. In that time, she has guided editorial coverage of the monthly print journal, which is anchored by peer-reviewed articles that have clinical relevance to practicing ob-gyns. She also guides editorial content for the website and leads the 11-member editorial board of distinguished research ob-gyns.

Spong is a specialist in prematurity, fetal complications, and improving outcomes in children. Under her tutelage at UT Southwestern, Parkland Memorial Hospital and William B. Clements Jr. University Hospital achieved Level 4 Maternal Care, which is the highest. That allowed UT Southwestern to expand its tertiary referral footprint in North Texas for high-risk pregnancy complications, according to a press release.

A respected scientist, Spong spent 23 years at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Her roles there included Deputy Director, Acting Director, Associate Director, and Director for Extramural Research. She led efforts to gain a better understanding of the human placenta, the genomics of preterm birth and stillbirth, and adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. She also served as chief of its Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch. She has overseen the publication of landmark clinical trials in obstetrics, gynecology, and fetal surgery that have defined the standard of care, according to UT Southwestern.