WASHINGTON (Feb.10, 2014) — The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is pleased to announce that Nancy Gaba, M.D.’93, RESD ’97, FACOG, a longtime leader at GW, will serve as the new chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In this role, Gaba will provide strategic leadership for the department and manage all components of programmatic growth, educational oversight, and research development. She will also supervise all clinical activities, ensuring the highest quality patient care and developing new services for GW’s patients. Later this spring, Gaba will be installed as the Oscar I. and Mildred S. Dodek and Joan B. and Oscar I. Dodek Jr. Professor.
“Dr. Gaba is a nationally-recognized academic obstetrician-gynecologist and an outstanding physician, which makes her the right person to chair the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,” said Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D. '81, RESD '85, Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine, vice president for health affairs, and dean of SMHS. “She has a proven track record of successful leadership at SMHS and her vast experience will help her lead the department as it continues to grow. Her well-established relationships throughout the University, the school’s departments, and administration, as well as her national stature, will help ensure her success in this role.”
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at GW is composed of 21 faculty members, including generalists and sub-specialists, who see 66,000 patients for outpatient visits and 2,400 patients for inpatient deliveries, annually. The department maintains a fully accredited residency and sponsors Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and a Medical Education Fellowship program; with a complement of 40 residents, and three fellows.
“Years of dedication and service in the field of obstetrics and gynecology have led Dr. Gaba to make significant contributions to the advancement of women’s health. Through her research and clinical practice, she has provided excellent care for thousands of women,” said Alan Wasserman, M.D., president of the GW Medical Faculty Associates, Eugene Meyer Professor of Medicine, and chair of the Department of Medicine. “The GW Medical Faculty Associates is pleased to have a strong leader, like Dr. Gaba, in this role, as it enables the department to meet its primary goal of providing outstanding clinical care and training highly skilled physicians.”
Gaba graduated from GW’s M.D. program in 1993 and completed her internship and residency at GW in 1997, where she held the position of Administrative Chief Resident. She currently serves as professor and vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, and chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee. She also serves as co-chair of the Committee on the Learning Environment at GW and on the GW Hospital Medical Executive Committee. She held a position in the Faculty Senate from 2002 to 2006.
Gaba has demonstrated leadership in education through her long service as Residency Program Director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her research in education is also nationally known, and she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters, as well as given many national presentations. She has made remarkable contributions to the ongoing quality education received by students and residents at GW. This includes the Residents As Teachers program, created by Gaba and others which has now been adopted by many other residency programs.
Gaba is regularly listed as a Washingtonian Top Doctor and is the recipient of many prestigious teaching awards, including the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence in Teaching Award, the ACGME Parker J. Palmer – Courage to Teach Award, and the Donald F. Richardson Award from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
She is a founding executive board member and president-elect of the newly formed Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology. The mission of this exciting new organization exemplifies Gaba’s career goals: to facilitate the exchange information amongst specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology who practice in academic settings, promote health and prevent and treat disease in women and enhance the delivery of clinical care, foster excellence in research and education in general OB/GYN and support career development of academic specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology. She is also a member of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics. She is also a member and past president of the Kane-King-Dodek Obstetrical Honor Society.
“GW Hospital is thrilled to have Dr. Gaba serve as the new chair of OB/GYN,” said Barry Wolfman, CEO and managing director of The George Washington University Hospital. “Her clinical expertise, her deep engagement and commitment to the training and education of the next generation of physicians, and her insistence on the well-being of her patients, makes her an ideal choice. The respect she holds among our nursing and hospital leaders ensures her appointment will continue GW’s legacy of its true commitment to women throughout our region.”
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to have been selected for this important role as chair of one of the largest departments at GW,” said Gaba. “I am grateful for all that GW has given me over my many years here as a student, resident and dedicated faculty member. My loyalty to GW and the faculty, residents, students, staff, and patients of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is deep. I look forward to working with entire GW community to bring the department to a new level of prominence.”
Gaba will assume the role of chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology on March 1, 2014.
