Complex Family Planning Fellowship
The Fellowship in Complex Family Planning aims to develop obstetrician-gynecologist leaders in abortion and contraception through training in clinical care, research, education and advocacy.
Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Boston University
Boston University and Boston Medical Center have a long history of providing family planning and reproductive health care services to the community as well as medical student and resident education in family planning. The Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Boston University was established in 2001 under the leadership of Dr. Phillip Stubblefield and Dr. Lynn Borgatta.
Our graduated fellows are leaders in our field, engaging as advocates, educators, researchers, and clinicians. They have conducted vital research in a diverse array of topics grounded in our focus on mitigating health disparities for patients seeking comprehensive reproductive care, including contraception and abortion medicine, as well as patient-centered and health services research, and work investigating racism and social disparities in medicine. Since the start of the fellowship, the clinical and research programs have continued to grow and inter-departmental collaboration has continued to develop.
Prerequisites
Applicants must be ABOG eligible and eligible to have MA state medical license. Applicants must also have completed an approved residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A graduate of a foreign medical school must have a standard ECFMG certificate and completed postgraduate training in the United States.
ACGME Accreditation: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Program Requirements for Complex Family Planning Fellowship program are available here.
Program Aims
Our fellows learn in an environment rich in clinical experience coupled with a strong emphasis on research and advocacy, which informs our program objectives for the fellows:
1) To develop outstanding clinical skills and knowledge in abortion and contraception as they care for patients from diverse backgrounds with medical co-morbidities. We provide a wide breadth and depth of ambulatory and inpatient complex family planning clinical experiences with a high acuity patient population, incorporating learning from a variety of clinicians, and allow our fellows to serve as expert consultants for complex questions. Fellows participate in a 24-hour family planning consultation service, and receive training in the full range of complex abortion care with a focus on the care of medically and socially complicated patients. We are the system referral center for challenging implant and IUD removals. This training prepares our fellows for a wide variety of postgraduate positions: family planning program directors, academic generalists, and independent family planning clinical directors.
2) To learn how to conduct research that is feasible, completable, and meaningful. To this end, we mentor our fellows in designing a research project of their choosing and conduct it from start to finish, while providing broad and deep mentorship through faculty within and outside our department. In addition to their independent research project, the fellows are actively involved in all of the other division research projects, to gain exposure to and experience with multiple kinds of research. Explore research from our fellowship graduates.
3) To become clear and forceful advocates. Recognizing that an essential part of family planning leadership involves advocacy training, our fellows receive training in policy development, media training, and state and federal legislation around family planning issues.
4) To train others to provide full-spectrum family planning health care. As fellows progress in their skills, they become teachers and educators to our medical student and resident learners. We train fellows to be excellent clinical educators. Fellows are an integral part of student and resident education; each fellow presents between eight and twelve hours of lectures and seminars. These sessions include didactic lectures, hands-on papaya workshops, and values-clarification seminars. They also present a Grand Rounds lecture to the department at the end of fellowship on their research project.
More information on the Fellowship in Complex Family Planning at BU
Program Overview
Education and Clinical Training
Advocacy and Collaboration
Research Opportunities