Research & Community Service

RESEARCH- QUALITY IMPROVEMENT- COMMUNITY SERVICE- ADVOCACY

The Ob/Gyn research department strongly encourages and supports resident research that compliments their learning and experience in advancing clinical care of women in a scientific and evidence-based manner.

Research
Our Ob/Gyn research program supports all aspects of conducting scientific research that includes basic, translational or clinical sciences in addition to educational initiatives or quality improvement. A structured research curriculum has been designed to provide residents with expected research milestones over the course of their training program. These milestones will guide them throughout their training in completing their required research project by the end of their 4th year. Grant opportunities can also be utilized by interested residents for developing high quality scientific research.

The completed scientific research projects are presented during the Chief year at the Resident Research Day. Additionally, residents have had the opportunity to present their projects at local, regional, and national meetings.

Quality Improvement (QI) Project
Residents are required to complete a QI project by the end of the second year of training. Residents must demonstrate the ability to analyze the care they provide, understand their roles within health care teams, play an active role in system improvement processes and systematically analyze their practice using quality improvement methods and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement. Experiential learning is essential to developing the ability to identify and institute sustainable systems-based changes to improve patient care.

Community Service

Highly encouraged and supported at UCSF Fresno. Our department implemented a Community Service Chief Resident to help share and encourage participation in available opportunities. Projects have included health fairs, health education to middle-high school students, fundraising drive for the Marjorie Mason center making dinner for the families who stay at Terry’s House.

Advocacy
The UCSF Fresno Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology encourages residents to advocate for their patients and overall women’s health. Our department has a long history of holding the ACOG District IX-Section 3 Junior Fellow Advisory Council positions. In addition, annually selected residents participate in the annual ACOG Lobby Day where they visit legislators at the capital to discuss legislation related to women’s health.

UCSF Fresno OB/GYN Active Research Studies:

• The Impact of Extreme Temperature Exposure on the Risk of Preterm Birth and Preterm Labor (Ladella)
• Improving Access to 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) in Fresno County: Incorporating Academic Detailing to Improve Knowledge, Reduce Barriers and Increase Utilization of an Evidence-Based Preterm Birth Intervention (Ladella)
• Quality initiative: Implementation of immediate postpartum long-acting contraceptives in preventing unintended pregnancies (Ladella/Etemadi)
• Outcomes of Placenta Accreta and Previa Cases at CRMC (Ladella/Moreno)
• Quantitative blood loss versus Visual estimated blood loss (Ladella)
• Abnormal umbilical coiling diagnosed prenatally is a marker for Adverse Perinatal Outcomes (Ladella/Tang)
• Obstetrical and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies affected by COVID-19: a retrospective, multicenter study (Ladella/Shahrestani/Nalamala)
• The Effects of Amniotic Fluid Index on Latency Period and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (Ladella)
• Anemia and Preterm Delivery (Ladella/Tang)
• Recent Methamphetamine Exposure and Labor Outcomes (Ladella/Vohra)
• Mechanical Induction and Incidence of Chorioamnionitis: A retrospective cohort study (Downer/Moreno)
• Understanding REI Patients’ Attitudes Towards the Use of Herbs and Vitamins. (Sueldo/Ghazaryan)
• Contraception Counseling for Adolescents in the Central Valley (Panneerselvam/Padilla)
• Rates of and barriers to completion of postpartum sterilization (Downer/Hilliard)
• Systematic review on the efficacy and safety of extra-amniotic saline infusion for induction of labor (Morgan/Tang)
• Adolescent Experiences Obtaining Emergency Contraception (El Deeb/Etemadi)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Counseling in the Postpartum Period (Agrawal/Etemadi)
• Discovering cancer Risks from Environmental contaminants And Maternal/child health (Autry)
• Engaging Mothers & Babies; Reimagining Antenatal Care for Everyone (Downer)

Research Presentations:

Gutierrez A, Cortez C, Shaver A, McGeeney D, Agrawal A. Lost in Translation: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Perinatal Outcomes Comparing English- and Spanish-Speaking Patients. Pacific Coast Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. Wailea, Hawaii. September 2022.

Fahimuddin FZ, Tang V, Sidhu S, Ghazaryan N, Morgan B. The Impact of Hypertensive Disorders on Shock Index in Deliveries Complicated by Postpartum Hemorrhage. Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. Annual Pregnancy Meeting (Virtual). February 2022.

Ladella S, Spears, K. Oligohydramnios after Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes a Predictor of Perinatal Outcomes. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Virtual World Congress 2021.

Ladella S, Shaver A, Novack M, Pacheco-Werner T, Wiemann A, Kuppermann M, Cortez C, Mendoza M, Macedo M. Understanding and Reducing Barriers to Utilization of Progesterone (17P) and Other Evidence Based Interventions to Prevent Preterm Birth in Fresno County. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. Vancouver, CAN. Accepted for the March 2020 meeting.

Ladella S, Moreno G, Mo L, Kremer M, Mendoza M, Cortez C. Prenatal Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Placenta Accreta Spectrum. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. Vancouver, CAN. Accepted for the March 2020 meeting.

Fahimuddin F, Sidhu S, Mo L, Morgan B. Shock Index in Non-hypertensive and Hypertensive Pregnant Patients and its Relationship to Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Pilot Study. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. Vancouver, CAN. Accepted for the March 2020 meeting.

Ladella S. Maternal Anemia a Risk Factor for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes is associated with Greater Health Disparities in African American Women. World Conference of Perinatal Medicine. Istanbul, Turkey. September 2019.

Brah T, Agrawal A. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Health Literacy in the Central Valley and Prevention of Cervical Cancer: Postpartum Implementation of HPV Education and Vaccination. CMC/UCSF Fresno Quality Improvement and Innovation Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2019.

Mo L, Sueldo C, Correa L, Uriondo H, Lopez Osa D, Alvarez Sedo C. Comparison of Two Methods to Reduce Sperm DNA Fragmentation. Central California Research Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2019.

Murphy R, Fahimuddin F, Downer C. The Impact of Resident Wellness Curriculum in an Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Program. Central California Research Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2019.

Pham T, Ladella S. Improving Perinatal Outcomes in Pregnancies Affected by Methamphetamine. CMC/UCSF Fresno Quality Improvement and Innovation Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2019.

Ladella S, Novack M, Abbasi F. Abnormal Umbilical Coiling as a Marker for Adverse Perinatal Outcomes. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Convention. Orlando, Fl. April 2019.

Kremer M, Ladella S, Schmidt L. Timing of Administration of Tranexamic Acid during Cesarean Hysterectomy for Placenta Accreta. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. Paris, France. March 2019.

Kremer M, Mo L, Ladella S, Nguyen L, Hao S, Ling B, Morgan B, Melchor S, Cortez C. Predicting Response to 17OH Progesterone Therapy in Women High Risk for Spontaneous Preterm Birth Using Machine Learning on Electronic Medical Records. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. Paris, France. March 2019.

Ladella S, Ng S, Javangula M. Maternal Anemia is Associated with an Increased Risk of Preterm Birth. March of Dimes 2018. Irvine, CA. November 2018.

Cheung S, Ladella S, Cortez C. Mechanical Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Pregnancy. CMC/UCSF Fresno Quality Improvement and Innovation Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2018.

Murphy R, Downer C. Delayed Neonatal Umbilical Cord Clamping and its Effect on Umbilical Cord Blood Units Donated to Public Cord Blood Banking. CMC/UCSF Fresno Quality Improvement and Innovation Symposium. Fresno, CA. May 2018.

Fahimuddin FZ, Seid A, Agrawal A. The mysterious case of the left buttock pain. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting’s Gerald and Barbara Holzman Stump the Professors. Austin, TX. April 2018.

Fahimuddin FZ, Sidhu S, Agrawal A. The readability of Online Patient Education Materials from Major Obstetrics and Gynecology Societies. 39th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA. April 2018.

Ladella S, O’Byrne H, Nguyen L, Abbasi F, Cortez C. Quantitative Blood Loss is More Accurate than Visual Estimated Blood Loss. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. Austin, TX. April 2018.

Mo L, Tran M, Sueldo C, Kelly E. Detection of Mosaic Embryos by Next Generation Sequencing versus Array-CGH. Central California Research Symposium. Fresno, CA. April 2018.

Tavallaee M, Steiner D, Zehnder J, Folkins A, Karam A. Co-existence of BRAF V600E and TERT Promoter Mutations in Low-grade Serous Carcinoma of Ovary Recurring as Carcinosarcoma in a Lymph Node. Central California Research Symposium. Fresno, CA. April 2018.

Fahimuddin F, Sidhu S, Agrawal A. The Readability of Online Patient Education Materials from Major Obstetrics and Gynecology Societies. Central California Research Symposium. Fresno, CA. April 2018.

Mo L, Sueldo C, Tran M, Kelly E. Teaching Clinical Embryology Using a Three-Step Approach: Knowledge, Dexterity and Proficiency. 3rd Annual UCSF Fresno Education Symposium. Fresno, CA. March 2018.

Brah T, Kremer M, Cortez C. More than “Positive Thinking”: Implementation of Mental Imagery and Rehearsal in Surgical Training. 3rd Annual UCSF Fresno Education Symposium. Fresno, CA. March 2018.

Pham T, Tinajero Y, Mo L, Kremer M. Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of Patients with Acute Methamphetamine Intoxication on Labor and Delivery. Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Scientific Meeting. San Diego, CA. March 2018.

Ladella S, O’Byrne H, Nguyen L, Abbasi F, Cortez C. Quantitative Blood Loss is a More Accurate Measurement of Blood Loss when Compared to Visual Estimated Blood Loss for Cesarean Delivery. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists World Congress. Singapore. March 2018.

Research/QI Support

Cynthia Cortez

Research Coordinator

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