Melissa Gilliam | |
---|---|
11thPresident of Boston University | |
Designate | |
Assuming office July 1, 2024 | |
Succeeding | Kenneth W. Freeman (interim) Robert A. Brown |
Personal details | |
Born | Melissa Lynn Gilliam Washington,D.C.,U.S. |
Relatives | Dorothy Butler Gilliam (mother) Sam Gilliam (father) Leah Gilliam (sister) |
Education | Yale University (BA) University of Oxford (MA) Harvard University (MD) University of Illinois,Chicago (MPH) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Public health |
Institutions | Ohio State University University of Chicago Boston University |
Melissa Lynn Gilliam is an American pediatric and adolescent gynecologist. She is the first black woman to serve as provost of Ohio State University,having previously served as a Professor of Health Justice at the University of Chicago. On the 4th of October 2023,she was announced as the incoming president of Boston University. [1]
Gilliam was born in Washington,D.C.,to journalist Dorothy Butler Gilliam and abstract painter Sam Gilliam. [2] Her mother was the first African-American journalist for The Washington Post . [3]
She earned her Bachelor's degree in English literature from Yale University,a Master of Arts degree in philosophy and politics from the University of Oxford,a medical degree from Harvard University,and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois Chicago. [4]
Gilliam joined the faculty at the University of Chicago in 2005. [5] She eventually became the chief of family planning and contraceptive research and head of the program in gynecology for children,adolescents,and young women at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In this role,her research team followed African American teenage mothers to see how their education,housing,exercise,weight gain,emotional state,and relationships influence their risk of a repeat pregnancy. [6]
Gilliam's research covers adolescent health and education,domestically and internationally,through methods including narrative,technology,and design. As of 2023,this work had received funding from The Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation,the National Institutes of Health,the MacArthur Foundation,and the Ford Foundation. [7]
As a result of her research,Gilliam was named a Faculty Fellow of the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence for the 2013–14 academic year. [8] During this time,she founded the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health (Ci3),which used games,narrative,and design to understand and address the social and structural determinants of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. [9] The Ci3's three labs are divided between focuses on game design,storytelling,and design thinking. [10]
In the game design lab,Gilliam used video games and digital storytelling to discuss sexual violence prevention in a "safe risk taking" manner. In 2015,the lab developed a game called A Day in the Life to teach teenagers about HIV,bullying,teen pregnancy,healthy relationships,and intersections between home and school life. [11]
She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for being "an authority on contraception and adolescent health." [12]
In 2016,Gilliam was appointed as the University of Chicago's Vice Provost for Academic Leadership,Advancement,and Diversity and was named as the Ellen H. Block Professor in Health and Justice. [5] [13] In 2020,she was named as a Distinguished Service Professor in recognition of her work supporting faculty as Vice Provost. [14]
In August 2021,Gilliam joined Ohio State University as Executive Vice President and Provost,and joined the faculty as professor of obstetrics and gynecology. [15] [16] She became the first woman of color to serve as OSU's Provost. [17] Also in 2021,she joined the board of directors at Talis Biomedical. [18]
In October 2023,it was announced that Gilliam will become President at Boston University in July 2024,succeeding Kenneth Freeman. [19] [20]
Gilliam currently serves on the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory and previously advised the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [21]
Gilliam has published a range of research and policy papers on reproductive health,including:
Gilliam is married to physician-researcher William Grobman. They have two children,a son and a daughter. [19]
Caesarean section,also known as C-section or caesarean delivery,is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because vaginal delivery would put the mother or child at risk. Reasons for the operation include obstructed labor,twin pregnancy,high blood pressure in the mother,breech birth,shoulder presentation,and problems with the placenta or umbilical cord. A caesarean delivery may be performed based upon the shape of the mother's pelvis or history of a previous C-section. A trial of vaginal birth after C-section may be possible. The World Health Organization recommends that caesarean section be performed only when medically necessary.
A multiple birth is the culmination of one multiple pregnancy,where in the mother gives birth to two or more babies. A term most applicable to vertebrate species,multiple births occur in most kinds of mammals,with varying frequencies. Such births are often named according to the number of offspring,as in twins and triplets. In non-humans,the whole group may also be referred to as a litter,and multiple births may be more common than single births. Multiple births in humans are the exception and can be exceptionally rare in the largest mammals.
The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. A small percentage are born with hymens that are imperforate and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the vulva and is similar in structure to the vagina. The term comes straight from the Greek,for 'membrane'.
A doula is a trained professional who provides expert guidance for the service of others and who supports another person through a significant health-related experience,such as childbirth,miscarriage,induced abortion or stillbirth,as well as non-reproductive experiences such as dying. A doula might also provide support to the client's partner,family,and friends.
Teenage pregnancy,also known as adolescent pregnancy,is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. Worldwide,pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period between the ages of 10 and 19 years. Pregnancy can occur with sexual intercourse after the start of ovulation,which can happen before the first menstrual period (menarche). In healthy,well-nourished girls,the first period usually takes place between the ages of 12 and 13.
Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregnant mother due to complications related to pregnancy,underlying conditions worsened by the pregnancy or management of these conditions. This can occur either while she is pregnant or within six weeks of resolution of the pregnancy. The CDC definition of pregnancy-related deaths extends the period of consideration to include one year from the resolution of the pregnancy. Pregnancy associated death,as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG),are all deaths occurring within one year of a pregnancy resolution. Identification of pregnancy associated deaths is important for deciding whether or not the pregnancy was a direct or indirect contributing cause of the death.
Complications of pregnancy are health problems that are related to,or arise during pregnancy. Complications that occur primarily during childbirth are termed obstetric labor complications,and problems that occur primarily after childbirth are termed puerperal disorders. While some complications improve or are fully resolved after pregnancy,some may lead to lasting effects,morbidity,or in the most severe cases,maternal or fetal mortality.
Janice G. Raymond is an American lesbian radical feminist and professor emerita of women's studies and medical ethics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is known for her work against violence,sexual exploitation,and medical abuse of women,and for her controversial work denouncing transsexuality.
Adolescent medicine,also known as adolescent and young adult medicine,is a medical subspecialty that focuses on care of patients who are in the adolescent period of development. This period begins at puberty and lasts until growth has stopped,at which time adulthood begins. Typically,patients in this age range will be in the last years of middle school up until college graduation. In developed nations,the psychosocial period of adolescence is extended both by an earlier start,as the onset of puberty begins earlier,and a later end,as patients require more years of education or training before they reach economic independence from their parents.
Uterus didelphys represents a uterine malformation where the uterus is present as a paired organ when the embryogenetic fusion of the Müllerian ducts fails to occur. As a result,there is a double uterus with two separate cervices,and possibly a double vagina as well. Each uterus has a single horn linked to the ipsilateral fallopian tube that faces its ovary.
A vaginal delivery is the birth of offspring in mammals through the vagina. It is the most common method of childbirth worldwide. It is considered the preferred method of delivery,with lower morbidity and mortality than caesarean sections (C-sections).
Birth control,also known as contraception,anticonception,and fertility control,is the use of methods or devices to prevent unintended pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times,but effective and safe methods of birth control only became available in the 20th century. Planning,making available,and using human birth control is called family planning. Some cultures limit or discourage access to birth control because they consider it to be morally,religiously,or politically undesirable.
Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors that interfere with decision-making related to reproductive health. These behaviors are meant to maintain power and control related to reproductive health by a current,former,or hopeful intimate or romantic partner,but they can also be perpetrated by parents or in-laws. Coercive behaviors infringe on individuals' reproductive rights and reduce their reproductive autonomy.
Friday OkonofuaFAS is a Nigerian professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics. He is the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Ondo State University of Medical Sciences and founder of Women Health and Action Research Centre,a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Benin City,that focuses on promoting female reproductive research.
Teresa Kaye Woodruff is an American medical researcher in human reproduction and oncology,with a focus on ovarian biology,endocrinology,and women's health. She joined Michigan State University as the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in August 2020. Woodruff served as the interim President of Michigan State University from November 4,2022 to March 4,2024,following the resignation of Samuel L. Stanley. She was previously the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Chief of the Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago,Illinois.
Melissa Andrea Simon is an American clinical obstetrician/gynecologist and scientist who focuses on health equity across the lifespan. Simon is founder and director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago,Illinois,and founder of the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative,a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer partnership led by the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University,Northeastern Illinois University,and the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the George H. Gardner,MD Professor of Clinical Gynecology,the Vice-Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,tenured professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The Ohio State University abuse scandal centered on allegations of sexual abuse that occurred between 1978 and 1998,while Richard Strauss was employed as a physician by the Ohio State University (OSU) in the Athletics Department and in the Student Health Center. An independent investigation into the allegations was announced in April 2018 and was conducted by the law firm Perkins Coie.
Adesegun Fatusi is a Nigerian professor of community medicine and public health. He was the former provost of the College of Health Sciences at Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife,and the current Vice-chancellor of University of Medical Sciences,Ondo.
Duru Shah is a Mumbai-based gynaecologist academic and women activist. She is the Founder President of the PCOS Society,India and a promoter of adolescent girls and women's health and infertility in India. Shah is also the promoter of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. She is also a Consultant ObGyn.:Breach Candy Hospital,Jaslok Hospital,Mumbai.
A. Eugene Washington is an American physician,clinical investigator,and administrator. He served as the chancellor for health affairs at Duke University,and the president and chief executive officer of the Duke University Health System,from 2015 to 2023. His research considers gynaecology,health disparities,and public health policy. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1997 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014.