Chicago, IL -- Today The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced the election of Richard N. Waldman, MD, of New York, as President Elect; J. Craig Strafford, MD, MPH, of Ohio, as Vice President; Kevin C. Kiley, MD, of New York, as Treasurer; Ramon A. Suarez, MD, of Georgia, as Assistant Secretary; and May Hsieh Blanchard, MD, of Maryland, as Fellow-at-Large at ACOG's 57th Annual Clinical Meeting. They will assume their respective offices on May 7, 2009.

Dr. Richard N. Waldman is chair of the ob-gyn department and medical director of performance improvement at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, NY. He is also president of the Associates for Women's Medicine and clinical associate professor of ob-gyn at Upstate Medical Center, the State University of New York. An ACOG Fellow since 1981, Dr. Waldman has been involved in a number of ACOG activities. He has served as a member of the ACOG Executive Board and chaired the Council of District Chairs. He has been a member of the committees on Finance, Nominations, and Patient Safety and Quality Improvement and on the task forces on Safety in Residency Training, and District and Section Donation Policy. Dr. Waldman has also been a member of the Collaborative Practice Advisory Group and was team leader for the Voluntary Review of Quality of Care program. He has served as the Junior Fellow College Advisory Council advisor and the ACOG representative to Practicing Physicians Advisory Council National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Dr. Waldman has held a variety of regional leadership positions, including chair and vice chair of ACOG District II and the Syracuse-Utica Section. He has served as District II Scientific Program and Nominating Committee chairs and the Quality Assurance Committee co-chair. He was a member of the District II Primary Care Committee and Practice Management Committee and is a recipient of ACOG's Outstanding District Service Award and Outstanding Section Service Award. Dr. Waldman is a past president of the Central New York Obstetrics and Gynecology Society and a former consultant to the International Childbirth Education Association. He has been active in advocating for improvements in women's health for many years and established the first hospital-based midwifery practice in Central New York. Dr Waldman has served on several New York State task forces working with the Commissioner of Health and the Superintendent of Insurance. Dr. Waldman received his medical degree from the New Jersey College of Medicine & Dentistry and completed his residency at Upstate Medical University, the State University of New York.

Dr. J. Craig Strafford is director of clinical research and staff physician at Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis, OH. He has been an active ACOG Fellow since 1978. Dr. Strafford has served as a member of the ACOG Executive Board and chaired the Committee on Practice Management. He has been a member of the Council of District Chairs, as well as the committees on Coding and Nomenclature, Gynecologic Practice, Government Relations and Outreach, Nominations, and Electronic Medical Records. Dr. Strafford served as an ACOG alternate delegate to the American Medical Association from 2000 to 2003. His regional leadership positions include chair and vice chair of District V and the Ohio Section. He was also a member of the District V Advisory Council and general arrangements chair for the Annual District Meeting. Dr. Strafford completed his medical degree and Master of Public Health at The Ohio State University and his residency at Indiana University Medical Center.

Dr. Kevin C. Kiley is the chair and associate professor of ob-gyn at Albany Medical College in New York. An ACOG Fellow since 1983, Dr. Kiley has served as chair of the committees on Finance and Compensation. He has also been a member of the Executive Board, the Council of District Chairs, the Nominations and Course Coordination committees, the Appeals Panel Committee, and the Task Force on Strategic Planning. Dr. Kiley is a past chair of ACOG's Armed Forces District and the Army Section. He is a recipient of several ACOG awards including the Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding District Service Award. Dr. Kiley is a former surgeon general of the US Army and commander of the US Army Medical Command. He is a past recipient of the American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award and was a delegate to the AMA for ACOG from 2004 to 2007. Dr. Kiley received his medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and completed his residency at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX.

Dr. Ramon A. Suarez is in private practice in Atlanta, GA, and is medical director of ob-gyn graduate education at Piedmont Hospital and clinical professor of ob-gyn at Emory University. He has been an ACOG member since 1980. Dr. Suarez has served on the ACOG Executive Board, Executive committee of the Board, and was chair of the Council of District Chairs. He has been a member of the committees on Government Relations and Outreach, Nominations, and the Subcommittee for Development. Dr. Suarez has been chair of District IV and Junior Fellow and Fellow chair of the Georgia Section. He is a past president of the Atlanta Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and Georgia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and past department chair of ob/gyn at Piedmont Hospital. In 2007, Emory University School of Medicine presented him with the Alumni Award of Honor. Dr. Suarez received his medical degrees from Emory University, where he also completed his residency.

Dr. May Hsieh Blanchard is general ob-gyn division chief, residency program director, and assistant professor of ob-gyn at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She also serves as medical director of the Penn Street Women's Health Clinic at the University of Maryland Medical Center. An ACOG Fellow since 2003, Dr. Blanchard has served as chair of ACOG's Junior Fellow College Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Executive Board. She has been active as a member on the Task Force on Medical Student Recruitment, the committee on Government Relations and Outreach, the Grievance Committee, and the ABOG/ACOG Liaison Committee. Dr. Blanchard has participated in the Future Leaders in Obstetrics and Gynecology Conference and the ACOG Leadership Institute. She has also served as Junior Fellow chair for District V. Dr. Blanchard completed her medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, and her residency at the Case Western Reserve University-MetroHealth/Cleveland Clinic.

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