Announcement Regarding the Green Journal

It is with sincere appreciation for her many contributions that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (“ACOG”) announces that Nancy C. Chescheir, MD, FACOG, Editor-in-Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology will step down from her post at the end of the year.  Dr. Chescheir began her tenure with the journal in January of 2013, serving as the journal’s sixth Editor-in-Chief and the first woman to hold the position.

“Dr. Chescheir has led Obstetrics & Gynecology with great enthusiasm and expertise.  We are thankful for her many accomplishments as Editor-In-Chief, most specifically in enhancing its reputation as the leading publication on clinical and scientific women's health and the many innovations she has initiated. She has been an excellent ambassador in promoting scholarship and evidence-based women’s health care,” said ACOG President Eva Chalas, MD, FACOG, FACS.

During her tenure as Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Chescheir and her editorial team have maintained a focus on publishing the highest quality content aligned with the Journal’s goal of promoting “excellence in the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynecology and closely related fields.”  Despite this focus on clinical content in lieu of a unique focus on the potential research impact of the publication, the Journal Impact Factor has increased substantially, a testament to the quality of the research submitted by authors and accepted by the editors. New article types have been introduced that focus on quality, clinical practice, new procedures and instruments and a short-format research letter.

Under Dr. Chescheir’s leadership, the peer review process has been enhanced and the editorial team has worked to increase the rigor and standardization of content by requiring registration of clinical trials and systematic reviews, expanding required use of publication guidelines, such as CONSORT, SQUIRE, STARD and most recently, RECORD. Dr. Chescheir has produced a monthly podcast with the Web Editor discussing the three editor picks to enhance awareness of Journal content.  She has been elected twice to the Council of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also serves on the Trustee Board of that organization.

Dr. Chescheir presently serves as professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where she practices high-risk obstetrics. Drawn to obstetrics and gynecology at the beginning of her medical career after witnessing the inequities in care pregnant women received in rural North Carolina, Dr. Chescheir embarked on a long and notable career as a healer, educator, and mentor. Her wide-ranging accomplishments include being named acting chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNC and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University at a time when female chairs were rare, being appointed Associate Dean for Curriculum and at UNC, serving as Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, Superintendent, and Chief of Staff of Bokomoso Private Hospital in Bostwana, and serving as President of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics.  She also served as Scientific Officer for the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

“Dr. Chescheir has served as a mentor, scholar, and leader in women’s health. ACOG is grateful for her contributions to Obstetrics & Gynecology and to the profession,” said Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG, Chief Executive Officer of ACOG.

Obstetrics & Gynecology is the official publication of ACOG, published since 1953. ACOG will announce a national search for an Editor-in-Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology.