Welcome New JFCAC Chair

Anna "Caroline" Cochrane, MD

I am humbled and beyond grateful to serve as your Junior Fellow College Advisory Council chair this year. As obstetricians and gynecologists, we have always worn many hats as we navigated all clinical aspects of our field in addition to patient advocacy. These past few years have introduced so many new challenges that we could never have imagined, and the weight of all these new hats we must wear as we take on new responsibilities can be very heavy. My goal as your JFCAC chair is to continue to grow our Junior Fellow community and remind each of us that we are not alone.

I hope that you’ll take the time to explore the Junior Fellow web page to learn more about opportunities to become involved in Section leadership, District leadership, and national committee work. I hope that you’ll learn about the District, Section, and national meetings that bring together some of the brightest minds in obstetrics and gynecology to discuss some of the most cutting-edge science and clinical innovations in our field. I hope that you’ll seek opportunities to participate in some of the day-to-day on-the-ground advocacy work going on in your state and nationally.

I also hope that as you conduct work in your residency, fellowship, or practice group, you’ll consider submitting that work for awards and recognition from ACOG so that other members can see what you’re working on and we can all build on each other’s ideas. Don’t forget to submit written opinion pieces to Obstetrics & Gynecology’s new Junior Fellow Perspectives, an editorial space just for Junior Fellows to express themselves about current affairs in obstetrics and gynecology!

It is no small feat to be an obstetrician–gynecologist in these times. If you have a desire to pursue ways to be more involved, know that ACOG needs you, your leadership, and your advocacy now more than ever. The aforementioned resources are great landing pages to get you started. If you have any further questions about how to get involved, your Junior Fellow Section and District leaders—and myself—are always available. Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. Never hesitate to reach out to any of us about ways to effect change and make a difference, no matter the size, in the lives of our patients and each other.