Research Awards Announced for ACOG 2019 Annual Meeting

Nashville, TN — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is pleased to announce the ACOG Annual Meeting research award winners, who were selected from among authors of nearly 800 outstanding original research papers and posters to be presented at this year’s event.

“The abstracts provide a glimpse into the research activities of residents and faculty in our specialty from the United States and around the globe, and it is my honor to announce the award-winning selections,” said Lauren D. Demosthenes, M.D., chair of ACOG’s Committee on Scientific Program. “They represent the very best investigation into new developments in obstetrics and gynecology, a field that constantly presents new challenges and new opportunities for learning.” 

“The poster presentations are a highlight for attendees of the Annual Meeting,” said ACOG President Lisa Hollier, M.D., M.P.H., “because it gives them an opportunity to discover the most cutting-edge research in women’s health that spans a number of topics that are relevant to their day-to-day practice of medicine. This year’s winners deserve to be recognized for their exemplary work, not only because it represents the high-caliber educational experience we want to provide for our member ob-gyns but also because their research helps to advance our profession as a whole.”

Abstracts will be published in a special May 2019 supplement to Obstetrics & Gynecology (the Green Journal) and will be publicly available for two months. The prizes, titles, abstract numbers, first authors, and a brief overview are listed below. Learn more about the Annual Meeting and email [email protected] for embargoed copies of the abstracts.

First Place

Heparin Use Is Associated with an Increased No-Call Rate of Cell-Free DNA Testing [22OP]
Daniel Lovell, MS, et al.
Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
Joshua Nitsche, MD, PhD
Determines if the no-call rate for cell-free DNA testing is higher in pregnant women with hypertension; diabetes; or those taking aspirin, heparin, or both.

Second Place

Therapeutic Hypothermia in Severe Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis [23OP]
Claire Packer, BA
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Alyssa R. Hersh, BS, BA; James Andrew Sargent, MD;
and Aaron B. Caughey, MD, PhD
Investigates whether initiating therapeutic hypothermia (cooling) within six hours of life to decrease neonatal mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental disability in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is cost effective.

Third Place

Provider Adherence to Surgical Guidelines for Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy in BRCA Mutation Carriers [08OP]
Annelise Marie Wilhite, MD
University of Minnesota, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and
Women’s Health, Minneapolis, MN
Makinna Caitlin Oestreich, BA; Donna Coetzee, MPH;
Mahmoud Khalifa, MD, PhD; and Britt Erickson, MD
Compares the rate of provider compliance (gynecologic oncologists vs obstetrician–gynecologists) to the strict surgical protocol recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and endorsed by ACOG clinical management guidelines for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome at the time of risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy for BRCA mutation carriers.

Donald F. Richardson Prize Paper (Junior Fellow papers submitted by ACOG’s 12 Districts)

Comparing Risk Stratification Criteria for Predicting Lymphatic Dissemination in Endometrial Cancer [06OP]
Toni P. Kilts, DO
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Gretchen E. Glaser, MD; Carrie L. Langstraat, MD;
Amanika Kumar, MD; Amy L. Weaver, MS; Michaela E. McGree, BS;
Bobbie S. Gostout, MD; Karl C. Podratz, MD, PhD; Sean C. Dowdy, MD;
William A. Cliby, MD; Andrea Mariani, MD; and Jamie N. Bakkum-
Gamez, MD
Compares two published risk-stratification criteria (Milwaukee Model vs. Mayo Criteria) to predict lymphatic dissemination in endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Donald F. Richardson Prize Paper

Evaluating the Use of Handheld Point-of-Care Ultrasound Testing for Gynecologic Pathology: A Pilot Study for Use in Low-Resource Settings [07OP]
Marika Toscano, MD
University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
Kam Szlachetka, RDMS; Natalie Whaley, MD, MPH;
and Loralei Lacina Thornburg, MD
Investigated whether point-of-care ultrasound, a clinician-performed ultrasound at the bedside with direct interpretation, can identify and triage gynecologic pathology in a low-resource setting.

Blue Ribbon

Induction of Labor Compared with Expectant Management and Risk of Cesarean Delivery in Obese Women [7F]
Emily K. Staudenmaier, DO
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip, NY
Carolyn G. Chatterton, DO, MPH; Marelli Montanez, DO; Isabella Sampino;
John J. Vullo, DO; and Padmalatha Gurram, MD, MSCTR
Determines if obesity, a known independent risk factor for stillbirth, increases cesarean delivery rates in elective inductions at term when compared to expectant management. Given that stillbirth risk increases with advancing gestational age, there is no clear consensus regarding antepartum surveillance to reduce the risk of stillbirth and the timing of delivery is a concern for the obstetric provider. Antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal complications were also compared between the groups.

Blue Ribbon

Pregnancy Outcomes in Peri-Menarchal Adolescents [8F]
Alison Marie Bauer
MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals Cleveland
Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Justin Lappen, and David Hackney, MD, MSc
Evaluated pregnancy outcomes in peri-menarchal adolescents (ages 10–14 years), given the theoretical concern for an increased risk of cesarean delivery due to cephalopelvic disproportion at extremely young maternal ages that precede full adult stature.

Blue Ribbon

Compliance to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for Anemia in Ovarian Cancer [36F]
Lauren S. Prescott, MD, MPH
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Sumit Mehta, MD; Demetra Hufnagel, BS; and Chinyere Ezekwe, BS
Evaluating compliance with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommendation for prompt evaluation and treatment of anemia, considering the paucity of studies evaluating it.

To see presentations of these and other posters representing the full range of research in women’s health, attend ACOG’s 2019 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, May 3–6. To register, email [email protected].

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, ACOG strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. www.acog.org