NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The residency program of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Meharry Medical College has been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, announces Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, department chair.

"This is a great development in our efforts to solidify both the educational and training experience at Meharry and the scope of clinical care we provide to patients," Dr. Montgomery Rice said. "A residency program provides the bridge between medical school and the full practice of medicine, and our program will greatly enhance what we offer to young medical professionals as well as to the patients they serve."

Meharry's previous obstetrics and gynecology residency program was discontinued in 1991 when patient volume at Meharry's then-teaching institution, Hubbard Hospital, became too low to sustain it.

"As an obstetrician/gynecologist myself, I am extremely pleased to see this residency program return to Meharry," added Dr. PonJola Coney, dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice president for health affairs. "A strong obstetrics and gynecology residency program is absolutely imperative both to ensuring the quality of the department and in preparing physicians for the independent practice of medicine."

"The approval of the obstetrics and gynecology residency program comes as a result of the success we have had in restructuring at Meharry, which included expanding our training affiliations with area hospitals, including Nashville General Hospital at Meharry, Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell and the Women's Center at Centennial," said Dr. John E. Maupin, Jr., Meharry president. "This also included our success in recruiting outstanding leaders such as Dr. Montgomery Rice and the exceptional effort of the team of Meharry obstetric and gynecology physicians she headed in this effort."

Medical school graduates enter residency programs in the first year following their graduation. Formerly known as internships, residencies provide supervised training and education in the provision of care and differ in length for various specialties. Obstetrics and gynecology residencies last four years.

Dr. Montgomery Rice added that the program will begin interviewing prospective residents for the 2004 National Resident Matching Program in February so that the first resident physicians in the new program will be in place by July 2004. The program will add three new residents a year for four years, so that by 2007, a total of 12 obstetric/gynecology resident physicians are receiving training.

Meharry sought approval of the program to help increase the number of the nation's obstetricians and gynecologists who receive training in an environment that better prepares them to care for minority women. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study shows that women are at greater risk of losing medical services when economic times are tough, and minority women and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are hardest hit in accessing care. Meharry's program will help address this need.

"Meharry has always had a special role in educating and training outstanding minority professionals who are most likely to serve patients from disadvantaged backgrounds," said Dr. Maupin, who joined Meharry as president in 1994. "The obstetrics and gynecology residency program greatly adds to our capacity to meeting the need for diversity in the medical workforce and educating and training providers who then go on to serve the medically underserved."

"Meharry has probably produced more African-American obstetricians/gynecologists than any one institution in the entire country," Dr. Montgomery Rice added. "Approval of the residency program allows us to build upon that legacy."

To achieve approval, the Meharry program underwent rigorous review by the ACGME over the past six months. Requirements for accreditation included the creation of a structured educational experience for resident physicians, planned in continuity with their medical school and graduate medical education. The program also must provide an opportunity for resident physicians to achieve knowledge and skills essential to the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. The program also must be geared toward the development of progressive competence in the provision of care.

To achieve this, obstetrics and gynecology resident physicians will receive training under the direct supervision of Meharry faculty physicians at the institution's primary teaching hospital, Nashville General Hospital at Meharry, and at other facilities with whom Meharry has teaching affiliations: Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Centennial Medical Center Women's Hospital in Nashville.

Also established is a program dedicated to providing support to the new obstetrics and gynecology residency program. The Dr. Henry W. Foster Obstetrics and Gynecology Educational Initiative is an endowed fund that allows alumni and other supporters to make tax-deductible donations toward Meharry's residency program. Dr. Foster is the former chair of Meharry's obstetrics and gynecology department, served as interim president at Meharry, and later was President Bill Clinton's nominee for Surgeon General. For details about the initiative, contact the Division of Advancement and College Relations at 1-800-MEHARRY or (615) 327-6724.

About Meharry Medical College

Meharry Medical College is the nation's largest private, independent historically black institution dedicated solely to educating health science professionals. Since its founding in 1876, it has been a leading educator of African-American physicians, dentists and biomedical scientists. Black Issues in Higher Education's ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as the top educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services; and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation's health professions workforce. More information about Meharry is available at www.mmc.edu.

About the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is responsible for the accreditation of post-M.D. medical training programs within the United States. Accreditation is accomplished through a peer review process and is based upon established standards and guidelines. Headquartered in Chicago, the ACGME is a private, non-profit council that accredits 7,800 residency programs in 27 specialties affecting 100,000 residents. Its mission is to improve the quality of health care in the United States by ensuring and improving the quality of graduate medical education for physicians in training. More information can be obtained at www.acgme.org.

About the National Residency Matching Program

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952 to provide a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education in the United States. Five organizations sponsor the NRMP: American Board of Medical Specialties, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Hospital Association and Council of Medical Specialty Societies. Located Washington, the NRMP's sole mission is to provide an orderly and fair mechanism to match the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with their residency program choices. In 2003, more than 21,000 people were matched to residencies in the "Main Match" and over 2,000 to subspecialty positions. In 2004, "Match Day" - when prospective medical school graduates learn where they will receive residency training - will be held March 18. The NRMP's Web site is www.nrmp.org.