"The ABCs"...
Acknowledgements, Biographies and Credits

Funding source: This project was funded by an APGO/WHEO Interdisciplinary Women's Health Competency Award, awarded by the Association of Professors of Gynecology & Obstetrics/Women's Healthcare Education Office.

Principal Investigator: Pamela A. Geller, Ph.D.
Dr. Pamela A. Geller is Associate Professor of Psychology and Public Health at Drexel University and Research Associate Professor of Ob/Gyn in the Drexel University College of Medicine. She also served as Director of the Drexel University Student Counseling Center on the Center City Hahnemann Campus from 1998-2012. She completed a BA in Art and Biology and BS in Psychology at Newcomb College of Tulane University. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University and completed a NIH postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Geller's general research interests involve the association between stressful life events and mental and physical health outcomes. Her work has focused largely on women's health–particularly in the area of perinatal mental health, including the mental health consequences of pregnancy loss, and has been presented both nationally and internationally. Dr. Geller is an Editor of Women's Health Psychology published by Wiley in 2013, and Associate Editor of the Health Psychology volume of Wiley's Handbook of Psychology (2013). She is certified in Perinatal Loss Care by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN), and serves on the NBCHPN Perinatal Loss Exam Development Committee.

Co-Investigator: Mark B. Woodland, M.D.
Mark B. Woodland, MS, MD is the Chair of the Department of OBGYN for the Reading Health System in Reading PA. He previously served as the Vice Dean of Graduate Medical Education (GME), OBGYN Residency Program Director, Associate Director of the MIGS Fellowship and Director of the Women's Health Advocacy and Public Policy Fellowship for Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM)/Hahnemann University Hospital (HUH) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also represented DUCOM on the Group on Residency Affairs (GRA) of the AAMC. He is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine (MD), Villanova University (MS), and Ursinus College (BS) with Honors in Philosophy and Religion. Previously, he had served as the Program Director and Acting Chair of OBGYN at Pennsylvania Hospital and Medical Director of Women and Children's Health Services, a large community practice in Center City, Philadelphia. He was also the 116th President of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia and remains active in the society today in charge of archives. Dr. Woodland provides national and regional leadership for medical education. He was the Region 2 Representative to the CREOG Council and served on the CREOG Competency Task Force, Education Committee and Simulation Initiative. He was a founding force for ARCOG. In the spring 2011, he was appointed the CREOG Program Director for the Annual CREOG Program Director's summer retreat and the co-director of the Annual CREOG/APGO meeting. Most recently he has been appointed as Vice Chair of the CREOG Council. He received the 1995 and 2001 CREOG Faculty Award for excellence in teaching and was also recognized for excellence in teaching and practice by being awarded the 21st and 27th Annual Clarence C. Briscoe Recognition from Pennsylvania Hospital. He also received the DUCOM 2010 Alumni Recognition Award for his contributions to the medical education programs. Recognized as an area leader in Women's Health Care by Philadelphia Magazine, Dr. Woodland has been honored by the 2004 Consumer Guide of Top Docs for gynecology and has been ranked as a "Top Doctor" for the region in gynecologic surgery. He has received Patient Recognition Awards for compassion and clinical care in 2010, 2011, and 2012 from the Patient Choice Awards. He has been recognized for innovation and teaching in advanced laparoscopic and hysteroscopy procedures including: hysterectomy, removal of fibroids, management of large ovarian masses, and laparoscopic approach to gynecologic concerns. Dr. Woodland maintains a private practice in gynecology in Philadelphia which emphasizes minimally invasive surgical approach to gynecology. He serves on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology as well as Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Journal of OBGYN, who recognized him as one of the top 5% of reviewers. He also remains active in PA ACOG as an advocate for trainees and practitioners in women's health.

Production Design and Implementation: Christof Daetwyler, M.D.
Dr. Christof Daetwyler is Associate Professor of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. He spent most of his career on research, design and implementation of technological enhancements in medical education. Before coming to Drexel University in 2004, Dr. Daetwyler served as Visiting Assistant Professor for three years at Dr. Joe Henderson's Interactive Media Lab at Dartmouth College Medical School. There he produced and directed large scale educational multimedia productions, among them "Smoking Cessation for Pregnancy and Beyond" which was funded by the R. W. Johnson Foundation. Dr. Daetwyler received his medical degrees from the University of Zurich Medical School in Zurich, Switzerland in 1993 and University of Berne, Switzerland in 1999. Dr. Daetwyler was the recipient of several prestigious awards, among them twice the European Academic Software Award (1998 and 2000) and the Surgeon General's Medal of Special Appreciation in 2004: received from the former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. C. Everett Koop. Please see http://webcampus.med.drexel.edu/interactive/cda/ for more information.

Videographer: George Zeiset BA
George Zeiset received his diploma for the study of Radio, Television and Film. He is the Director of the Technology in Medical Education (TIME), a group that is responsible for all aspects of technology and media for medical education at the Drexel University College of Medicine. In this function he makes all lectures available online to the students. He is also responsible for setting up videoconferences and taping video for educational purposes.

Lecture Presentations

Pamela A. Geller, Ph.D.
Please see above.

Robert Silver, M.D.
Dr. Silver has been working with families suffering from pregnancy loss for over twenty years. He is a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and chief of the division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Co-Director of Labor and Delivery at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. Along with his colleagues at the University of Utah, he specializes in the care of women with recurrent pregnancy loss and stillbirth. Specific areas of expertise and research focus include thrombophilias, immunologic causes of pregnancy loss including the antiphospholipid syndrome, and genetic causes of pregnancy loss. Current NIH funded projects include the Stillbirth Research Collaborative Network (SCRN) and the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction (EAGeR) trial.

Vignette Appearance: Patients

Faith Dyson-Washington, Ph.D. (as "Valerie")
Dr. Dyson-Washington completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Drexel University in 2006. Dr. Dyson-Washington sees patients privately through Chrysalis Psychotherapy for Women in Philadelphia. She specializes in treating individuals with mood and anxiety disorders.

Mary Ann Galagate, D.O. (as "Mrs. Robinson")
Dr. Galagate is a 2007 graduate of the Masters of Medical Sciences (MMS) program at Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed her medical training at A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona and currently is employed at Community Health of Central Washington.

Christina Psaros, Ph.D. (as "Verna")
Dr. Christina Psaros completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology (with a health psychology concentration) at Drexel University in 2008, and her predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is a staff psychologist in the Behavioral Medicine Service at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical work focuses on women's mental health, while her research focuses on psychosocial aspects of HIV care and prevention (particularly among women) both in the United States and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Vignette Appearance: Physicians

Jessica Shepherd, M.D.
Dr. Shepherd earned a Bachelor's degree in Health and Sport Sciences from University of Oklahoma before attending Ross University for her M.D. degree. She completed her OB/GYN residency training at Drexel University College of Medicine- Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia in 2009. Dr. Shepherd currently is Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, and also serves as the Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. 

Mark B. Woodland, M.D.
Please see above.

Panel Participants

Helen L. Coons, Ph.D., ABPP
Dr. Coons is a Clinical Psychologist, and the President and Clinical Director of Women's Mental Health Associates in Philadelphia. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, and is Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Health System. Dr. Coons received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University after interning in Medical Psychology at the Duke University Medical Center. She was also a 2005 HHS Primary Health Care Policy Fellow. Her practice rotates to women's primary care, obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, oncology and urogynecology settings. Dr. Coons works with women and couples who have experienced infertility, pregnancy losses, neonatal deaths and other obstetrical complications. A Fellow in the American Psychological Association, Dr. Coons presented at the 2002 Institute of Medicine meeting on Psychosocial Service Needs Among Women with Breast Cancer. She received the 2001 American Psychological Association Committee on Women in Psychology Emerging Leader Award, and the 2005 American Psychological Foundation Timothy B. Jeffrey Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Health Psychology. Dr. Coons speaks nationally and regionally to psychologists, physicians and other health care providers as well as community audiences on psychosocial issues in women's health and mental health.

Gail Sullivan, M.D., FACOG
At the time of filming, Dr. Sullivan was an Assistant Professor in the Drexel University College of Medicine at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She currently holds a position in Temple Health Women's Care at Elkins Park. After receiving her B.S. from Villanova University, Dr. Sullivan completed post-baccalaureate work at Bryn Mawr College and received her M.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she also completed her postgraduate training with a residency in OB/GYN. Previously, Dr. Sullivan was with Frankford Hospital Physician Services and had a private practice in Philadelphia. She is board-certified in OB/GYN and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Rana Limbo, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., B.C.
Dr. Limbo has over 25 years of experience in the area of perinatal bereavement. She is the co-author of When a Baby Dies: A Handbook for Healing and Helping, and the co-founder and director of the RTS Program (formerly, Resolve Through Sharing) through Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, Inc. (Please see: http://www.bereavementprograms.com/). She is a frequent presenter, and has recently served as co-investigator for two studies on miscarriage. Dr. Limbo has previous experience as a postpartum, nursery, and labor and delivery staff nurse, a psychotherapist specializing in the mental health issues of childbearing women. Dr. Limbo as served as an OB/Peds faculty member at a college and university and as a program director of a state perinatal association. Dr. Limbo received her B.S.N. degree from St. Olaf College, her M.S. in Maternal Child Nursing from the University of Colorado, her M.S.N. in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing from Indiana University, and her Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, Dr. Limbo is a certified Clinical Specialist in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Board Certified). Currently, Dr. Limbo serves as the Director of Bereavement and Advance Care Planning Services and a Faculty Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, Western Campus.

Perry-Lynn Moffitt
Ms. Moffitt is the co-author of a major work on the subject of miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death, A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss: Guidance and Support for You and Your Family, which was published in a revised second edition by Rouledge in 2000. She is also the author of Johnson and Johnson's Guide to Pregnancy and Early Parenthood. She has been a lay bereavement counselor with the Pregnancy Loss Support Program of the National Council of Jewish Women, New York Section, since 1984 and currently serves as Chair of the program. She is on the Advisory Board of SHARE, the international pregnancy loss support organization, and is a frequent speaker at medical and bereavement conferences across the country. Ms. Moffitt holds a B.A. degree from Barnard College and was founder and president of the public relations firm, Corporate Performance, Inc., which designed community relations programs in the performing arts for corporate clients. She currently works as a freelance writer and editor in New York City. Her letters about pregnancy loss have been published in the New Yorker, Time, and The New York Times Magazine, and she has written articles about perinatal bereavement for USA Today Magazine, The International Journal of Childbirth Education, and The Journal of Child and Family Nursing.

Ron Wapner, M.D.
Dr. Wapner is a nationally known clinician specializing in first trimester screening and invasive procedures, such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS), PUBS and amniocentesis. He was instrumental in developing CVS and multi-fetal reduction procedures. He has also authored or co-authored over 120 publications. Dr. Wapner has been an active investigator in the area of Maternal-Fetal Medicine throughout his career and has been, or is, either a principal or co-investigator for a number of multi-center studies including much of the original work on CVS and multi-fetal pregnancy reductions. He served as the Principal Investigator for the Philadelphia Center in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network for the past eight years and will continue that work at Columbia. He also served as Co-Principal Investigator of the NICHD sponsored NIFTY trial investigating the retrieval of fetal cells from the maternal circulation. He is Co-Principal Investigator of the EATA trial in which 13 centers in the US and Europe performed a randomized comparison of amniocentesis and CVS in weeks 13 and 14 of gestation. This study also evaluated the efficacy of first trimester screening for fetal aneuploidy in a multicentered fashion for which Dr. Wapner served as Principal Investigator. He has had a significant role in the development of multidisciplinary research studies and clinical research centers throughout his career. Dr. Wapner continues to practice clinical Maternal- Fetal Medicine as an Attending in the department of OB/GYN at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and has approximately 25% of his time protected for research activities. Before joining Columbia as the Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Wapner was at Drexel University College of Medicine as a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Prior to Drexel, he was at Thomas Jefferson University for 22 years where he was also the Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine.

Consulting Psychiatrist

Judith Kastenberg, M.D.
Dr. Judith Kastenberg is a board certified adult psychiatrist and a specialist in psychosomatic medicine, a specialty where doctors help people cope with the stresses of medical problems. Dr. Kastenberg evaluates and treats patients for a variety of mood and anxiety problems, such as depression and panic, and also helps women cope with the special challenges of pregnancy and afterwards. Dr. Kastenberg received her B.A. from Princeton University magna cum laude and her M.D. from Tufts University. She completed a residency in adult psychiatry and a fellowship in medical/psychiatric comorbidity at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kastenberg serves on the teaching faculty at the University of Pennsylvania supervising residents and facilitating a class for medical students on professionalism and humanism in medicine. She also treats students and does consultation work with the staff at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and operates Rittenhouse Psychiatry, a private outpatient clinic.

Interviewed Patients

Deepest gratitude to the individuals who generously agreed to share their personal experiences for this project:

Diana and Bill Gural

Jacqueline Lewis

Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton

Lydia Reese

Robin Romer

Patient Interviewers

Pamela A. Geller, Ph.D.
Please see above.

Sara Levine Kornfield, Ph.D.
Dr. Levine Kornfield completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology (with a health psychology concentration) at Drexel University, and is currently employed at the Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kornfield serves as the Director of the Maternal Wellness Initiative (MWI), a perinatal care-mental health integration program which seeks to enhance health care service delivery in obstetrical settings for pregnant and postpartum women with mental health problems. As part of this initiative, Dr. Kornfield provides psychotherapy at the Helen O. Dickens Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kornfield's research focuses on posttraumatic stress disorder during pregnancy and the development of a brief psychotherapeutic treatment that can be delivered in primary care or prenatal care settings.

Laura Windham, Psy.D., L.C.S.W.
Dr. Windham completed her undergraduate education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, her Masters in Social Work at Loyola University-Chicago. She completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral clinical internships at the Drexel University Student Counseling Center (Center City Hahnemann Campus), and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Immaculata University in 2008. Dr. Windham is the Clinical Director of Chrysalis Psychotherapy for Women in Center City Philadelphia that specializes in women's issues.

Research Assistants*

Alexa Bonacquisti, M.S.

Danielle Kerns Clauss, Ph.D.

Karni Kissil, Ph.D.

Sara Levine Kornfield, Ph.D.

Priya Kumar

Alexandra Nelson, Ph.D.

Corrie O'Brien, M.S.

Kathleen O'Malley, M.S.

Christina Psaros, Ph.D.

Anne Vorndran, M.S.

Jennifer Yeast, D.O.

*All were students at Drexel University or Drexel University College of Medicine at the time of curriculum production.

Permissions

Cover image, copyright 2000, from A Silent Sorrow, Pregnancy Loss: Guidance and Support for You and Your Family by Ingrid Kohn and Perry-Lynn Moffitt, reproduced by permission of Routledge, Inc, a division of Informa plc.
Cover image, copyright 2003, from When a Baby Dies: A Handbook for Healing and Helping by Rana K. Limbo and Sara Rich Wheeler, reproduced by permission of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation.
Table 1, copyright 2006, from Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, Volume 35 (Number 4), pages 523-532, by Pamela A. Geller, Christina Psaros and Danielle Kerns, reproduced by permission of AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and Blackwell Publishing.