UTMB Health Obstetrics & Gynecology

01/02/2026

12/11/2025

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UTMB Health has been named a Best Maternity Hospital by U.S. News and World Report. This recognition reflects the strength of our maternal care program and the skilled teams who support mothers through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care.

Our OB/GYN physicians, nurses, and maternal care teams provide safe, evidence-based care that helps families navigate one of life’s most important experiences. This designation highlights UTMB’s continued commitment to high-quality maternity care for our communities. Read more: https://utmb.us/evu

12/06/2025

🎉 Proudly celebrating our new endowment holders!

Congratulations to 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮, 𝗠𝗗, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, on his inaugural appointment as holder of the Frances Eastland Connally Professorship in Gynecological Oncology. His appointment is effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028.

Dr. Sharma is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine. Please join us in recognizing him!

12/02/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Berenson!

Congratulations to 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗠𝗗, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, on her new appointment as Vice Dean for Research in the UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine!

Dr. Berenson is a tenured Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and holds the Garland D. Anderson, MD Distinguished University Chair in Obstetrics & Gynecology. She is also Director of the UTMB Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health (CIRWH).

In her new role, she serves as a senior advisor on aspects of research strategy to enhance biomedical research across the JSSOM. Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved appointment!

Full announcement: https://utmb.us/euk

12/02/2025

From 1891 to today, resilience has defined us. UTMB began as a bold vision on a barrier island, and for more than 130 years, we’ve educated, discovered, cared, and innovated for Texas and beyond. Now, a new day has dawned. A new logo. A new tagline. The same unwavering purpose. We are UTMB. Where purpose meets passion.

10/30/2025

🌟 UTMB & March of Dimes Launch Texas Collaborative Prematurity Research Center 🌟

The University of Texas Medical Branch and the March of Dimes have partnered to establish the March of Dimes Texas Collaborative Prematurity Research Center (PRC) — accelerating discovery to better understand, predict, and prevent preterm birth.

Led by Dr. Ramkumar Menon, Director of the Division of Basic Science and Translational Research in UTMB’s Department of OB/GYN, the PRC unites scientists, clinicians, and data experts to unlock the mysteries of pregnancy and develop innovative strategies to reduce the risk of prematurity.

💡 Cutting-Edge Innovation at UTMB

New Approach Methods: Human-relevant systems that replicate pregnancy processes without animal models.

Pregnancy-on-a-Chip: A breakthrough organ-on-chip platform that re-creates maternal and fetal organ systems using human cells.

AI & Data Science: Harnessing artificial intelligence to analyze pregnancy health and predict preterm birth risks.

3-D Bioprinting: Developing models that mimic the maternal-fetal interface for more accurate testing.

Vaginal Microbiome Research: Exploring the role of microbial communities in maternal and infant health.

Together, these advances are paving the way for safer pregnancies, healthier babies, and stronger families. 💜

10/16/2025

🌟 Welcome Dr. Emily Sendukas! 🌟

UTMB Obstetrics and Gynecology is proud to welcome Emily Sendukas, MD to our Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery!

Dr. Sendukas brings her expertise and dedication to advancing women’s health to our team, providing compassionate, patient-centered care for women with complex gynecologic conditions.

She will be seeing patients at our Webster and Galveston clinic locations.

Join us in giving Dr. Sendukas a warm UTMB welcome!

10/15/2025

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Mehwish Seehar to our Obstetrics and Gynecology team at UTMB Health!

Dr. Seehar is dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized care for women at every stage of life. Her expertise and passion for women’s health make her a wonderful addition to our clinic family.

Dr. Seehar will be seeing patients at both our Galveston and Webster UTMB locations.

Join us in giving her a warm welcome to the team!

10/15/2025

Day 1 of the Howard & Lillian Becker Perinatal Care Conference is underway! 🎉
Our RWSP Women’s Health Providers and Clinical Staff are ready for two days filled with learning, collaboration, and inspiration from an amazing lineup of guest speakers.

Huge thanks to everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this event possible — we couldn’t do it without you! 💪👩‍⚕️👶

09/05/2025

🎉 We are honoring career-spanning dedication in our 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients!

The 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 is presented to 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝗲𝘆 𝗕. 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗠𝗗, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, 𝗠𝗠𝗦. As Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics, UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health, Dr. Berenson has dedicated her career to advancing care for women and adolescents.

With over $62 million in research funding and more than 270 peer-reviewed publications, her work has shaped national standards, especially in contraceptive safety and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

"Dr. Berenson’s leadership in research has immensely benefited our institution and its patients and influenced the practice of medicine across the U.S." says Antonio Bianco, MD, PhD, UTMB's Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, Dean of the John Sealy School of Medicine, and Chief Research Officer. "After the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006, Dr. Berenson decided to pursue work in this area, as it was of great importance to her patient population. She observed that uptake rates were very low and implemented multiple interventions in different settings to improve the situation."

Through projects funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), she has delivered more than 44,000 HPV vaccine doses to underserved communities across Texas. She also leads UTMB’s longest-running NIH-funded faculty training program, mentoring the next generation of women’s health researchers.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Berenson on this special honor! We look forward to celebrating her achievements at the Second Annual Faculty Recognition Reception on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. Details: https://utmb.us/ecb

09/05/2025

We would like to congratulate Dr. Abbey Berenson on receiving the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in Research. Congratulations to all of the UTMB Faculty honored!

This is "Faculty Excellence Awards 2025" by UTMB Videography on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

06/04/2025

UTMB Health has been awarded nearly $5 million in new Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) funding to support groundbreaking cancer research and prevention efforts. These grants will help expand access to HPV vaccination in underserved communities, advance treatment options for resistant lymphomas, and strengthen our research infrastructure. Learn more about how this work is making an impact. https://utmb.us/e2c