USF Health has selected Dr. Jerry Yankowitz, a well-known expert in maternal-fetal medicine, as the new chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the USF College of Medicine.

     Dr. Jerry Yankowitz, professor and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, will join USF by March. He also will hold the Ingram Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

         “We look forward to his enthusiastic leadership to help us reach new heights in research and clinical care, as well as re-invigorating our fellowship program in maternal-fetal medicine,” said Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of the USF College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health.

         Dr. Yankowitz wants to ensure that USF OB/GYNs are recognized as the best providers of women’s healthcare in Tampa Bay and beyond. “If there’s a question in Tampa Bay of what’s the most cutting-edge treatment, I want us to be the go-to people,” he said.  “Basically I want to be the expert’s expert.”

         Dr. Yankowitz is highly complementary of the many strong programs already in OB/GYN, including USF’s strong generalist division, growing IVF programs, nationally recognized gynecologic oncology and urogynecology programs, and innovative minimally invasive programs. He is excited about the potential of USF’s maternal-fetal medicine program. 

       “The department of OB/GYN is a great example of what a world-class university can do for a community,” Dr. Klasko said. “Women in Tampa Bay and throughout the world utilize USF experts, and with the addition of Dr. Yankowitz, one of the few doctors in the country doubly certified in genetics and maternal fetal medicine, we will continue our trajectory of excellence.”

       In his own research, Dr. Yankowitz is an expert in ultrasound diagnostics and plans to continue seeing patients himself.  He also does in-utero therapeutic procedures, such as transfusions, draining fetal cysts and inserting shunts in the fetal bladder or lungs.

      “Really, when you do one of those, you know you’ve saved this little baby’s life, and that’s incredibly exciting and incredibly fulfilling,” he said.

       Dr. Yankowitz said USF’s strong collaborative opportunities are a key reason for his move, including  USF’s  cutting-edge  simulation center programs; the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in the College of Public Health, with its strong programs in Maternal and Child Health; and USF’s new partnership with The Jackson Laboratory.  

        “Some of my research has been in genetics, so I’m very excited about the potential for synergy there,” he says.

       Dr. Yankowitz received his bachelor’s degree from Yale and his MD from SUNY Downstate.  He did his residency at Johns Hopkins and fellowships in maternal-fetal medicine and in medical genetics at UCSF. He has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters and other papers and is the co-editor of the book Drug Therapy in Pregnancy. He is a member of the Committee on Genetics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

– USF Health –
USF Health (www.health.usf.edu) is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health; as well as the schools of biomedical sciences and physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $394.1 million in research grants and contracts in FY2009/2010, the University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of only 25 public research universities nationwide with very high research activity that is designated as community-engaged by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.