Baylor College of Medicine is committed to recruiting a diverse and inclusive workforce and learners across the College, considering, among other metrics, individuals’ professional and personal experiences, skills, training and academic metrics.
The Baylor College of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology Department aims to provide the highest possible gynecologic and obstetrical care by acknowledging and addressing contributors to health disparities within our own medical and training communities. We aim to promote culturally responsive medicine and to increase equity-mindedness within our community.
Ob/Gyn Inclusion and Health Equity Ambassadors
Nishath (Nina) Ali, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Gynecologic and Obstetric Specialists
Christina Davidson, M.D.
Vice Chair of Quality, Patient Safety, & Health Equity
Jocelyn Greely, M.D.
Vice Chair of Education
Nadine Hylton, M.D.
Pavilion for Women Hospitalist
Yamely Mendez Martinez
Senior Research Coordinator
Our Community and Hospitals
We are inspired by our diverse patient population and the opportunity to learn culturally responsive medicine through caring for our patients. As a department, we provide obstetrics and gynecology services for both the Harris Health System, a public safety net hospital system for Harris County residents, as well as Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women, getting the best of two unique environments reflective of the surrounding communities. Our patients mirror the demographic make-up of Harris County, with many of our patients speaking languages other than English. In-person and telephone-based interpretation services are available 24/7 at both hospitals and the ambulatory settings.
Our academically focused department has ongoing quality improvement projects, with many of our quality metrics being analyzed in aggregate and stratified by race, ethnicity, and language to identify opportunities to address health disparities in our everyday practice. In addition to this, quality and patient safety committees at both hospitals evaluate the role of bias and social determinants of health as a potential contributor to adverse patient outcomes. Case review findings foster multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships with other services to facilitate reduction in barriers to help our patients achieve optimal health outcomes. Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women was recognized with a 2022 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity for its Quality Improvement Initiatives on Decreasing Racial Disparities in Maternal Morbidity. This prestigious award from the Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente recognizes healthcare organizations that led initiatives to achieve a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more healthcare disparities.
Baylor Teen Health Clinics and Project Ascend
Baylor College of Medicine’s Teen Health Clinics provide free and comprehensive primary and reproductive healthcare at eight locations in high schools and community centers in Houston’s under-resourced communities as well as at Ben Taub Hospital. The Teen Health Clinics are staffed by the OB/Gyn Department and have offered reproductive healthcare to youth for over 50 years. In addition to quality medical services provided by the Baylor College of Medicine faculty and staff, the clinics act as portals for its patients to address a variety of social determinants of health, specifically focusing on quality employment for opportunity youth.
To address this need, Ascend, a workforce development program offered by Baylor College of Medicine’s Teen Health Clinic, provides a pathway to stable, sufficient employment in the healthcare field. Ascend is a positive and practical application of social determinants of health in which high school graduate clinic patients 18-24 years of age are provided with financial and staff support to complete a certification in one of five allied health professions. These career options provide meaningful employment, health benefits and career advancement at the Texas Medical Center. Ascend staff and volunteers provide caring, skilled mentorship and guidance to ensure that all participants successfully complete their training programs.
Our Faculty
Our department faculty members represent a broad range of clinical and research interests including complex family planning, maternal-fetal medicine, fetal surgery, minimally invasive surgery, gynecologic oncology, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, gynecologic and obstetric specialists, translational research and female pelvic and reconstructive medicine. Residents work closely with faculty members beginning intern year and each resident is assigned a faculty advisor. Beginning in the fall of 2021, our department launched a paired mentorship program for all new faculty at the assistant professor level. This endeavor, led by the vice chair of clinical affairs and the vice chair of quality, patient safety and health equity, was created with a goal of improving job satisfaction, increasing faculty retention, and supporting career advancement. Our faculty are strikingly diverse with more than 30 percent identifying as underrepresented in medicine.
Education
We are committed to life-long learning and training the trainers to support and develop a workforce that has the educational tools and skills to cultivate belonging in the workplace and provide culturally appropriate and equitable patient care. We offer this in many forms, through Grand Rounds topics on Health Equity, and through our resident-led Quality, Safety, and Equity Grand Rounds series. A health equity education and research task force was developed, led by the vice chair of education and the vice chair of quality, patient safety and health equity, to ensure that these principles are embedded within all educational and research endeavors within the department.
Our Institution
Baylor College of Medicine is a world class research institution and academic center situated in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. The Office of Community Engagement & Health Equity has programming which all can participate in. The department of Ob/Gyn has designated Inclusion & Health Equity Ambassadors who lead the department’s efforts.