Awards 2021

William R. Baker, Jr., received the 2021 Patricia R. Austen, RN, MGH History Award, an honor conferred by the MGH History Award Committee for his tireless work documenting the history of obstetrics and gynecology at Mass General, crystalizing its legacy in two books: Returning Obstetrics to Massachusetts General Hospital (2004), and The Best Kept Secrets in Boston: Obstetrics and Gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital: A Bicentennial History (2012). For more than 37 years until his retirement in 2016, Mr. Baker served in various administrative roles at Mass General, including former assistant general director for Women’s and Children’s Services. Today he serves as secretary to the Vincent Memorial Hospital Foundation (VMHF). The books recount the history of Vincent Memorial Hospital — from its founding in 1891 to becoming Mass General’s world-renowned OB/GYN clinical service and a leader in reproductive biology research. They are an extensively researched compilation of historical images and captivating stories about the many people who contributed to this remarkable heritage, which today continues to be supported by the VMHF (visit Our History and Major Milestones).

Charles Bormann, embryology lab director and reproductive biologist in the Mass General Fertility Center, at the 2021 annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology received the ESHRE Clinical Science Award — Oral Presentation for “Automation in the IVF Lab” for developing an artificial intelligence embryo witnessing system to accurately track and identify patient specific embryos in a human in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory.

VCRB Investigator Andrea Edlow was awarded a $300,000 grant from The Simons Foundation for her project “COVID PRISM: COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry of Immune ResponSes and Maternal Microbiome.”

Rose M. De Guzman, research fellow in the VCRB laboratory of Andrea Edlow, received a Mass General Brigham Training Program in Precision & Genomic Medicine, a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) T32. The program is designed to provide rigorous, interdisciplinary training of postdoctoral scientists in the translational of genomic, clinical and computational sciences that are driving a new era of precision and genomic medicine.

Bryann Bromley received the William J Fry Memorial Lecture award for 2020–21 from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), which annually honors individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of diagnostic ultrasound. She also gave several talks at the AIUM convention in April 2021.

PILLARS OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2020
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM
To view the virtual awards ceremony, April 6, 2021, and
watch the inspiring video “A Year Like No Other,” CLICK HERE

Rosemary Barone, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology laboratory manager, received an award for “Enhancing Efficiency,” nominated by Jamie Murphy

Cathy Adkison, “Commitment to an Exceptional Patient Experience,” nominated by Kelly Santomas

Elizabeth Botelho, “Optimizing Collaboration,” nominated by Kelly Santomas

Ilona Goldfarb, MD, MPH, “Advancing Innovation & Progress,” nominated by Jeffrey Ecker, MD, Chief of the Vincent Department of OB/GYN

Kelly Linden, RNC BSN, “Advancing Innovation & Progress,” nominated by John Petrozza, MD, Chief of the Division of Reproductive Medicine and IVF

Stacy Turnbull, RN, “Integrating Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” nominated by Christina Ly

Barbara Wuerthner, NP, “Commitment to an Exceptional Patient Experience,” nominated by Kelly Santomas

Honors 2021

Nisse Clark has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School.

Eric Eisenhauer has been promoted to Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School.

Rachel Clark Sisodia has been promoted to Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School.

Susan Hernandez will represent the Massachusetts Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives on the Racial Inequities in Maternal Health Commission, which is tasked with studying ways to reduce or eliminate racial inequities in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the Commonwealth.

Marcela G. del Carmen will serve as interim CEO of the Mass General Physicians Organization, effective April 1. 

Alison Bryant Mantha has been appointed a member of the Racial Inequities in Maternal Health commission, serving as a member of the Massachusetts Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee for the Commonwealth.

Awards 2020

Adeline Boatin received a Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) Burke Global Health Fellowship research award in July 2020 for “The Cesarean Delivery Triple Burden: Examining Underuse, Overuse, and Quality of Cesarean Delivery in Uganda.” Established in 2009, the fellowship helps launch and advance the careers of promising junior faculty in global health.

Andrea Edlow received a renewal of a Pilot and Feasibility Award from the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard for research on “Fetal programming of mesolimbic dopamine signaling as a driver of transgenerational obesity.”

Alexandria Williams, Anna Greer and Ilona Goldfarb received the Partners CPIP Alumni Excellence Award for “Increasing Completion and Documentation of Vaginal Prep prior to Unscheduled Cesarean Deliveries on Labor and Delivery.” Ilona Goldfarb also received a Partners CPIP Coach Recognition Award.

Alisa Pascale was named the 2020 recipient of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, School of Nursing, Judith A. Fong Nursing Faculty Prize in recognition of clinical excellence by a nursing preceptor demonstrating distinction in the role of mentor to one or more students in the nursing program and model clinical excellence in nursing practice. 

Blake Slack was elected to serve a two-year term as the Advanced Practice Provider Faculty-at-Large member on the MGH Executive Committee on Teaching & Education.