Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) has introduced a new fellowship program for maternal fetal medicine.

The program will welcome one fellow into its inaugural class for the three-year fellowship in July 2023.

LVHN joins fewer than 100 fellowship programs in maternal fetal medicine nationwide and is the only program in the Lehigh Valley.

“The mission of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship at LVHN is to train the next generation of perinatologists to be clinicians, leaders and academicians,” said Joanne Quiñones, MD, Vice Chair, Research, Obstetrics & Gynecology, LVHN.

“The program is designed to produce highly skilled physicians who will excel in the delivery of comprehensive and compassionate perinatal care in an academic or community-based practice.”

Graduates of the program will also be adept in clinical research and education of residents and medical students.

This will be accomplished through a dedicated faculty that delivers high-quality perinatal care for a diverse regional patient population, including a large prenatal diagnosis and fetal care program, several inpatient and outpatient multidisciplinary programs for pregnant women with medical and surgical complications of pregnancy, and sizable outreach and transport programs.

Fellows will gain experience with challenging cases, learn to function in a supervisory faculty role with residents and simultaneously be trained to perform advanced and focused obstetric procedures. All of these contribute to a robust clinical experience for LVHN colleagues.

Key faculty members include:

• Joanne Quiñones, MD, Fellowship Program Director

• Albert Sarno, MD, Fellowship Assistant Program Director

• Meredith Rochon, MD, Fellowship Curriculum Director

• Danielle Durie, MD

• William Scorza, MD

• Orion Rust, MD

• Daniel Kraus, MD

• Kara Coassolo, MD

• Matthew Romagano, DO

A fellow doctor is already a graduate of a medical school, licensed to practice, and trained as part of the graduate medical education program.

The fellowship adds to the numerous residency and fellowship opportunities available at LVHN, including a longstanding OB-GYN residency program.

The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at LVHN is a team of experienced, highly-trained specialists that provides the highest level of care for complicated pregnancies, before, during and after labor and delivery. Maternal fetal medicine specialists provide expert care for women with conditions that make their pregnancies high risk, including:

• Diabetes (preexisting or gestational)

• Advanced-age pregnancy

• Expecting multiple babies (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.)

• Hypertension

• Kidney disease

• History of miscarriage

• Genetic conditions

• Other underlying health conditions

• Fetal problems

For nearly 100 years, Lehigh Valley Health Network has had independent residency programs. LVHN is a regional clinical campus of the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine and an accredited member of the nation’s Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems.