2020 Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants

Pictured above (left to right): Drs. Christina Ackerman and Jessian Muñoz have been selected as the recipients of the 2020 Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants.

Christina Ackerman, MD, a second-year Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, will conduct a project “Advanced Training in Cardio-Obstetrics and the Application of Non-invasive Hemodynamic Assessments.”

Dr. Ackerman will spend eight weeks at the Yale University Department of Cardiology under the mentorship of Josephine Chou, MD, to obtain more formalized, advanced clinical training in the field of Cardio-Obstetrics and learn crucial new techniques in the use and application of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Dr. Ackerman has a strong interest in severe maternal morbidity and mortality, specifically related to preventable cardiovascular complications of preeclampsia. The Garite Mini-Sabbatical grant will allow Dr. Ackerman to add to her skills and knowledge as a physician and researcher so that she can better care for women.

Jessian Muñoz, MD, PhD, a second-year Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will conduct a project “Surgical Approaches and Outcomes of Minimally invasive Fetoscopic Surgery at Texas Children’s Pavilion.”

Dr. Muñoz will spend four weeks at the Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women, in Houston, under the mentorship of Dr. Alireza A. Shamshirsaz, obtaining skills in comprehensive care of patients referred to the fetal center for evaluation or fetal intervention. These skills will include consultation, diagnosis, discussion of options (surgical and otherwise), and pre- and post-operative care. The Garite Mini-Sabbatical grant will allow Dr. Muñoz to apply his diverse background and training to enhance fetal care by developing evidence-based medical/surgical knowledge and research.

Learn more about the Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants here.