2024 Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants (Spring Cycle)

Pictured above (left to right): Drs. Lorena Carolina Martinez-King and Lauren Walheim have been selected as recipients of the 2024 Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants.

Lorena Carolina Martinez-King, MD, MAS, a second-year maternal-fetal medicine fellow at the University of Washington, will conduct a study, “Advanced training in the diagnosis and management of placenta accreta spectrum disorder.” 

Dr. Martinez-King will spend six weeks at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Jessian Muñoz to gain comprehensive mentorship, knowledge, and experience in diagnosing and managing patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders. This grant will also enhance Dr. Martinez-King’s clinical skills and research abilities and empower her to advance maternal-fetal medicine by mentoring and educating others in PAS diagnosis and management, ultimately improving the quality of patient care and outcomes during complex pregnancies.

Lauren Walheim, MD, a second-year maternal-fetal medicine fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, will conduct a study, “Identifying barriers to patient engagement in postpartum care: a qualitative analysis of postpartum patients at risk of severe maternal morbidity.”

Dr. Walheim will spend eight weeks at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes to gain comprehensive mentorship and training to address gaps in equitable postpartum care engagement, particularly among marginalized patients who are disproportionately at risk of severe maternal morbidity. This grant will also help Dr. Walheim to increase patient engagement and improve postpartum care provided in the fourth trimester, ultimately aiming to decrease maternal morbidity for these patients.

Learn more about the Garite Mini-Sabbatical Grants here.