Duke Ob/Gyn was well-represented at the 42nd Annual ACOG Congressional Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., March 3-5. The theme this year was "Ob/Gyns in Action: Advancing Access through Advocacy." Duke faculty attendees were Clayton Alfonso, MD; Elizabeth Livingston, MD; and Meredith Hoover, MD. Resident participants were Kristen Carrillo-Kappus, MD, MPH; and Dayana Hernandez Calderon, MD. Duke University School of Medicine student Allie Schwalb also participated. The Duke delegation lobbied for bipartisan support for a sustainable plan to avert Medicare cuts, which have downstream effects on Medicaid and private fee schedules, Dr. Carrillo-Kappus noted, and swift passing of the bipartisan Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act. The physicians also discussed the importance of IVF and reproductive rights of patients in North Carolina. The group met with U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, U.S. Rep Valerie Foushee, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Sen. Ted Budd.
"Going into our meetings, we knew that a House vote was scheduled for the evening of March 5, and the House voted 382-12 to pass the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3838), which specifically is the bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes federal support for state-based committees that review pregnancy-related deaths to identify causes and make recommendations to prevent future mortalities," — Kristen Carrillo-Kappus, MD, MPH
Participants hold the following offices in ACOG:
- Dr. Livingston: District IV North Carolina Section Chair
- Dr. Alfonso: NC Section Vice Chair and NC Section Legislative Chair
- Dr. Hernandez Calderon: Junior Fellow NC Section Chair (role formerly held by Dr. Carrillo-Kappus)
