Duke Ob/Gyn is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarahn M. Wheeler, MD, MHSc, as interim division chief for maternal-fetal medicine. In addition to this new role, Dr. Wheeler will continue to serve as vice chair for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, medical director of Duke Perinatal Durham and director of the Duke Prematurity Prevention Program.
Dr. Wheeler is both a practicing clinician and a funded researcher focused on race disparities in obstetric outcomes. She recently was awarded a $3.16 million R01 grant titled “PROMOTE and TEACH Equity” to study interventions to improve maternal-infant health.
In addition to her roles at Duke, Dr. Wheeler is active on the state and national levels. She was selected to serve on the North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force on Maternal Health and is the immediate past chair of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Dr. Wheeler brings exceptional experience to her new role as division chief, in addition to great familiarity with the department that spans more than a decade. She completed her maternal-fetal medicine subspecialty training at Duke University in June of 2016, when she graduated from Duke Ob/Gyn’s fellowship program.
Among the many additional accomplishments to Dr. Wheeler’s credit:
- Recipient of a Duke Clinical and Translation Science Institute (CTSI) Community Engagement Core Population Health Improvement Award
- Recipient of a REACH Equity Award
- Alumna of the Duke ADVANCE-UP (Academic DeVelopment, Advocacy, Networking, Coaching and Education for Underrepresented Populations) Program