Sarahn M. Wheeler, MD, MHSc, has been appointed division chief of maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) and vice chair for faculty, for the Department of Ob/Gyn.
"Dr. Wheeler has served as interim division chief of MFM since March 2025 and has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in that capacity," noted Interim Department Chair Brenna Hughes, MD, MSc.
In addition to these new roles, Dr. Wheeler will continue to serve as vice chair for Culture, Engagement and Impact, 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” to study interventions to improve maternal-infant health.
Active in leadership roles at the state and national levels, Dr. Wheeler 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 for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Most recently, she was elected to the SMFM board of trustees, with her term beginning in February 2026.
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.