The Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai West

The Fellowship Program in the Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at Mount Sinai West prepares participants to become fully qualified clinicians in the subspecialty, to develop the ability to pursue an academic career, and to improve the health care of women and their developing fetuses and infants. The three-year program, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialty Board of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, enrolls one new fellow each year. The fellowship includes 12 months of research spaced over the duration of the program and clinical rotations designed to build competency, expertise, and independence in clinical decision making.

The program offers a wealth of opportunity for our fellows to become experts in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies, working side-by-side with accomplished maternal-fetal medicine faculty. The Division of MFM is expected to oversee the obstetrical care of more than 6,000 deliveries in 2024. This represents a diverse social, economic, ethnic, racial and cultural patient population, of which 30 to 40 percent are at high risk for problems in pregnancy and birth. Our highly trained and experienced MFM faculty is adept at supporting these women through their pregnancies and achieving favorable outcomes.

Our MFM fellowship provides comprehensive training in all aspects of maternal-fetal medicine, inclusive of training in the following areas:

  • Clinical management of high-risk and complicated pregnant patients
  • Management of pregnancies with complicated fetal issues, inclusive of fetal diagnosis and therapy
  • Training in invasive procedures (amniocentesis, CVS, PUBS, multifetal reduction, etc.)
  • Ultrasound and fetal echocardiography
  • Genetics
  • Clinical and basic science research

Curriculum

You will develop your clinical skills by working with faculty members as a team to manage patients and will have a key role in supervising and training both residents and medical students.

During the clinical rotations, you will work hand-in-hand with the faculty in managing inpatient and outpatient obstetrics services, including labor and delivery, antepartum in-patient units, high-risk patient clinics, prenatal genetic and human teratology clinics, and the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program. You will receive one-on-one guidance in ultrasonography and invasive procedures in the Maternal-Fetal Evaluation Unit and in the hospital, including the operating room and labor and delivery unit. Clinical training also includes rotations in various disciplines, as well as electives that are geared to your individual interests. Electives may include fetal echo, fetal echocardiology, fetal surgery, obstetric anesthesia, neonatal intensive care, infectious diseases, and medical intensive care.

Our formal comprehensive educational program consists of seminars, conferences and didactic lectures. Examples of current educational activities are:

  • Daily Labor Floor Rounds and Antepartum Rounds
  • Interdisciplinary MFM, NICU, and Genetics Meeting
  • Weekly Fellow Lecture Seminars
  • Monthly Fetal Echocardiology Lectures
  • Weekly Obstetrics Topic Review for Residents on L&D
  • Weekly Patient Quality and Safety Rounds
  • Weekly Grand Rounds
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine Journal Club
  • Weekly Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division Meeting

Research

The fellowship program draws upon the research experience of the MFM and affiliated clinical and basic science faculty at Mount Sinai West. Many are nationally recognized, with long and successful research track records. These faculty members serve as mentors, stimulating fellows to excel in all areas, including broad-based laboratory or clinical research. They guide MFM fellows through the research process, and provide sufficient protected time to complete the research projects.

During your research blocks, you have the opportunity to become familiarized with the research initiatives and opportunities at the departmental and institutional level. In doing so, you can pursue focused areas of interest, ultimately leading to research proposals that are reviewed by the MFM division and carried out under the guidance of your mentor.

We expect you to present your findings at national and international professional meetings and to publish your research in peer review journals.

Our Faculty

Our maternal-fetal medicine faculty has an integral role in educating, training, and supervising the research of the fellows.

Our Fellows

PGY7
Olivia M. Grubman, MD, MPH
Residency: Mount Sinai West, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Medical School: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Union College

PGY6
Thomas Owens, MD
Residency: University of Illinois Chicago
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: Georgetown College

PGY5
Mia Heiligenstein MD
Residency: Stony Brook University Hospital
Medical School: University of Wisconsin Medical School
Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin

Incoming:
Xiteng Yan, MD
Residency: Mount Sinai South Nassau
Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley

How to Apply

Individuals interested in the MFM Fellowship Program at Mount Sinai West must apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our faculty committee will review your application. If selected for an interview, our interviews are held in July and August.