Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship

USA Health physicians perform a C-Section

Physicians perform a C-section at USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital.

 

Learn more about residencies and fellowships at the University of South Alabama and life on the Gulf Coast.

Welcome Message

We offer a remarkable experience for our fellows and are looking for candidates who will continue to provide care to underserved and/or rural populations after training and improve health outcomes. Our fellowship is provided in the blended context of academic and rural medicine. USA Health is the only academic health center in lower Alabama and includes USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, which has the only level III neonatal intensive care unit in the region. Andalusia Health, our partner hospital, is Covington County’s primary provider of full range obstetrical care.

 

▼   About Us

The USA Health Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship in Mobile, Alabama, is an evolving training program for family medicine physicians that began in July 2022. The fellowship provides trainees with a tailored and comprehensive 12-month educational experience with robust obstetrics training in both urban and rural settings. Fellows will receive instruction in OB ultrasound, including the use of telehealth, cesarean-section training, advanced obstetrics, prenatal care (including at-risk pregnancies), and gynecological procedures. The one-year program accepts up to two fellows each year from accredited residency programs in family medicine. 

▼   Current and Past Fellows

Current Fellows

Kayla Arthur, DO

Kayla Arthur, D.O.
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University
Residency: East Tennessee State University Bristol Family Medicine 

Stefanie Sippl, MD

Stefanie Sippl, MD
Medical School: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Residency: University of Wisconsin at Madison Family Medicine and Community Health

Past Fellows

Rachel Engle, M.D.

Rachel Mendoza, M.D.
Medical School: Ponce Health Sciences University
Residency: University of Kansas School of Medicine at Via Christi

Olivia Johnson, M.D.

Olivia Johnson, M.D.
Medical School: East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine
Residency: University of Kansas School of Medicine at Via Christi

 

▼   Program Highlights
  • Strong university-based program, with training in both urban and rural hospitals.
  • Program affiliated with USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, 152 beds, with more than 2,400 deliveries per year; and Andalusia Health, with approximately 300 deliveries per year, located in rural Alabama.
  • Community-based partnership with Evergreen Family Medical and Franklin Primary Health Center to deliver prenatal care. 
  • Fellows have the opportunity to perform 70-100 C-sections, 85-plus vaginal deliveries, 10-20 tubal ligations; postpartum tubals, perineal laceration repairs, deliveries, D&Cs, IUD insertions, endometrial biopsies and colposcopies.
  • Dedicated family medicine and OB-GYN faculty who are accessible and committed to your education, providing both clinical supervision and expertise, as well as rewarding mentorship. 
▼   Curriculum Overview

Labor and Delivery

  • The inpatient service will be at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital and at least four months of operative obstetric care at a rural Alabama hospital, Andalusia Health.

Clinic

  • Family medicine clinic (½ day every week): providing maternal and newborn care to own panel of patients at the Andalusia Health clinics while on rural rotations.
  • Prenatal clinic in Evergreen (1 day every other week); time is spent providing prenatal care at Evergreen Family Medical | Franklin Primary Health Center in Evergreen, AL
  • Selective time that rotates (examples include MFM clinic, OB ultrasound, D&C and LEEP in OR, Colpo clinic, family planning clinic, Antepartum service)
     

USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital

USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital

 

USA Health Strada Patient Care Center

USA Health Strada Patient Care Center

 

USA Clinic Locations (Mobile, AL)

  • Outpatient OB/GYN clinic will take place at the Center for Women’s Health | Strada Patient Care Center 
  • Outpatient management of high-risk pregnancies with USA Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Center for Women’s Health | Strada Patient Care Center
  • Gynecology blocks will take place at USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Center for Women’s Health | Strada Patient Care Center

Didactics

  • Blocked time for weekly didactics with faculty and rural physicians will cover textbook reading assignments supplemented with corresponding ACOG practice bulletins and committee opinions
  • Participation in and leading of hands-on simulations
  • Monthly Journal Club 
  • Continuing medical education reimbursement
  • ALSO course; NRP course; advanced ultrasound course
  • ½ day of administrative time; periodically present a topic to residents on service or at-large depending on scheduling 

Sample 4-Week Block Schedule

Required Block Rotation  Number of Block(s)
Labor and Delivery  3
Gynecology 1
High-Risk Obstetrics  1
Rural Rotation (Labor and Delivery) 4
Elective (flexible rotation) 1.5
Night Float  1
Ultrasound 1
▼   Application Information

We are excited that you have chosen to further your training in Family Medicine Obstetrics and look forward to reviewing your application to our fellowship program. We will begin accepting applications Aug. 1. Applications are reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. Email Jenna James, program manager, to request an application.

Return the completed application along with your:

  • Board certificate, if applicable
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • USMLE or COMLEX Scores
  • In-Training Exam Scores
  • OB and GYN procedure logs
  • Personal statement describing your interest in the program and future career goals
  • Residency certificate, if complete
  • Medical License
  • Two letters of support, including one from your current Program Director and one from an OB-GYN physician who has direct knowledge of your clinical OB skills is advisable.
▼   Eligibility 

To qualify for the USA Health Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship, you must:

  • Hold a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree
  • Have completed a three-year family medicine residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
  • Hold or be eligible for an Alabama medical license
  • Hold or be eligible for board certification
  • Have a valid Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration Number that allows you to write prescriptions

Please note that USA Health doesn’t sponsor visas for this fellowship. Two positions are open every year, with preference given to recent family medicine residency graduates.

▼   Contact Information

Please email any inquiries regarding the fellowship or to request an application to Jenna James at jmjames@health.southalabama.edu.

USA Health Department of Family Medicine
Strada Patient Care Center
1601 Center Street, 2N
Mobile, AL 36604
Clinic: 251-434-3475 | Residency Office: 251-434-3484 

USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital
1700 Center St.
Mobile, AL 36604

Monroe County Hospital 
2016 South Alabama Ave.
Monroeville, AL 36460