MEDS-450: OB/GYN: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Instructor: Sharon A. Winer M.D. M.P.H.
Professor of Clinical OB/GYN and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI)
Co-Director of the Gynecologic Endocrinology (REI) Clinic
University of Southern California (USC), Keck School of Medicine
Phone: 310-274-9100
Email: winer@usc.edu
Instructor’s Office Hours: By appointment only. Please call or email.
Class Location & Time: Fall. TBD.
Course Overview/Description: Obstetrics and Gynecology represents a large and important segment of
the entire health care field and straddles the realms of both medicine and surgery for
women. Traditionally, women's health has received less funding and less attention from clinical
investigators - resulting in a knowledge and data gap for over half of the population. This course
exposes students to the practical realities of modern obstetric and gynecology practice from the point of
view of practicing surgeon scientists at USC.
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to
demonstrate a working knowledge of:
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Basic menstrual cycle physiology and anatomy needed in order to understand clinical women’s
health issues
Current status of contraception, conception, and infertility management
Selected reproductive issues facing the aging female population
Pregnancy, normal labor and the pregnancy impact of medical diseases and genetic testing
Sexually transmitted infections: epidemiology, prevention, and management
Social, cultural and public health challenges of various women’s health issues
The prevalence, contributing causes and status of common women's cancers
Bioethical challenges and decision making in women's health
Course Topics:
1. a. Introduction - Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health (specialty/ primary care,
prevention/ treatment, surgery/ medicine, individual care /public health )
b. Overview of course topics
c. Reproductive Anatomy and The Menstrual Cycle, a fifth vital sign which can reflect many diseases.
2. Enhancing Fertility: conception, infertility, IVF and egg freezing
3. Preventing Fertility: contraception and abortion
4. STD overview: epidemiology, prevention and treatment
5. HPV, immunization and cancer
6.a. Preconception care and counseling, prenatal testing for fetal genetic disorders
b. Lifestyle effects on women's health and pregnancy; nutrition, physical activity, weight/obesity,
tobacco, alcohol, drugs
7. Pregnancy and Normal labor (possible session with models)
8. The impact of maternal disease on pregnancy: HIV, diabetes, hypertension, obesity
9. Gynecologic surgery and the evolution to Minimally Invasive Surgery and robotics (also comments on
common female surgeries done by other specialties - breast implants/reconstruction/liposuction...
Description of some common women's pathology such as fibroids and endometriosis
10. Interpersonal violence -sexual assault, intimate partner violence, Ecstasy
11. Women's cancers: breast, ovarian, uterine, lung and review of cervical CA
12. Women's issues with aging: heart disease, menopause, osteoporosis
13. Cultural awareness and sensitivity in women’s health care - in middle class, underserved and global
populations (transgender, incarcerated women, global practices e.g. labial cutting)
14. Professionalism and Bioethics: Major Challenges in Reproduction Health
Course Readings/General References:
Comprehensive Gynecology, Sixth Edition
Gretchen M. Lentz, Roger A. Lobo, David M Gershenson, and Vern L. Katz
c. 2012 by Mosby, an imprint of Elsevier
Te Linde's Operative Gynecology
John Rock et al
c.2008 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Williams Obstetrics, Twenty-Third Edition
F. Gary Cunningham, Kenneth J. Leveno, Steven L. Bloom, John C. Hauth, Dwight J. Rouse, Catherine Y.
Spong
c. 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Williams Gynecology, Second Edition
Barbara L. Hoffman, John O. Schorge, Joseph I. Schaffer, Lisa M. Halvorson, Karen D. Bradshaw, F. Gary
Cunningham, Lewis E. Calver
c. 2012, by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
ACOG (American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology) "patient topics" at http://www.acog.org
ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) Fact sheets at
http://www.asrm.org/FactSheetsandBooklets/
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) at http://www.cdc.gov/
NIH (National Institutes of Health) at http://health.nih.gov/
PubMed Central at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to Dr. Lew as early in
the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include
the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will
be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own
academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All
students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook,
contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in
Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the
Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any
suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/studentaffairs/SJACS/..
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity:
In case of emergency, and travel to campus is difficult, USC executive leadership will announce an
electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a combination of
Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies. Instructors should be prepared to assign students
a "Plan B" project that can be completed at a distance. For additional information about maintaining
your classes in an emergency please access: http://cst.usc.edu/services/emergencyprep.html
Please activate your course in Blackboard with access to the course syllabus. Whether or not you use
Blackboard regularly these preparations will be crucial in an emergency. USC's Blackboard learning
management system and support information is available at blackboard.usc.edu.