Steffen Christensen, MD, vice chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology; 2011 graduates Erik Hokenstad, Alexis Hilfer Hokenstad, Morgan Skalsky, Tamara Jacobson, and Kristin Streifel; Dennis Lutz, MD, chair of Obstetrics and Ggynecology; and SMHS Dean Joshua Wynne.

The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology was created in 1974 as required for expansion to a four-year doctor of medicine degree program.  Having just completed 25 years as the longest-serving clinical department chair in the history of the medical school, it is tempting to reflect on past accomplishments and the truly amazing progress achieved as a statewide, community-based rural institution. While proud of the past, educators focus on the present and constantly plan for the future.  Nothing looms larger for medicine than maintaining a world-class workforce and financing health care.  Politicians and economists struggle to solve the fiscal crisis as U.S. medical costs approach 20% of GNP. Medical schools and allied health programs will likewise be maximally challenged to train an adequate workforce for the future.

The specialty of obstetrics and gynecology is uniquely pivotal as the national health care debate rages for a surprising number of reasons.

1. There has been no net increase in Ob-Gyns trained since 1980, but during this time, the female population of the United States has grown by 26% and is expected to increase another 36% by 2050.
2. Unlike men, women regularly access the health care system from puberty to death, and most visit only an Ob-Gyn or see an Ob-Gyn in combination with another provider. The demand for access is already staggering and will increase.
3. Women make the majority of health care decisions in the United States—for themselves, their partners, their children, and, increasingly, for their aging parents.  Women drive the health care system and in doing so frequently consult their Ob-Gyn.