Department of Obstetrics / Gynecology
For information contact:
Paul Kearney, Residency Coordinator
Paul.kearney@mihs.org
Phone: (602) 344-5084
Elaine Hapner, Residency Administrative Coordinator
Elaine.hapner@mihs.org
Phone: (602) 344-5444
Sabrina Soto, Clerkship Coordinator
Sabrina.soto@mihs.org
Phone: (602) 344-5444
Blanca-Flor Jimenez, MAOM, CCRC
Clinical Research Coordinator
Blanca-flor_jimenez@medprodoctors.com
Phone: (602) 344-5439
Information
Click on a link below for information about the Department of Obstetrics / Gynecology:
For additional information about the Department of Obstetrics / Gynecology, email Paul Kearney: paul.kearney@hcs.maricopa.gov
Chairman's Comments
Our close "family" relationship is a hallmark of this program. We seek candidates who are bright, mature, sensitive, and happy - who desire the pursuit of excellence, possess dedication to patients, and the enjoyment of family life which we all cherish. Selection of a residency program is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. You owe it to yourself to ensure that you evaluate carefully, in each program, the aspects mentioned above.
Phoenix Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics & Gynecology


Residency Training Program - What is PIROG?
PIROG is the Phoenix Integrated Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, a four-year residency program, fully accredited by the ACGME that is integrated between two Medical Centers:
PIROG trains physicians to be capable of independent practice in our specialty, to be eligible for competitive fellowship programs, and to function as leaders in the community. The structure of our program allows the resident to gain experience by caring for service, non-profit, and private patient populations. Both institutions are committed to high quality post-graduate education and academic excellence. The Obstetrics Services at both hospitals combined have over 10000 deliveries per year (35% high risk). Both hospitals are tertiary care centers and receive maternal-transport patients. The large OB/GYN services are cared for by the full-time and parttime attending staff, our OB/GYN house-officers, Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine residents, Certified Nurse-Midwives, fourth-year medical students on elective rotations, and third-year medical students from the University of Arizona and Creighton University School of Medicine.
Resident's who graduate from our program have received surgical instruction and experience in patient care covering the entire spectrum of gynecology and obstetric practice. Our graduates are proficient in those areas outlined by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as the Residency Review Committee of the ACGME.
Program Overview
Our program is a collaborative effort of the Maricopa Integrated Health System (Maricopa Medical Center) and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
In addition, affiliations with the following institutions round out a program that provides the residency with a balanced experience encompassing managed care, private practice, critical care, ambulatory and primary/preventive care.
- University of Arizona Medical School
- Scottsdale Healthcare Shea
- Phoenix Baptist Hospital
- OB/GYN Consultants, Ltd.
- Fertility Treatment Center
- Banner Samaritan SurgiCenter
- Arizona Vulvar Clinic
- John C. Lincoln Health Network
- Banner Desert Samaritan Medical Center
- Valley Urogynecological Association
Phoenix Integrated Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology (PIROG) is a four-year residency, fully accredited by the ACGME. We are proud of our program's dedication to academic excellence, compassionate care, professional ethics and family/community values.
Maricopa Medical Center (MMC) is a 450 bed public hospital with OB suites, LDRs, Neonatal units, and Ambulatory Clinical Facilities. Two inpatient psychiatric facilities have a total of nearly 200 beds. The Maricopa Integrated Health System serves patients of lower economic means. Service is provided through a system of family health centers, and financial counselors support patients in determining their method of payment, including the Maricopa Health Plan, which is also part of the health care system.
St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center (SJH) the oldest hospital in Phoenix, AZ is a 576 bed private, non-profit hospital associated with Catholic Healthcare West. It also has recently renovated OB, LDR, and Neonatal units.
The structure of our program allows the resident to gain experience by caring for service, non-profit, and private patient populations. Both institutions are committed to high quality post-graduate education and academic excellence. The Obstetrics Services at both hospitals combined have over 10000 deliveries per year (35% high risk). Both hospitals are tertiary care centers and receive maternal-transport patients. The large OB/GYN services are cared for by the full-time and part-time attending staff, our OB/GYN house-officers, Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine residents, Certified Nurse-Midwives, fourth-year medical students on elective rotations, and third-year medical students from the University of Arizona on required OB/GYN clerkships.
Subspecialty and general OB/GYN outpatient clinics are held daily at each hospital. Routine antenatal care for MMC patients is provided at a network of neighborhood family health centers scattered throughout Maricopa County. These clinics are staffed by our community-based physicians and certified nurse-midwives, as well as our Academic faculty.
Overall Residency Concept
- Team” concept
- Continuity of care
- Mixture of private and resident care
- Graduated responsibility and authority
- Limited work hours (meets ACGME requirements)
- Combine exposure to primary care and subspecialties
What Makes PIROG Excellent?
- Combination of large public and large private hospital
- Ability to function with graded autonomy, but supervised
- Close working relationship with dedicated faculty
- Laparoscopic simulator in the department with year-specific curriculum and learning modules
Teaching Plan &Teaching Experience
Clinical competence and academic excellence are attained by giving graded responsibility to the resident through exposure to all areas of obstetrics and gynecology under the direct supervision of board certified specialists and sub-specialists present in the department 24 hours a day. There is a strong emphasis on teaching. Senior residents actively participate in mentoring junior residents. Faculty members direct learning through didactic, experiential, research, and small group and individual
- Friday morning (7-10 a.m.)
- Mortality & Morbidity conference
- Grand Rounds
- Didactic Lectures
- Journal Club (every month)
- Multi specialty conferences
- Tumor Board
- 24-hour in house attending supervision at both sites
- 22 full time teaching attendings
- Large community voluntary teach faculty
- Multiple areas of teaching/skills
- Endoscopic surgeries, colposcopy, urogynecology
- Domestic violence, perinatal substance abuse
- Ethics, genetics, reproductive technology, breast disease
Research
The Program Director and faculty support research and scholarly activity. Residents are introduced to research during their first year through a series of tutorials, self-directed learning, and one-on-one mentoring. The program has a research requirement of one scholarly project to be completed during the residency. Residents are required to develop a research protocol, and encouraged to present findings on local, regional, and national levels. Dean Coonrod, M.D., M.P.H. directs departmental and resident research projects. Opportunities to share research efforts with peers occur during monthly research conferences, Journal Club, and an annual Research Day. Click here to see what research activities faculty/residents are currently involved in.
Experiential Learning
The house-office training program with seven residents at each level spans four years. A night float system is used at both hospitals to insure compliance with ACGME duty hour regulations. During all four years the residents have responsibility for patients in community-based primary and continuity care clinics. Graded responsibility begins with building a strong foundation in care of normal women’s health and low risk obstetrics. As the resident gains knowledge and experience, responsibility for operative management, high risk and gynecologic health problems, and teaching & administrative duties are added.
The Post-Graduate Years
PGY I - During the first year of post graduate training in OB/GYN emphasis is placed on basic Gynecology and Obstetrics. The resident spends two blocks each in obstetrics, gynecology and night float, one block is spent in the ICU, Family Practice, and Emergency Medicine. In July the resident stays on service and spends two weeks at Maricopa and two weeks at St Josephs, this is to acclimate the resident to obstetrics and gynecology as well as the program residents and faculty. On other rotations the residents' time is divided between Maricopa and St. Joseph's Medical Centers.
PGY II - The second year consists of two blocks of obstetrics, one at MMC and one at SJH. Two blocks are dedicated to gynecology surgery; the block at SJH is on the gynecology-oncology service. Two blocks will be spent on night float, one at each hospital. The final block is high risk obstetrics at MMC.
PGY III - During the third year emphasis is placed on building a depth of knowledge and experience and further development of operative and clinical care management skills. This year is enhanced by opportunities to experience private practice as the resident spends time with subspecialist in their offices. The resident is first assist to the specialist at affiliated institutions, giving the resident an opportunity to experience more of the clinical medical community. The specific rotations are Urogynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and Gynecology Oncology. It is during this year when the resident may take an elective rotation, such as offsite rotations to subspecialty training sites.
PGY IV - Full responsibility for management of patients' care is given during this final year. The resident further develops skills in practice management and leadership. During the final year the residents gain experience in the following areas: Obstetrics at both MMC and SJH, Gynecology at both MMC and SJH, Gynecology-Oncology at SJH, night float at MMC and Flex rotation. During the private practice GYN rotation additional opportunities in gynecologic surgery at affiliated institutions are present, as well as time for simulation surgery and medical coding instruction.
Continuity Clinics
Continuity Clinics make up a vital part of our training. We prepare our residents to be primary care providers by having the continuity clinics situated within the Family Health Centers. By doing this, we stress learning the primary care of women by having generalist faculty be the teachers of this experience. These clinics occur one half day per week and are designed to include the exposure to obstetrics and gynecology as well as primary health care for women.
The Faculty
The OB/Gyn teaching faculty includes:
- 23 Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologists
- 7 Board Certified sub-specialists
- 4 Maternal and Fetal Medicine
- 1 Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
- 1 Gynecologic Oncology
- 1 Medical Genetics
- A number of Board Certified Obstetrical Anesthesiologists
More than 20 community-based adjunct faculty members provide a comprehensive, well-rounded resident education experience. Residents are trained in the ambulatory services of laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, laser surgery, colposcopy and urethroscopy. Other spheres of teaching cognitive and technical skills include Genetics, Domestic Violence, Perinatal Substance Abuse Care, Urodynamics, Reproductive Technology, Ethics, and Benign Breast Disease.
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R. Michael Brady, M.D., FACOG
Residency Program Director
University of Virginia School of Medicine |
Maria Manriquez, M.D., FACOG
Associate Residency Program Director
University of Arizona College of Medicine |
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Dean Coonrod, M.D., M.P.H., FACOG
Chairman, Department of Ob/Gyn-MIHS Director, Clinical OB/Gyn Research
University of Washington School of Medicine |
James Balducci, M.D., M.B.A, FACOG
Chair of Academic Affairs
Department of Ob/Gyn - SJH
North Shore University Hospital School of Medicine
University of Connecticut – MFM Fellowship |
General Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Paul Araiza, M.D., FACOG
- Jennifer Baumbach, M.D.
- Patricia A. Graham, M.D., FACOG
- David L. Greenspan, M.D., FACOG
- Patricia J. Habak, M.D., FACOG
- Joseph Hanss, M.D., FACOG
- Crista Johnson, M.D., FACOG
- James R. Mouer, M.D., FACOG
- Edward Nash, M.D., FACOG
- Adedayo Onibokun, M.D.
- Dana Porter, M.D., FACOG
- Walter A.C. Zuschke, M.D., FACOG
- Thomas Zheng, M.D., FACOG
Maternal Fetal Medicine and Genetics
- James Balducci, M.D., M.B.A, FACOG
- Richard Blumrick, M.D., FACOG
- Linda Chambliss, MD, MPH, FACOG
- Evan Taber, M.D., FACOG
- Greg Giannina, M.D. FACOG
- Joseph Harris, MD FACOG
Gynecology Oncology
- Ivor Benjamin, M.D., FACOG
- Bradley Monk, M.D., FACOG
Gynecology
Pathology
- David Greenspan, M.D., FACOG
- H. Dave’, M.D., FACOG
Urogynecology
- Paul W. Marshburn, M.D., FACOG
- Felipe Videla, M.D., FACOG
- Shazia Malik, MD FACOG
Advanced Gynecologic Surgery
- Michael Hibner, M.D., Ph.D., FACOG
- Nita Desai, M.D.
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
- H. Randall Craig, M.D., FACOG
- Daniel Rychlik, M.D., FACOG
- Ketan Patel, M.D., FACOG
Affiliated Health Care Specialist
- Tanya Barstow, CNM
- Connie Garcia, CNM
- Tammalynn Gaddam, CNM
- Suzanne Hanson, CNM
- Michelle Heymann, CNM
- Lucy Hosmer, CNM
- Arlene Karlin, CNM
- Yvonne Lamos, CNM
- Sue Liebherr, CNP
- Anita Martinez, CNM
- Lynn Repich, CNM
- Donna Tash, CNM
- Susan Yount, PHD,CNM,WHNP-BC,RN
Clinical Research
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Dean Coonrod, M.D., M.P.H., FACOG
- Robert Garfield, Ph.D
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Crista Johnson, M.D., FACOG
Application & Residency Selection
Appointments at the PGY I level are made through the National Resident Matching Program in the ERAS system. Application deadlines correspond to this system. Additionally, please send a letter from a house officer with whom you have worked in the emergency room, an ICU, or High Risk OB Service, which tells us about your performance "in the trenches."
Factors important in the resident selection process include:
- Academic qualifications
- Dependability, responsibility, maturity, courtesy, confidence
- Leadership skills
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Dedication to Women's Health
- Sense of humor and work ethic
General residency statistics:
- Approximate number of applicants per position - 25
- Approximate number of interviews offered per position - 10
- Percent of matched students who had "audition elective" - 11%
- Percent of grads who pursue private practice vs. academic medicine - 71%
Medical Student 4th Year Electives
Additional Information
Thank you for your interest in our residency program. If we can provide further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Any of the faculty would be pleased to answer questions which you may have.
For additional information, please contact:
R. Michael Brady, M.D.
Program Director
2601 East Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phone: (602) 344-5444
Email: rbrady2@chw.edu
Maria Manriquez, MD
Associate Program Director
Medical Student Clerkship Site Director
2601 East Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phone: (602) 344-5641
Email: Maria_Manriquez@medprodoctors.com
Last updated on
June 11, 2010