To the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology:

The Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health impacts the lives of our patients and our ability to deliver evidence-based care. We are grappling with the gravity of this landmark decision, and the blatant disregard for women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and access to comprehensive health care. These are core tenets of our professional, ethical and moral duties as obstetricians and gynecologists. Within this context, we write to you today as colleagues, many of whom intend to sit for the oral board exam this fall. We implore the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology to con2n. K8vert this year’s exam to a virtual format.

The state of Texas has severely restricted access to abortion and has allowed private citizens to take legal action against anyone suspected of assisting or performing terminations. Moreover the recent incidents of rising was violence in Texas, also poses a grave concern for us.   Mandating travel to the state poses an unacceptable risk to our personal safety. The ACGME requires Ob/Gyn trainees to have experience with abortion and its complications. As such, many board-eligible Ob/Gyns have abortions on our case lists, particularly those that center family planning in their practice. Due to the “aid and abet'' clause included in SB8, we may be targeted for legal or political retribution. Second, travel to Texas directly jeopardizes the health and well-being of our pregnant colleagues. Should any pregnancy-related complications occur while in Texas, the full range of evidence-based management options are prohibited by law. This is an unconscionable risk. Moreover, complacency on this matter is incongruent with the tenets of our field, and directly conflicts with the stance of our societies including ACOG, SMFM, SFP, ASRM, and AUGS.

In addition to these fundamental reasons, it is also hard for us to bear the financial burden of traveling and boarding. Given the current state of inflation and economic challenges of being a medical trainee are further important reasons why we are advocating for virtual exams. Lastly, as we all know, virtual exams are least disruptive to clinical workflow at our respective institutions and to our personal lives as well.

In this vein, continuing to have in-person examinations in Texas is impractical and risks egregious and irreparable harm for both examinees and potentially board examiners.

Furthermore, since the COVID pandemic, ABOG has successfully certified candidates over the past three years without in-person examinations. The virtual format seems to have worked in the past, and it is more in line with how the society functions today.  

 We see no justifiable reason to mandate in-person oral board exams in a state that restricts basic health care of pregnant people and whose laws encourage vigilante targeting of physicians who perform abortions. Additionally, the risks of travel, financial burdens, gun violence and disruption of clinical workflow are not justified when a virtual alternative is sufficient. We look to you, as leaders in our field, to recognize the gravity of the Supreme Court decisions as it relates to certification requirements in our field. Abortion is essential healthcare, and a central aspect of the health and safety of our patients and examinees. We urge you to heed the call to convert to a virtual oral examination, and we thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Respectfully,

Samantha DeAndrade, MD, MPH

Daniel Lieberman, MD

Christopher Hong, MD

Julie Suyama, MD, PhD

Whitney Thomas, MD, MS

Susan Wherley, MD

Kathryn Coyne, MD

Divya Dethier, MD, Complex Family Planning fellow

Stephanie Alimena, MD

Anna Vanderhoff, MD

Ronan Sugrue, MD, MPH

Taylor Freret, MD

Rehan Feroz, DO

Hadi Ramadan, MD

Zachary Walker, MD

Anjali Mitra, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine fellow

Amy Schumer, MD

Adina Schwartz, MD

Leah Roberts, MD

Pranavi Vemuri, MD

Laura Carlton, MD

Elise Morocco, MD

Jennifer Sternberg, MD

Kimeshia Thomas, MD

Megan Antonetti, MD, Complex Family Planning Fellow

Shilpi Agrawala, MD

Danielle Vuncannon, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow

Alyssa Nathan, MD

Pamela Peters, MD

Virginia-Arlene Go, MD

Shelley Dolitsky, MD

Karine Matevossian, DO

Nina Durchfort Metcalfe, MD, MS

Emily Spurlin, MD

Fatima Jibrel, MD

Molly Kornfield, MD

Angela Hui-Chia Liu, MD

Carleigh Nesbit, DO

Lee Ouyang, MD

Megan Sax, MD

Alexandra Szczupak, MD

Rachel Mandelbaum MD

Scott Hoffmann, MD, ScM

Jacqueline Sánchez, MD

Alexandra García, MD

Douglas Timmons MD, MPH

Janelle Santos MD

Erin Dressel MD, MPH

Katherine McDaniel MD

Ijeoma Iko, MD

Anna Dukhovich, MD

Tony Grandelis, MD

Meredith Wise, MD

Hannah Chapman,MD

Katherine Wang, MD

Kirsten Devin, MD

Paige Martin, MD

Bianca Falcone, MD

Meisje Burton, MD

Matthew A. Shear, MD

Madeline Eells, MD

Elizabeth Clain, MD

Jill Miller MD

Elena Pellicer, MD

Elizabeth Evans, MD

Susan Lang, MD

Abby Stork, MD

Hayley Miller, MD

Lisa Shandley, MD, MSc

Huma Farid, mD

Jill Hagey, MD, MPH

Vivienne Meljen, MD

Anthony Rizzo, MD, MS

Lauren Engler, MD

Shelun Tsai, MD

Taylor Norton, MD Minimally invasive surgery fellow

Addison Alley, MD Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellow

Natasha Makarova, MD

Tony Canestraro, MD

Pavan Gill, MD

Jessica DiSilvestro, MD

Mackenzy Radolec, MD

Jasmyn Johal, MD

Johanna Kelley, MD

Camila Cabrera, MD

Shaida Molloy, MD

Heather Madden, MD

Angie DeGrio, MD

Jared Sander, MD

Melanie Ma, MD

Lindsey Stoycheff, DO

Sruthi Sakamuri, MD

Kristine Miller, MD

Ashley Murillo, MD

Olivia Harris, MD

Carmel Bellacose, MD

Kacie Rounds, MD

Marie Boller, MD

Racquel Carranza-Chahal, MD

Alicia Hitch, MD

Adrienne Werth, MD

Nayla Kazzi, MD

Ipsita Ghose, DO

Sarah Bell, MD

Elena Siani, MD

Ghamar Bitar, MD

Christina Lam, MD

Alexandria Kragje, MD

Michael Strug, DO, PhD

Kelly Bogaert, MD

Claire Spellman, MD

Sarah Forrest, MD, MPH

Stephanie W. Zuo, MD

Michaela Heller, MD

Erica Carballo, MD

Rachel Wood, MD

Elyse Pertot, MD

Bijal Parikh, MD Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow

 Bakkensen, MD

Jenny S. George, MD

Katherine Peng, MD

Tiffany Sia, MD

Sbaa Syeda, MD

Erin McCreary, MD

Laura J. Hampel, MD

Maren Shapiro, MD

Alisha T. Tolani, MD

Nipun Verma, MD

Eduardo Hariton, MD, MBA

Ange Wang, MD

Ashley Kim, MD

Megan Abrams, MD, MPH

Nicole M. Marchetto, MD, MPH

Prachi Godiwala, MD

Pamela Smith, MD

Seifeldin Sadek MD

Alexander A. Berger MD, MPH

Alice Abernathy, MD

Debra Aharon, MD

Molly Eckman, MD

Prerna Pandya, MD

Tanya Glenn, MD

Vi Duong, MD

Renita Kim, MD, MPH

 Wolf, MD

Colleen Miller, MD

Jacqueline Bissonette, MD

Deborah Levy, MD

Alexa Morrison, MD

Abigail Liberty, MD, MSPH Family Planning Fellow

Roni Nitecki MD, MPH

Jay M. Littlefield II, MD

Himabindu Reddy, MD, MPH

Shweta Desai, MD

Caiyun Liao, MD, MPH

Emily Kintzer, MD

Catherine Gordon, MD

Katherine Ryken, MD

Joseph Ottolenghi, MD

Anita Bonsu Jones, MD

Jocelyn Fitzgerald, MD, FACOG, FPMRS

Arina Chesnokova, MD, MPH

Natasha Kumar, MD

Arthurine Zakama, MD

Aleksandra Polic, MD

Juliana Bakk, MD

 Cate, MD

Jenny Mei, MD

Smita Carroll, MD, MBA

Ariel Trilling, MD

Misha Pangasa, MD, FACOG

M. Shea O’Brien, MD

Lauren Verrilli MD, MSCI

Lindsay Poston, MD

Constants Adams, MD

Aparna Ramaseshan, MD

Amanda Gittelman, DO

Caroline Cox, MD

Phillip Romanski, MD, MSc

Lauren Reschke, MD

Caitlin Martin, MD

Jaimin Shah, MD

Leilah Zahedi-Spung, MD, FACOG

Pietro Bortoletto, MD, MSc, FACOG

Jessica Sassani, MD, FACOG

Michal A. Elovitz, MD, FACOG

Sandy Huynh, MD

Tiffany Wang, MD

Meghan McMahon, MD

Ian C Fields, MD, MCR, FACOG

Ryan Shields, MD, FACOG

Esther S. Han, MD, MPH, FACOG

Cara Heuser, MD, FACOG

Nicole Roselli, MD, MBA, FACOG

Kathryn J. Gray, MD PhD, FACOG

Karissa C Hammer MD, FACOG

Joseph A DeMari, MD

Whitney Clearwater, MD, MPH, FACOG

Ramsey Larson, MD

Rafael Gonzalez, MD

Holly Mehr MD, MSEd, FACOG

Jaclyn M. Muñoz, MD

Jenna Kahn, MD

Nisha Garg, MD, MS, FACOG

Tiana Guillaume, MD

Nancy Ringel, MD, MS, FACOG

Eung-Mi Lee, MD

Christina Mitchell, MD, FACOG

Alexis Newmark, MD

Stephanie Chung, MD

Danielle Krause, MD

Aaron Praiss, MD

Katherine D Pocius, MD, MPH

Anne Erickson, MD

Haley Moss, MD, MBA, FACOG

Arielle Gire-Dumas, MD

Amy B. Lasky, MD, FACOG  

Odessa Hamidi, MD, FACOG

Iris T. Lee, MD

Olga Corazón Irizarry, MD

Zoe LaPier, MD, MPH

Alec Szlachta-McGinn, MD

Arpit Davé, MD

Erin Tracy Bradley, MD, MPH

Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, FACOG

Beth Cronin, MD, FACOG

Iyanna Liles, MD, FACOG

Sarah Dolisca, MD, MPH

Melissa H. Lippitt, MD, MPH, FACOG

Erin Cleary, MD, FACOG

Carolina Bibbo, MD

Marielle E. Meurice, MD

Bianca Rivas, MB, MBA

Lauren Sutherland, MD

Amanda B. Rostkowski, MD, PhD, FACOG

Catherine Hennessey, MD

Adelheid U Brandenberger, MD

Jill McDonnell, MD

Kristin Cutler, MD

Caitlin Hamilton, MD

Haley Schroeder, MD

Noah Rindos, MD

Andrea Rincon, MD

Melissa Collard, MD

Allison Serra, MD, MPH

Jennifer Katz Eriksen, MD, MSc, FACOG

Mariam Diskina, MD

Shakeela Faulkner, MD

Bianca Stifani, MD, MPH, FACOG

Arame Thiam Diouf, MD

Tamika Martin, MD

Sarp Aksel, MD

Melissa Soltero, MD, MPH

Stewart Barlow, MD

Margaret R. Chou, MD, FACOG

Sara Ghayouri, MD

Anastasiya Holubyeva, MD

Arielle H. Bayer, MD, FACOG

Rachel High, DO, FACOG

Joan Tymon-Rosario, MD

Nicole Edison, MD, FACOG

Brian Gordon, MD

Matthew Givens, MD

Sarah Eckhardt, MD         

Wendy Medina, MD, FACOG

Kimia Menhaji, MD, FACOG

Kerac Falk, MD, FACOG

Ashlee Schlesier, MD

Melissa Wong, MD, FACOG

Lesley Meister, MD, FACOG

Rebecca Adami, MD, FACOG

Serena Liu, MD

Hannah Palm, MD

Casey Sautter, MD, FACOG

Nina Vyas, MD

Daniel Ginn, DO, MPH, FACOG

Zoe Athens, MD

Tesia Kim, MD

Bridgette Wamakima, MD

Giuliana Rivera Casul, MD

Cory B. French, MD

Kerry Campbell, MD

Alisa B. Goldberg, MD, MPH, FACOG

Gretchen Makai, MD, FACOG

Eilean Attwood, MD, MPH, FACOG

Elizabeth Robison, MD

Lisa Dabney, MD, FACOG

Chelsea Manning, MD

Aletheia Millien, MD

Daniel Kuhr, MD

Anne Hardart, MD

K’ara Locke, MD

Tiffany Deihl, MD

Molly Levine, MD

Nakyda Dean, MD

Janice Tildon-Burton,MD, FACOG

Elizabeth Shy, MD

Christine Feigal, MD, FACOG

Siri Holton, MD

Kari P. Braaten, MD, MPH, FACOG

Mali Schneiter, DO

Jennifer Narvaez, MD

James Wang, MD, FACOG

Heather Link MD, MPH, FACOG

Michelle Schroeder, MD

Ashleigh Bouchelion MD PhD

Ijeoma Agu, MD

Eva Reina, MD

Amita Kulkarni, MD

Cecilia Zhang, DO

Marcus V. Ortega, MD, FACOG

Kristie Lou, MD

Danielle Prentice, DO, FACOG

Maureen French, MD

Jasmine Ebott, MD

Kirthika Vijayakumar, DO

Mary Louise Kiernan, MD

Alice Lee, MD

Jaimie Huntly MD, FACOG

Sudarshan Mohan, MD

Daniela Febres-Cordero, MD

Marissa Palmor, MD

Megan Yuen, MD

Sarah Martinez, MD

Bertille Gaigbe-Togbe, MD, FACOG

Tyler Lueck, MD

Tara Hood, DO

Angela Dao, MD

Inga Brown, MD

Kristie Sutton, MD

Kathryn Fay MD, MSCI, FACOG

Emily Barker, MD

Esther Kim, MD, MPH

Michelle R. de Vera, MD, FACOG

Niloufar Ahmad, MD, FACOG

David Toffey, MD

Sara Vrabec, MD

Kelsey White, MD

Amanda Morgan, MD

Nicholas Rockefeller, MD, FACOG

Elizabeth Mazzone, MD

Guillermina Lexie Morales, MD, FACOG

Emma Balfanz, MD

Lauren Scott, DO

Emily Lee, MD

Catherine Molly Platt, MD, MPH

Sarah Sears, MD

Laura Moylan, MD, FACOG

Matthew K. Hoffman, MD, FACOG

Pamela Fairchild, MD, FACOG

Sarah Lassey, MD

Lynsa Nguyen, MD

Eduardo Garcia, MD

Shivani Murarka, MD

Alex Rosenthal, MD, ScM

Geeta K. Swamy, MD

Samantha Truong, MD

Mary V. Baker, MD, MBA

Whitney K. Hendrickson, MD

Faina Gelman-Nisanov MD, FACOG

Audrey Merriam, MD, MS

Janeine Tiu Basconcillo MD

Vivian Emengo, MD

Sharon Kim, MD

Amanda King, MD

Alexa Calfee, MD, MPH

David Nelson, MD

James Nitti, MD, FACOG

Jia Jennifer Ding, MD

Natasha Irving, MD, MPH

Sarah Baumgarten MD, PhD

Glenn Markenson MD

Marissa Palmor, MD, MBE

Alexandra Belcher-Obejero-Paz, MD, MPH

Elisabeth Stark, MD

Anne Banfield, MD

Hattie Pearson, DO

Courtney Ritchie, MD

Kristen Waterbury, MD

Nivia Acosta, MD FACOG

Nischelle Kalakota, MD

Isabel Janmey, MD, MPH

Mallory Kremer, MD

Lisa Engel MD

Brock Polnaszek MD

Benjamin Pifer, MD

Miriam Estin, MD, PhD

Virginia Watkins MD

Abigail Burns, MD, FACOG

Elizabeth Hoffman, MD

Lauren Nicola-Ducey, MD

Alexis Bridges, DO

Rachel Budker, MD

Alison B. Dick, MD

Steffanie Wright, MD, MPH, MS

Rauvynne Sangara, MD

Anna Zdroik, DO

Christana Ajewole, MD

Luu Ireland, MD, MPH

Erica Holland, MD

Dana McKee, MD

Andrew Rivara, MD

Kelsey Pinson, MD

Jennie Choi, MD

Katherine Kurnit, MD MPH, FACOG

Jacqueline Nichols, MD

Marguerite L Bartholomew, MD, FACOG, Maternal Fetal Medicine

Danielle Carr, MD

Ashley Navarro, MD, MPH

Amanda Pham MD, FACOG

Catherine Albright, MD, MS, FACOG

Danielle Westenberg, MD

Setul Pardanani, MD, FACOG

Kiger Lau, MD

Shefali Pathy, MD, MPH, FACOG

Marieme Mbaye, MD

Melissa Counihan, MD, FACOG

Sarah Henkel, MD

Katherine Dorsett, MD

Kevin Saiki, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow

Caroline Hoke, MD

Mary Duarte Thibault, MD

Rona Ding, MD

Oyenmwen J. Inneh, MD

Alejandro Gómez-Viso, MD

Lindsay Robinson, MD

Meghan Yamasaki, DO, FACOG

Josephine Doo, MD

Trang X. Pham, MD

Radhika Patnam, MD, FACOG

Sarah J Vincent MD, MPH

India Pappas, MD

Michael Broyles, MD, MS

Jaime Michaelson, MD

Shannon M. Wentworth, MD, MS

Erin Swor, MD

Blake Zwerling, MD, MSc, Complex Family Planning fellow

Lynne Bartholomew Goltra, MD

Catherine Brooker, MD

Rahul D’Mello, MD, PhD

Ann Jun Song, MD

Karen Hsu, MD

Anne Tjaden, MD

Danielle Ogez, MD, MPP

Kimberley Chiu, MD

Emily Freeman DO, MA, MS

Christina Buchanan, MD

Ashley Goreshnik, MD

Katherine Garfield, MD

Leighann A. Black, MD

Meghana Limaye, MD

Caitlin MacGregor, MD

Jessica Meyer, MD

Jenna Silverstein, MD

Desmond Sutton, MD

Kimberly Kilfoyle, MD

Catherine Beatty, MD

Laurie Doyon, DO

Jessica Morgan, MD

Ann Borders, MD, MPH, MSc

Melissa M Ethier, MD

David Ouyang, MD

Romeo Lucas, DO

Marika Osterbur Badhey, MD, PhD

Abigail Otto, MD

Caitlin Baptiste, MD

Carl Otto, MD

Cristina Zottola, MD

Saba Berhie, MD

Alex Pizzutillo, MD

Samantha Hayes, MD

Kitsa Catherine Kondylis, MD

Ashley Molina, MD

Eric Brownhill, MD, PhD

Catherine Kirby Tanner Lurtz, MD

Andrea Victoria Faraci, MD

Tamarin McCartin, DO, MBA, FACOG

Shehzeen Kamil, MD

Giselle Zornberg, MD

Noelle Breslin, MD, FACOG

Timothy Wen, MD, MPH

Devin Smith, MD, FACOG

Charita L. Roque, MD, MPH

Beryl Manning-Geist, MD

Holly L. Olson, MD, MACM, FACOG

Ann Chang, MD, MPH, FACOG

Amythis Soltani, MD

Melanie Peters, MD, MPH

Michael Richley, MD

Riza Bueser, MD

Renae Shibata, MD

Andres Reig, MD - REI Fellow

Davina Franco, MD

Julia Youssef, MD

Michelle DenAdel, MD

March Thompson, MD

Pamela Estrada, MD

Gabrielle Alexander, MD

James R. Stewart, DO

Keri-Lee Garel, MD

Katherine F. Chaves, MD

Joseph Chen, MD

Y. Frances Fei, MD

Olga Fajardo, MD

Mark Hiraoka, MD, MSCR, FACOG

Elizabeth Morgan MD, MFM

Pameela Bisram, MD

Joan Tankou, MD

Audrey Jaeger, MS, DO

Susannah Koch, MD

Rachel Eliason, MD

Chaarushi Ahuja, MD

Annemieke Wilcox, MD

Sarah Nathan, MD

Kristine Strickland, MD, FACOG

Hannah Roseberry, MD

Jennifer Milosavljevic, MD

Jennifer LaBudde, MD

Sydney Thomson, MD, FASA

Jennifer Doorey, MD, MS, FACOG

Joyce Wang, MD

Gita Byraiah, MD, MHS

Leah Henke, MD

Elizabeth Zamore, DO

Allison Saiz, MD, MS

Kelly Yamasato, MD

Erin Bailey, MD, MS

Laura Hanks, MD

Grace Bundens, MD

Bliss Kaneshiro MD, MPH, FACOG

Erin inman, MD

Amy R Harrington, MD, FACOG

Erinma Ukoha, MD, MPH

Elizabeth Bard-Henke, MD, FACOG

Irina Cassimatis, MD, MSc, FACOG

Blair Dina, MD, MPH, FACOG

Anna Barbi, DO, FACOG

Jennifer Black, MD

Omar Mesina, MD

Alissa Carver, MD, FACOG

Kate Meriwether, MD, FACOG

Marla Scott, MD

Meagan Campol Haynes, MD, MPH, FACOG

Stephanie Peace, MD

Nicole Pebley, MD

Melissa Markowitz, MD

Anna Granat, MD, FACOG

Devi Rastogi, MD

Meghan Ozcan, MD, FACOG