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Joaquin Santolaya, MD, and Kolawole Olayinka Oyelese, MD, Join

the College of Medicine at

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

 

Memphis, Tenn. (May 5, 2009) – Giancarlo Mari, MD, chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) and director of the Maternal Fetal Institute at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine, and Veronica T. Mallett, MD, chairman, Department of OB/GYN in the College of Medicine at UTHSC, are excited to welcome two nationally known maternal fetal health experts to the faculty: Joaquin Santolaya, MD, and Kolawole Olayinka Oyelese, MD.  Both faculty members are expected to arrive on campus by July to assume their new roles.    

 

            “We are enthusiastic about the additions of Drs. Santolaya and Oyelese to the Maternal Fetal Medicine faculty.  This division has experienced notable growth in the last two years, which has significantly impacted our capacity to service the staggering number of high-risk pregnancies seen in Memphis and the surrounding region,” stated Dr. Mallett.

 

Dr. Santolaya is currently the director of the Center for Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.  He is board certified in clinical genetics with expertise in prenatal diagnosis, fetal therapy and reproductive genetics.  Dr. Santolaya received his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid Medical School in 1980.  He completed his residency in OB/GYN as well as his doctoral degree in fetal physiology and medicine at the University of London, UK.  Dr. Santolaya completed a fellowship in clinical molecular genetics at Yale University and then an additional fellowship in bioethics in Chicago.

 

Dr. Mari noted, “The expertise of both Dr. Santolaya and Dr. Oyelese in the area of prenatal diagnosis, fetal therapy and obstetrical critical care will help us reduce the perinatal and infant mortality rate in Memphis and improve the overall quality of Perinatal Medicine in the state of Tennessee.  Dr. Santolaya’s rigorous methods for processing scientific information will also be of great significance to the Maternal Fetal Medicine team.”

 

Dr. Oyelese will join the MFM Division and the Tennessee Institute of Fetal-Maternal and Infant Health as associate professor of OB/GYN at UTHSC.  He will serve as the director of Ultrasound at the Regional Medical Center.  Dr. Oyelese is an internationally renowned physician in prenatal diagnosis and obstetrical critical care.  He completed his residency in OB/GYN at St. George’s Hospital, London, UK, and at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.  He completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ.  Dr. Oyelese is currently the interim director of Maternal Fetal Medicine for UMDNJ. 

 

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is focused on a four-tier mission of education, research, clinical care and public service, all in support of a single goal: to improve the health of Tennesseans.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  UTHSC has additional College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy campuses in Knoxville, and a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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