Allan Rosenfield, M.D

International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2007) 97, 172–174 a v a i l a b l e a t w w w. s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m w w w. e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / i j g o FIGO PROFILE Allan Rosenfield, M.D. The editors of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics have initiated “FIGO Profiles” to recognize individuals who have made substantial contributions to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) but who may not have served as FIGO officers or in high-profile FIGO positions. In this issue we recognize Allan Rosenfield, MD, for his numerous and extensive contributions to FIGO and FIGO programs (Fig. 1). Allan Rosenfield, who is currently Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and the DeLamar Professor of Public Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, began his educational career at Harvard College, graduating in 1955; he received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in 1959. Following military service in the United States Air Force, he completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Boston Lying-In Hospital for Women (now the Brigham and WomenTs Hospital). At the completion of his residency training in the United States, he served as senior registrar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Lagos Medical School in Lagos, Nigeria. This exposure to third-world issues stimulated him to pursue a career in women's health on the international scene. He developed a significant interest in family-planning activities and from 1967 to 1973, he served as the representative of the Population Council and Medical Advisor to the Ministry of Public Health in Bangkok, Thailand. Returning to the United States in 1973, he served as the Director of Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning at the Population Council in New York. In 1975, he was appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health and Director of the newly created Center for Population and Family Health at ColumbiaTs School of Health. In the early 1980s, he served as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and Mailman School of Public Health, and in 1986, became the Dean, a position that he has held until the present time. Under his leadership, the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University grew from a small institution to the second largest school at Columbia and the third largest school of Public Health in the United States. During his academic career, Dr. Rosenfield was widely recognized as a scholar with over 100 scientific publications, the vast majority dealing with important issues in women's health, especially maternal mortality. Following a highly successful academic career at Columbia, Dr. Rosenfield recently announced that he would be stepping down as the Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health (Fig. 2). Dr. Rosenfield's involvement with FIGO began in the early 1970s when he along with Professor Mahmoud Fathalla, published the Teaching Manual on Human Reproduction, the first educational text produced by FIGO for the purpose of providing a reliable teaching aid for departments of obstetrics and gynecology in universities in the developing world. The manual was accompanied by a collection of 35 mm slides to allow educators easy access to the material. With financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, and later with the co-sponsorship of the Johns Hopkins Program for Figure 1 Dr. Allan Rosenfield at the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, New York, NY USA. 0020-7292/$ - see front matter © 2007 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2007.04.005 FIGO PROFILE Figure 2 Portrait of Dr. Allan Rosenfield painted at the time it was announced that he would step down as Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University in 2006. International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO), the three volumes of the manual and accompanying slides were distributed free of charge to over 700 departments of obstetrics and gynecology in developing countries. Under Dr. Rosenfield's editorship, a second edition of the manual was published in the 1980s and with the help of the World Health Organization, the manual was distributed free of charge in developing countries to all medical schools, with copies provided to their medical libraries and to either the dean of the medical school or the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. A French and Spanish edition was also prepared and distributed in Francophone Africa and in Latin America. Subsequently, our Chinese colleagues prepared their own Chinese translation of the manual and it was distributed widely throughout China. In 1982, when the WHO/FIGO Alliance for Women's Health evolved from the WHO/FIGO Task Force, Dr. Rosenfield was one of the key representatives of FIGO. Under his direction, a series of articles was published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics to increase social awareness among obstetricians and gynecologists throughout the world about issues such as female circumcision/female genital mutilation, maternal mortality, AIDS and women, and appropriate technology in 173 maternal and child health. Dr. Rosenfield was instrumental in organizing several FIGO pre-Congress workshops on social issues of concern to the health of women. As a result of these workshops, many resolutions were submitted to the FIGO General Assembly and were adopted at a time when many international organizations simply had not given much thought to women's health issues. As a leader in women's reproductive health and human rights, Dr. Rosenfield was among the first to draw attention to the fact that in the developing world, many women continue to die from pregnancy-related complications. With the help of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he and Professor Deborah Maine established the pioneering Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program at Columbia University, which has supported more than 85 projects in 50 developing countries in improving obstetric care. Since the year 2000, the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics has published a regular section, Averting Maternal Death and Disability, which has become an important feature of our journal, and this section has been supported by funds provided through the School of Public Health. Dr. Rosenfield has also been involved in international HIV/AIDS activities with a heavy focus on care and treatment for women. He received significant foundation support in 2002 and a large United States Federal Grant in 2004 to provide comprehensive HIV care and treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa. The program has reached more than 190,000 HIV-positive people worldwide. At the FIGO World Congresses in 2000 and 2003, a number of awards were presented in recognition of persons who had performed sterling service in support of women's health care in their local communities. These awards were made possible by the generous support of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program of the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University and was initiated by Dr. Rosenfield. The awards honor individuals actually providing emergency obstetric care in underserved populations, particularly in rural areas, or directly administering facilities providing such services. These FIGO Community Service Awards for Emergency Obstetric Care have become an important feature of the recent FIGO World Congresses. In addition to all of his other contributions to FIGO, Dr. Rosenfield has served for many years as an editor of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, taking responsibility, along with Professor Mahmoud Fathalla, for the section on Social Issues in Reproductive Health. For this activity alone, FIGO and the editors of the IJGO recognize Allan Rosenfield's important contribution to our specialty. During the course of his academic and professional career, Dr. Rosenfield has received many awards and honors. In 2000, at the FIGO World Congress, he was award FIGO Distinguished Service Award, highest award FIGO can bestow. His other awards include honors received from the government of Thailand, the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as the American Public Health Association's Martha May Elliott and Carl Schulz Awards, Planned Parenthood Federation of AmericaTs Margaret Sanger Award, and honors from the New York Academy of Medicine, Doctors of the World- 174 USA, Global Health Council, the International WomenTs Health Coalition, and many others. Most recently, the President of Columbia University has announced that the building housing the School of Public Health will be named the Allan Rosenfield building. As noted earlier in this article, Dr. Rosenfield will be stepping down soon as the Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health, and it is most appropriate that we recognize his extensive contributions: He has served FIGO; he has served our specialty of obstetrics and FIGO PROFILE gynecology; and he has served the women of the developing world for many, many years. He is truly worthy of our recognition. John J. Sciarra, MD, PhD Editor, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Northwestern University Medical School Chicago IL, USA [email protected]