Experts for Media - OB/GYN and Women's Health

Irwin R. Merkatz, MD

The Chella and Moise Safra Professor and University Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Montefiore Medical Center

Co-Director, Division of Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Montefiore Medical Center

Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Maternal & Fetal Medicine), Albert Einstein College of Medicine

An expert in high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Merkatz is recognized for his landmark discovery of the link between low alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and Down syndrome, which revolutionized prenatal testing. The longest serving department chair in obstetrics and gynecology in the U.S., he established community programs to prevent preterm birth and eliminate racial and gender disparities in health outcomes. Dr. Merkatz belongs to the U.S. Public Health Service’s Expert Panel on the Content of Prenatal Care and contributed to the report Caring for Our Future, an influential roadmap for obstetrical healthcare providers. He has served on the scientific advisory committee for the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, as Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute of Medicine, and as special advisor for infant mortality for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. In addition, he is a Fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Past President of the New York Obstetrical Society.

Areas of Expertise

Mary Rosser, MD, PhD, Ob/Gyn

Department of Ob/GYN and Women’s Health, Montefiore Medical Center

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Rosser is a strong believer in treating and counseling the whole woman during the patient visit at every opportunity. Most women begin seeing an Ob/Gyn when they are pregnant and continue to see that doctor for pap smears, breast exams and checkups throughout their adult life. Sometimes, Dr. Rosser says that the Ob/Gyn is the only doctor women visit annually. Therefore, she makes a point at discussing many women’s issues beyond her traditional role, including high blood pressure and heart disease, osteoporosis, incontinence and other concerns that she would only reveal to her Ob/Gyn.

Areas of Expertise

Selected Media Coverage

Everyday Health

Peter Bernstein, M.D., MPH

Director of the Maternal Fetal Residency Program and Director of the Centering Pregnancy Program, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Bernstein has expertise in outcomes research. He has been instrumental in the design of the prenatal record software being implemented on Montefiore’s computer network. Dr. Bernstein implemented and evaluated a program for providing group prenatal care as a way to improve the delivery of prenatal care and empower women to learn more about their pregnancies. The program employs a revolutionary model of prenatal care in which women are seen for their routine prenatal visits as a group rather than individually. The program allows women to learn from each other and their provider and to form a support network. Dr. Bernstein also developed a curriculum to teach primary care providers about the importance of preconception care, and has also published on interventions to improve the delivery of preconception care. In addition, he has conducted several research studies involving the use of cervicovaginal beta-hCG as a predictor of preterm delivery and successful induction of labor at term.

Areas of Expertise

Ashlesha K. Dayal, MD

Medical Director, Labor and Delivery, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Maternal & Fetal Medicine), Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Dayal has developed the Comprehensive Preconception and Interconception Care Program (CPIC) for women at high risk for preterm delivery. Dr. Dayal is regionally and nationally known for the innovative CPIC Program and has presented the program to multiple forums, including the New York State Regional Perinatal Forum and the CDC Conference on Preconception Care. Dr. Dayal has been grant funded twice for this program by the Greater New York Chapter of the March of Dimes in 2002 and again in 2007. In 2007, the format of the program changed from individual care to group care of patients. Dr. Dayal also has spoken in several forums regarding using preconception counseling and identification of risk factors to decrease maternal mortality. This is a public health initiative sponsored by the American College of Obstetricians Gynecologists and the New York State Department of Health called Safe Motherhood Initiative. A graduate of Boston University Six Year Liberal Arts/ Medicine Program, she completed her residency in OBGYN at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and did a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Montefiore/Einstein.

Areas of Expertise

Selected Media Coverage

ABC Local