Newswise — MAYWOOD, Ill. - Jean Goodman, MD, has been named division director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Loyola University Health System and professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, effective Aug. 1. She will be joined by Paula Melone, DO, assistant professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Melone began seeing patients at Loyola this spring.

“These maternal-fetal medicine specialists bring to Loyola extensive experience in the management of women with difficult pregnancies,” said Ronald Potkul, MD, chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “They also are skilled at working closely with referring physicians who entrust the care of their patients in the hands of high-risk obstetric specialists."

Dr. Goodman was recruited to Loyola from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center where she served as medical director of the Perinatal Diabetes Program, associate professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology.

Dr. Goodman is a Chicago native who earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She went on to complete her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal medicine at University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Goodman is an accomplished researcher who currently has several grants to study diabetes during pregnancy as well as the identification of predispositions for gastroschisis, a congenital defect in a baby’s abdomen.

“I am looking forward to returning to my hometown and to working at an institution that values clinical and academic excellence combined with service to others,” Dr. Goodman said. “I identify with this mission and look forward to carrying it out in the communities Loyola serves."

Dr. Melone came to Loyola from Rockford Memorial Hospital where she was director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and co-director of the Northwest Region Perinatal Center. Dr. Melone earned her doctor of osteopathy from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. She went on to complete an internship and a residency at Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., and a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal medicine at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. Her interests include treating patients with placental abnormalities. In the next year, Dr. Melone and her colleagues plan to open a center for pregnant women with placenta disorders.

“Women who experience complicated pregnancies go through a great deal of turmoil,” Dr. Melone said. “I am pleased to be at an academic medical center where I can offer these patients reassurance that they have access to the highest level of care to manage their pregnancies."

Loyola’s Maternal-Fetal medicine specialists provide evaluations for women who are looking to conceive and for those who have complications during pregnancy. High-risk factors can include women who are carrying multiples or medical concerns with the baby or mother. Maternal-Fetal medicine specialists provide advanced, specialized testing, diagnostic services and genetic counseling to manage complications of pregnancy. Physicians in the division work in conjunction with neonatologists, geneticists, obstetrical anesthesiologists and general obstetricians to provide comprehensive care to mothers before delivery.

To schedule an appointment with a Loyola physician, call 888 (LUHS)-888, (888-584-7888).

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