Mission Statement

The thesis of the Mission statement is simple. Education is what we are about - education is what makes us different, education is why we are here. Everything we do must be measured by its contribution to education. Service to the community is an integral component of our education mission. High quality, innovative healthcare for the women of Virginia is fundamental to our effort to educate the physicians and specialists of the future. Furthermore, research that continuously expands the limits of our knowledge about diseases of women is also a critical component of our education effort. Without cutting edge research, the quality of our education is suspect. Therefore, although service and research are critical in support of education, it is education that is our top priority. Service and research must be measured by their contribution to this primary mission of education.

Education: Undergraduate and graduate medical education of the highest quality taught by committed, superior faculty.

Service: Health care of the highest quality for the women of the Commonwealth, incorporating contemporary innovation in a caring and attractive environment.

Research: A commitment of the expansion of knowledge and understanding of both physiology and disease relevant to the female reproductive tract through innovative, state of the art research efforts.

In order to provide the best possible undergraduate and graduate education in obstetrics and gynecology, supported by high quality patient care and innovative research, the department must carefully balance the strengths of subspecialization and general practice. All faculty must be committed to teaching and scholarly pursuits, as well as high quality patient care.

A strong cadre of generalists in obstetrics and gynecology combined with strength in each of the recognized subspecialist areas is most likely to provide the necessary support for graduate and undergraduate education while encouraging aggressive scholarly investigation. We must endeavor to find common ground for the alignment of department goals and welfare with individual professional goals and welfare. The department administration must carefully coordinate the strengths and talents of each individual faculty member with the needs of the department and provide the necessary facilitation to lead the alignment of individual and departmental efforts.