Emory University School of Medicine has appointed Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, as chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and chief of gynecology and obstetrics for Emory Healthcare, beginning July 1, 2019.
Jamieson was named James Robert McCord Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics and vice chair for population health in 2017, after serving as an adjunct faculty member since 1998. She also serves as division director for gynecologic specialties in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and as associate chief of service for Emory Obstetrics and Gynecology at Grady Health System.
Jamieson earned a medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at University of California at San Francisco. Following residency, Jamieson joined the U.S. Public Health Service and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Jamieson then served in a variety of leadership roles at the CDC, including as medical care task force lead for the Ebola response in 2014 and as incident commander for CDC’s response to Zika in 2016-17. Upon retirement from the U.S. Public Health Service as a captain in July 2017, she received the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award granted to an officer in the Commissioned Corps, for “notable contributions to reproductive health and public health practice.”
Interim Chair of Gynecology and Obstetrics Penny Castellano, MD, praised Jamieson’s extensive contributions to health services research and population health, stating that “Denise has started to shift the landscape for population health in our department, leveraging existing models at Grady to harness data so that we can begin to look at emerging disease trends and identify priorities for improving health in our patient population.”
Jamieson’s work focuses on emerging infectious diseases in pregnancy, and she has published more than 400 scientific peer-reviewed papers. She serves on several American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) committees including the Immunization, Infectious Disease, and Public Health Preparedness Work Group, the HIV Work Group, and the Obstetric Practice Bulletin committee. She has been an oral board examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) since 2007 and serves on ABOG’s Qualifying Examination Development Committee. In 2011, Jamieson was awarded a Distinguished Alumna Award for outstanding accomplishment in the field of medicine at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Throughout her career, Jamieson has demonstrated exemplary leadership across all three missions of research, teaching and patient care. During a 2018 celebration after being named the James Robert McCord Chair, Jamieson pledged to “embrace and promote scientific inquiry and scholarship; strive for academic and clinical excellence; motivate and inspire medical students to pursue their passions; and teach, mentor and support the next generation of obstetrician-gynecologists.”
“We know that Dr. Jamieson’s dedication to our missions and to her patients, students and colleagues will only grow along with this expanded role, and we look forward to the continued success of this department under her leadership,” says Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. “We also acknowledge and thank Penny Castellano for her dedicated service as interim chair over the past three years. She has made outstanding contributions to the department and has been a valued member of the SOM council of chairs."
Castellano will continue to serve as vice chair for clinical affairs and as chief medical officer for the Emory Clinic and Emory Specialty Associates.