Catherine Y. Spong, M.D., a nationally recognized leader in women’s health with expertise translating research into clinical practice, has been named Associate Dean of Clinical Research.

Dr. Spong previously served as Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and assumed her new role Oct. 1. She looks forward to building on UT Southwestern’s strengths to expand the institution’s impact through clinical research.

“Clinical research has been at the center of my career for more than three decades. This gives me the chance to bring that experience, together with what I have learned as a Department Chair, to a broader institutional level,” Dr. Spong said. “In Ob/Gyn, we have seen what can happen when clinical research is a clear priority, investigators have the support they need, and the infrastructure is in place to move good ideas forward.”

As Associate Dean, Dr. Spong said she wants to make clinical research an integral part of patient care excellence at UTSW. That includes supporting and developing clinical investigators, but also making it easier to conduct clinical research, increasing participation in clinical trials, improving recruitment, and identifying and addressing the barriers that keep good studies from reaching patients, she said.

“I want us to build on what is already working across the institution and create an environment where investigators and patients have greater opportunities to participate in research,” Dr. Spong said. “Ultimately, I want clinical research to be part of how we think about delivering outstanding clinical care – not something that sits alongside it.”

Dr. Spong, who is also Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, earned her medical degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After serving as Chief Resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she joined the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) as a Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow, with clinical responsibilities at Georgetown University Medical Center. She joined the NICHD as faculty and continued clinical work in the community.

Over 23 years at the NICHD, Dr. Spong held numerous scientific and leadership roles. For more than a decade, she led the NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, a 16-site national multicenter clinical trials network whose studies helped define standards of obstetric care. Her work included developing and executing large clinical trials and addressing the challenges of recruitment, enrollment, and retention across diverse clinical sites. She also led major research initiatives related to the human placenta, genomics of preterm birth, stillbirth, adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, and fetal surgery.

Dr. Spong joined UT Southwestern in 2018 as Professor and Vice Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also served as Chief of the Department’s Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine before being appointed Department Chair in 2021.

Under her leadership, the Department experienced substantial growth and achievement across its clinical, research, and educational missions. Department faculty provide clinical leadership for four hospitals across the Dallas-Fort Worth area that have achieved Level IV maternal designation – the highest level of maternal care. The Department, including the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, consistently ranks among the top 10 nationally in National Institutes of Health funding. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program also ranked No. 7 nationally for clinical training by Doximity and achieved its strongest ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) Resident Survey results in a decade this year.

In 2023, Dr. Spong was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of her contributions to maternal-fetal medicine, leadership in women’s health research, and dedication to advancing care for mothers and babies.

Dr. Spong succeeds Heidi Jacobe, M.D., who will become Chair of Dermatology at Duke Health on Dec. 1. Vanessa Rogers, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vice Chair of Education and Faculty Development, began serving as Interim Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Oct. 1.