OB-GYN
Faculty
UH Manoa
Graduate Medical Education
The John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of OB/GYN has appointed Dr. Corrie Miller as the new director of its Maternal–Fetal Medicine (MFM) Fellowship. Miller becomes the first fellowship graduate to step into its top leadership role, succeeding Dr. Men-Jean Lee, who transitions to Chair of OB/GYN at Rutgers University.
"Founded by our department in 2008, the Hawai'i MFM Fellowship has grown into a nationally recognized program with a meaningful impact on the field and a pipeline of MFM physicians in Hawaiʻi," said Dr. Ivica Zalud, Professor and Chair of JABSOM's OB/GYN Department. "The fact that its leadership is now composed entirely of its own alumni is a powerful testament to the program's legacy, relevance, and the exceptional physicians it develops."
Miller is excited to step into the role.
"It's exciting," she said. "Having gone through the program myself, I think I bring a unique and empathetic perspective. I've been in the fellows' shoes, and that helps me understand what they need to succeed."
Miller said her initial priorities are to maintain the fellowship's strong foundation and ensure that trainees are supported, confident, and on track to meet all graduation requirements.
" I always enjoyed working with the fellows, and I just feel very privileged that I'm able to do that in a more formalized fashion,” she said.
Originally coming to Hawaiʻi for the MFM fellowship, Miller chose to stay, citing both professional and personal reasons.
"Hawaiʻi is a unique place to practice and raise a family," she said. "I wanted to settle down and establish roots here as I saw opportunities for academic growth. There's such a supportive environment, both clinically and academically. Our patients are super grateful, and caring for them is very rewarding."
The MFM leadership team now includes Associate Fellowship Program Directors, Drs. Stacy Tsai and Kelly Yamasato, both graduates of the program, which Miller sees as an asset and an opportunity.
"Having so many graduates in leadership gives us shared insight, but it also means we need to be intentional about bringing in diverse perspectives from outside our institution," she said. "That's something we're committed to doing for our fellows."
Miller is also committed to building on Dr. Lee's research on microplastics in Hawaiʻi. She will continue collaborating with Rodrigo Weingrill Barbano and Johann Urschitz from JABSOM’s Yanagimachi Institute for Biogenesis Research.
"My field is understanding the microbiome in pregnancy, and there is a lot of understanding that microplastics affect microbial function in the environment and also in humans. The studies are primarily in the gut, so we are looking at how the microplastics present, even in our brains, affect the reproductive tract, infertility, and adverse pregnancy outcomes through the microbiome. There likely is a crosstalk between microbes and microplastics, but we don't necessarily know the size of the effect," she said.
With one fellow per year and three trainees total, Miller says the program remains focused on high-quality, individualized training and preparing the next generation of maternal–fetal medicine specialists for Hawaiʻi's unique needs.
“I think leading our research infrastructure and ensuring we produce high-quality, translatable research are also goals and objectives for the department. I'm also hoping that this transition will also garner that same legacy that Dr. Lee left."