George A. Macones, M.D., M.S.C.E., has been named head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Elaine and Mitchell Yanow Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Macones’ appointment, effective Sept. 1, 2005, was announced by Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and executive vice chancellor for medical affairs. Macones will replace James R. Schreiber, M.D., who has served as head of obstetrics and gynecology since 1991.
“Dr. Macones is a recognized leader with impressive accomplishments as a teacher, researcher and clinician,” Shapiro said. “He is a physician-scholar ideally suited to take the reins of our obstetrics and gynecology department, which has flourished under the leadership of Dr. Schreiber, and is poised to reach new heights. Dr. Macones’ administrative talents will ensure that the department’s federal and private research funding continue to grow and that our medical training and clinical care programs are among the top tier in the nation.”
Macones also will become chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and will work with school and hospital leaders to manage the institutions’ combined clinical and teaching programs. Additionally, he will direct the high-risk obstetrical and gynecological oncology services Washington University physicians provide at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Cancer-related research and clinical care within the department are provided in association with the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, the only federally designated comprehensive cancer center in the region.
Macones comes to Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he was associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of epidemiology. Macones is a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, with expertise in managing medically complicated pregnancies and those at risk for preterm birth. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in clinical research in reproduction. Macones has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific articles, many focusing on issues related to preterm birth and complicated deliveries and currently serves on the editorial board of several major research journals. His research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute. Macones has been recognized for his research with awards from the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He has served on national committees, including roles on advisory committees at the NIH and the FDA. He is also active in the certification process with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and continues to serve the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on several national committees.
Board-certified in both general obstetrics and gynecology and in the subspecialty of maternal-fetal medicine, Macones has served as director of obstetrics and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for the last five years. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Macones holds membership in the American College of Epidemiology, the Society for Gynecologic Investigation and the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society.
Macones received his medical degree in 1988 from Jefferson Medical College and his master of science degree in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. He completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Jefferson Medical College in 1994.
Funds endowing the Elaine and Mitchell Yanow Professorship were provided by Mitchell Yanow, M.D., in 1997, and the professorship was first held by Schreiber. Yanow, an alumnus of Washington University and Washington University School of Medicine, was a member of the medical school’s National Council. He received the University’s Brookings Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Yanow died in 1998 at age 80. In addition to a long and accomplished medical career, Yanow was cofounder and board chairman of Medicine Shoppe International, Inc.
“I am excited to be joining the faculty at Washington University and being an active member of the university community. I look forward to building upon the tradition of excellence within the department established under the leadership of Dr. Schreiber and am particularly honored to hold the Elaine and Mitchell Yanow Professorship,” Macones said.
Schreiber announced last year that it was his intention to retire from administrative duties as department head in 2005 and to return full-time to teaching, research and clinical care. An international search was launched for his successor. Schreiber’s clinical interests have been in evaluating treatments for infertility and developing therapy for recurrent spontaneous miscarriage. Under Schreiber’s leadership, the research activities of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department have grown substantially. Schreiber also is credited with enhancing the resident physician and postgraduate fellowship training programs in association with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and struck a ground-breaking contractual agreement with Missouri Baptist Medical Center whereby Washington University specialists would provide consultative and patient care services for high-risk obstetrical and gynecologic oncology patients at the hospital. Barnes-Jewish and Missouri Baptist hospitals are both members of BJC HealthCare.
Macones was raised in Philadelphia, and is married to Elizabeth Macones, an attorney. He has three children: Caroline Wynne (age 13), Colin James (age 9), and Cameron Ross (age 6).
Washington University School of Medicine’s full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked third in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.